Audio-gd

[The Monkey]

^That's very helpful. Thanks!

[AlanY]

I'm not sure that it's fair to compare just the DAC chips to the whole thing....

This is true, the analog stage and filtering scheme makes a big difference, but in some sense the PCM1704 will have a distinct sound from the subsequent crop of sigma-delta converters because it's a fundamentally different architecture. It's really the last of the R2R-inspired breed. It sounds like Currawong's ears are really sensitive to something it does right.

If anyone's considering the PCM1704, the HagDac is another good option at $499. You have to put it in a box yourself though and add a PS, but other than that it comes preassembled. Haven't heard it myself, but it's not a bad value given that it also comes with the DF1704 and can be upgraded to a tube output stage.

[Icarium]

Not all that impressed by the DF1704 myself.. my Assemblage DAC3 had the DF1704 swapped in on an adapter replacing the PMD100 it originally had. I listened to it before and after I swapped the PMD100 back and there was an audible difference in the PMD100's favor. Of course I did lose the ability to do 24/96.. ohwell

[Currawong]

Well, after all the shit I had with DHL's "Clearance Delay" crap, a 20Kg box arrived on my doorstep. The courier, from Japan's ultra-reliable Sagawa, not DHL themselves, had a great time carrying it up the stairs to the 5th floor. I had a great time unpacking 15Kgs of DAC as well.

I'll repost what I posted on HF, as though I feel I should be wary of posting initial impressions during "new gear syndrome", I've not found fault with my initial impressions of gear in the past:

Today was so busy that evening listening to music is tiring. I am trying to get an impression of the sound from the Ref 1 though, and all I can get is that it has no signature. It's as if it's not there at all. 15Kgs of electronics that isn't there. That's as strong an impression as the Ref 1 is heavy -- I keep looking at the rack wondering if it's really plugged in. Seriously!

You know we've been screwing around with the Zero, screwing around with the opamps, the HDAMs, then the Compass, and all this stuff for a year or more now, and talking about how this has such a sound, or that sounds different, so when we plug stuff in, we can turn and look at it and say to ourselves, yeah, I remember that sound that it produces. Well, I can't do that with the Reference 1. It's like it doesn't exist, like the obelisk in "2001, a Space Odessy". I keep thinking about the sound the Stax rig produces instead, now I'm not distracted by how digital the Northstar sounds.

Sometime down the track, after my HD-800s have arrived, if I CBF'ed hauling around 15Kgs of electronics, I'll see if the local Stax dealer is persuadable to letting me put it up against one of their Esoteric CD players.

[Dreadhead]

hmmm interesting....

[tkam]

I'm looking forward to hearing more impressions on the Ref One

[diebenkorn]

I'm looking forward to hearing more impressions on the Ref One

X2

[Hopstretch]

What's the backstory on Mr. Kingwa, Currawong? The Audio-gd stuff definitely has that slight mad-scientist vibe, and I mean that in a good way.

[Currawong]

What's the backstory on Mr. Kingwa, Currawong? The Audio-gd stuff definitely has that slight mad-scientist vibe, and I mean that in a good way.

Pricklely Peete on HF (however you spell it) is the true mad scientist. He's has a ton of high quality audio gear, all of which he's modified in some way.

The backstory though:

There was a lot of opamp rolling and the like going on with the cheap Zero DAC. Someone, I think Pricklely Peete wondered if the Burson HDAM would work in one, and someone tried it successfully. It was a bit of a crazy idea, as it cost more than the Zero itself. Then someone (probably PP again, but maybe csroc) found Audio-gd made them for about $25 each for a double. Even though people were buying just a $25 item from him, Kingwa was very receptive to suggestions, adding caps on the voltage input to the design, which is recommended by Burson. He also sent out some new OPA HDAM designs, the "Sun" and "Moon" for people to try and give feedback on, which are based on different circuits and have different sound signatures. From feedback again, he redesigned the Sun.

I saw he made quite a bit of hi-fi gear, and decided to take a chance on the C2-C headamp, since it was about the same price as my LD MKV, so if it could better it, then the value can't be argued with. I have the original version, with the hand-built case (see the pics in the head-fi review). Apart from the case and the awful Chinese imitation of the Neutrik locking jack, I feel it's detail-transparent from deep bass to treble IMO and, I feel, drives both low and high impedence headphones well. Considerably better than the MKV in all cases. I don't have anything more well known than a Corda Move to compare to, so take from that what you will. The C2-C has been upgraded now with a proper case and a real Neutrik jack. I told Kingwa, the owner, never to let any headamps out of his business with that cheap Chinese jack ever again, as you quickly get channel drop-outs with it. I can find no fault with the rest of the design though.

At some point, people were starting to receive modded Zero DACs (from the two eBay sellers) which were arriving with opamps backwards or not working at all. The worst case was someone's headphones being fried completely. Since I'd taken a chance on the C2-C headamp from Audio-gd and he has been very enthusiastic and receptive to ideas, I suggested he design something as an alternative to the Zero for the price of the fully upgraded model (about $220) based on suggestions from people on head-fi. It's gone way beyond what I imagined though, but the basic concept that, as an intro to head-fi, people should be able to buy something reasonably priced and good quality from a company that seriously gives a shit about its customers and wont compromise quality, even when they become popular.

I wasn't considering one of his DACs until the Nakamichi experience and some research, and so far so good. Someone who owns something more hardcore than my Northstar will need to compare it to get any real idea how good it is I think though.

Random stuff:

Kingwa insists on burning in/testing all gear for 100 hours before shipping.

He won a prize in something called the "National Semiconductor Design Contest" in China, with an integrated amp. Can't find the link to the pics, but he's selling the winning amp on his BBS.

His company is called "Reiz" in Taiwan, but he's based in China, near HK.

He told me he only employs dedicated audiophiles, which he's having trouble finding more of to work for him.

He has some other gear in the works: Balanced headamp, small power amp to go with the Compass (it has pre-out) and a usb to coax digital adaptor, hopefully with 24/96 using the Centrance/TI chip.

He refused my request to put optical in the Reference 1, as he didn't want to add a switch between the coax/BNC and the optical, which might compromise SQ.

[Dusty Chalk]

Cool!

He told me he only employs dedicated audiophiles, which he's having trouble finding more of to work for him.

Maybe he should follow someone like Toyota's lead, and have parts assembled in America...?

[Currawong]

Cool!Maybe he should follow someone like Toyota's lead, and have parts assembled in America...?

If he could guarantee the quality, he might go for that. I'm not sure if Burson doesn't essentially do that already in Australia, but under their own name, I haven't asked. He does sell assembled boards for some of his stuff, such as power supplies, and schematics for some of his gear is available on the web site. When Tyson on HF got his DAC 8 and amps, he had bias issues IIRC, so Kingwa sent him the schematics so someone local could adjust it.

More DAC 1 impressions though, reposted more or less from HF:

Zanth asked me about the Nakamichi: It had more of an impact on me, maybe because I wasn't expecting it to, and also possibly because it was 10 years old and probably had been used for thousands of hours by various people. The Ref 1's impact is more so on re-visiting tracks I've listen to many times, as like the Nakamichi, the beauty of, say, the emotion conveyed by Jeff Buckley, or Sara K, comes through in such a more meaningful way. So, more than anything, it draws me to the music and the expression.

I went randomly through my 3+ stars playlist to see what I felt like listening to and hit classical. Violins no longer sound ridiculous, as they tend to do from digital. I was listening to Mozart's Symphony No. 40 from Linn (Scottish Chamber Orchestra) and with the O2/007t rig the difference between how the sound of the different instruments reverberates off the walls of the concert hall was apparent. I really need to go to a concert again to get a basis for comparison, it's been a while.

Now I feel I want a Blue Hawaii to go with these O2s so I can find out how far this can go.

I bought a PS Audio Statement from Patrick82 and plugged it into the Ref 1 today. I haven't done a comparison between power cables, but I will at some point. I know quite a few of you guys probably think audiophile power cables are a load of crap. I tried the Audio-gd one (discounted to $60 because I bought it with other gear) and I felt it made a very solid $60-worth of difference to the Northstar at least, just as paying an extra $100 or so for the Northstar from the Lavry DA-10 added a solid $100-worth of detail and natural-ness to the sound. So, the power cable thing is an experiment to see if it's worth it or not.

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

I am digging the compass. It is quite a bargain at its introductory price. It gives a lot of oomph to my sr60's over my work imac's headphone jack. The sound is smooth and clean. I wish the low gain setting had even less gain though.

Biggie.

[inukage]

I would like to put in a word about my experiences with Audio-gd.

The first thing i should say is that i did NOT in fact purchase anything from this company. I spent many weeks considering a Compass, but never actually made the order. This is due in large part to the rapid and thorough responses i got to my emails and inquiries, and definitely not in a bad way.

I was sure i wanted to get this amp/DAC combo, but after dozens of replied emails, both from kingwa and others, i was convinced it is not the option for me. Despite the fact that they knew they were turning me away from immediate business with them, they worked to help me with my personal needs, and pointed me toward more DIY solutions. I happened to want bang for my buck equipment and love building, so the M3 is a perfect match for me.

To summarize, between the amazing starter deals Kingwa gives out and his selfless advice, i feel that this company truly cares more about your opinion of the company and your eventual satisfaction than making a large profit. They work hard for their customers, even the ones who do not end up purchasing anything

[Smeggy]

It certainly looks like a hellova lot of DAC for the cash. Given it's weight, I wonder what kind of shipping price goes with it. for some reason I can't get to the site right now.

[Fungi]

They've taken care of all the DHL shenanigans too, very honorable. (see the HF thread for details... basically DHL customs defiled the original box and sent them back out in bubble mailers that didn't protect the amps, total fail)

[Smeggy]

I was just reading through the AC review of the whole shebang, seems like people are somewhat impressed with both price and performance. They do looks extremely nice inside.

[Currawong]

I pointed Kingwa in the direction of jp-nums about sending some gear for Canjam (after it was suggested in HC chat), and it's happening, so you'll be able to check it out yourselves if you're going. There will be a Reference 1 there too, but I don't know what it will be hooked up to. Hopefully a good Stax rig.

The DHL issue was the result of an agent being paid to take the gear to DHL from Audio-gd removing the boxes on the way to make an extra profit on the shipping costs by saving a pound-per-box sending them. I emailed Kingwa that DHL suck anyway, and he should ditch them, and he said he will use EMS from now on.

[jp11801]

while i am not ready to release what Audio-gd is bringing/donating to CanJam suffice to say I was blown away with Kingwa's generosity and I think you all will be as well

[Smeggy]

Cool. He seems like a good guy

[ecclesand]

I emailed Kingwa that DHL suck anyway, and he should ditch them, and he said he will use EMS from now on.

So, is this the official word on shipping providers for Audio-gd? Will those of us expecting a replacement Compass be getting them shipped via EMS?

[tkam]

when i inquired about getting a dac from them i was offered the option of choosing between dhl or ems.

[Currawong]

You'd better email Kingwa and ask him about shipping. When I emailed him it was before we found out it was the agent's responsibility for the box fiasco and not DHL themselves. I'd choose EMS though. Even in Japan, where things are efficient and reliable, I had to deal with the DHL "Clearance Delay" bullshit.

[catscratch]

I wouldn't pick DHL even if the alternative was an oversized catapult. My company did shipping with DHL exclusively for several years and we've collected enough horror stories to never want to go near them again.

[Hopstretch]

I hope Audio-gd have the capital to absorb the hit, anyway, as they do seem to be on the side of the angels. Do you have any idea of the scale of the operation, Currawong?

[Currawong]

I asked him a while back how many workers he has, and he said 15. He wants to find more, but he said he's having trouble finding audiophile types who can do the work.