Hello Bmichels,
Which model of Totaldac did you hear? Did you hear the Totaldac Twelve?
Thanks,
VPN
Sound Galleries SGM 2015
- Thread starter tsaett
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Hello Bmichels,
Which model of Totaldac did you hear? Did you hear the Totaldac Twelve?
Thanks,
VPN
Hello Bmichels,
Which model of Totaldac did you hear? Did you hear the Totaldac Twelve?
Thanks,
VPN
Thank you! Try the Totaldac Twelve if you can. I understand it is at a substantially higher level vs. the other Totaldac. I heard it in Munich 2015, and will hear it again (I hope so) in Munich 2017. Unfortunalelly, I have not been able to hear it in my system.
Had the great pleasure of hosting Ed Hsu (Eurodriver) the last few days in my music room. Ed came to upgrade the SSD capacity on my SGM2015 server.
But of greater significance, Ed upgraded my HQPlayer software to the latest 3.16.0 version and we were able to test a new filter (poly-sinc-xtr) with four DACs: Nagra HD, Aqua Formula, Pacific Microsonics model 2, and the Playback Designs MPS-5.
The new poly-sinc-xtr filter was a revelation. Optimizing the settings for each DAC raised the level of performance for all four DACs (whether PCM or DSD centric) in my system by an order of magnitude relative to their corresponding prior baselines.
These were not subtle differences. Each DAC produced jaw-dropping differences that required only a software change in the SGM/HQPlayer software - a zero marginal cost that was equivalent to a major component change. And that is taking into account that my system was already what I personally considered to be an already high level of performance.
Of course, the results will vary by system. And it appears that the level of improvement is directly related at least in part to the signal/noise in a system.
I have seen and heard the future of digital - at least in my system. And it lies in the SGM/HQPlayer combo - an utterly reliable and flexible digital server that is guaranteed to stay ahead of the curve due to its inherent upgradability; a platform that is overdesigned for performance and low-noise; and its DAC agnostic framework.
The SGM/HQPlayer combo can be optimized to deliver the best sound quality that a DAC can provide in the specific context of the surrounding system components and the user's sonic preferences. Something that no traditional transport can do easily.
Thank you Edward for a delightful visit that raised the performance level of my system by a very positive order of magnitude. It is always a pleasure.
But of greater significance, Ed upgraded my HQPlayer software to the latest 3.16.0 version and we were able to test a new filter (poly-sinc-xtr) with four DACs: Nagra HD, Aqua Formula, Pacific Microsonics model 2, and the Playback Designs MPS-5.
The new poly-sinc-xtr filter was a revelation. Optimizing the settings for each DAC raised the level of performance for all four DACs (whether PCM or DSD centric) in my system by an order of magnitude relative to their corresponding prior baselines.
These were not subtle differences. Each DAC produced jaw-dropping differences that required only a software change in the SGM/HQPlayer software - a zero marginal cost that was equivalent to a major component change. And that is taking into account that my system was already what I personally considered to be an already high level of performance.
Of course, the results will vary by system. And it appears that the level of improvement is directly related at least in part to the signal/noise in a system.
I have seen and heard the future of digital - at least in my system. And it lies in the SGM/HQPlayer combo - an utterly reliable and flexible digital server that is guaranteed to stay ahead of the curve due to its inherent upgradability; a platform that is overdesigned for performance and low-noise; and its DAC agnostic framework.
The SGM/HQPlayer combo can be optimized to deliver the best sound quality that a DAC can provide in the specific context of the surrounding system components and the user's sonic preferences. Something that no traditional transport can do easily.
Thank you Edward for a delightful visit that raised the performance level of my system by a very positive order of magnitude. It is always a pleasure.
Interesting. How many parameters must be adjusted for optimizing the SGM for a specific DAC? Is it carried just by listening tests?
Microstrip,
For a given filter, Ed focused on four parameters, where each one has several possible settings: DAC bits, Buffer time, Modulator (DSD)/Dither (PCM), and Sample rate (DSD)/Bit rate (PCM).
The testing of options was not exhaustive. Starting points were guided by Ed's experience with various parameter combinations and ultimately selected by our listening tests. It may sound complicated but it really was not once you get used to playing with the Settings Menu.
Steve, Good Luck!
If possible, can you take some pictures of what is being done, in order to get a more concrete understanding of what this server and setup are all about (assuming nothing proprietary is divulged, of course) If not, no big deal. Thanks!
caesar,
Don't know about Axpona, but we plan to show the Aqua/SGM combo at the LA Show in June!
cheers,
alex
Don't know about Axpona, but we plan to show the Aqua/SGM combo at the LA Show in June!
cheers,
alex
Thanks. I LOVE LA (except for the traffic!), and if there is any chance i can make it to the show, I will.
Well, the good news is that the LA Show is right next to LA, so you won't see much of the (indeed horrible) traffic! 
The SGM will be at Axpona and Munich. Munich will have two rooms, I believe. No other plans at the moment.
However, if anyone is in the NJ/NY Greater Metro area (Philly, CT, LI) and would like to have a home demo of the SGM please contact me by PM.
Thanks. Do you know which room at Axpona will have the server? And with which DAC(s) it will be demoed?
Steve,
I've had the MPS-5 for quite a while so I'm very familiar with its sound. The SGM was feeding the MPS-5 16/44 and DSD files upsampled to DSD128 through the Playback Designs USB-XIII Converter via the playlink connection.
What I heard through the SGM with the 3.16.0 version of HQPlayer and the poly-sinc-xtr filter was the best sound quality I've heard from the MPS-5 in my system. Hope that you find similar results in your system.
Hi Steve,
You are correct. But the limitation lies with the poly-sinc-xtr filter which will only work up to DSD128. My understanding from Edward is that there is another filter (poly-sinc-xtr-2s) that can acommodate DSD256, but we didn't get a chance to try it.
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