Thanks for the kind words, Mani



I still have 1095 PCIe extension card lying around on my test bench. However, my AES16 is a PCI version. I shield my Lynx card with EMI/RFI shielding paper to reduce the noise. The system has a very dark background. So I think Lynx need external powerful linear power supply to improve its sound quality.

thanks and regards,
Praphan

Hi Peter,

I am glad to be able to share some insight from my humble listening experience. Glad that you value my input too. My skill is still far away from many experts in this forum.

I got your email and will do some experiment and report back. I fully understand why I should keep low profile on what you suggest me to apply.

best,
Praphan

Hello everyone,

I have promised somewhere in this forum that I am going to spend some time conducting critical listening to my both NOS1 USB and Berkeley Alpha DAC and share my experience.  I have my NOS1 USB set up and sound very stable now and it is a good time to report the comparison.

Most of us should have heard more or less about the Alpha DAC which was designed by three Pacific Microsonics alumni – Micheal Pflaumer , Michael Ritter (both were co-founder of Pacific Microsonics and co-inventor of HDCD process) and Rene Jaeger. All of them involved in the development of the legendary fine Model One and Two.
 
I have no clue if Alpha would reproduce music the same way as Model Two which is also owned by Mani. But I found that Alpha is highly resolving and musical at all signal levels to submerge you into the sound of music. Alpha’s resolution to information is of high quality that the music does not tend to be too analytical with too much detail making the listening experience a fatigue one. It is rather persuasive, refined and silky smooth. The music in front of you becomes palpably real. All digital information is processed to deliver well balanced, natural and in an unforced manner accentuating a sense of ease, relaxation and musical involvement. Alpha is also capable of handling a fair amount of dynamic contrast with quick transient. All in all, I really like my Alpha played back from XXHE through my music server driving Lynx AES 16 sound card.
 
To compare Alpha with NOS1 USB, all my gears used for comparison are exactly identical ranging from PC, power cables, interconnects, amps and all the electronics in both signal chain. Although my electronic gears are not true reference quality with half a million dollar price tags, but they are good enough for analytical and critical listening. In fact, I wish to eliminate the use of Lynx AES 16 but my SPDIF output on my NOS1 USB is not active yet. I still have to wait for another new SPDIF driver to be coded by Peter for this comparison. Therefore at this stage, the comparison will be between NOS1 USB vs Alpha + Lynx. Five albums were chosen for my critical listening ie The Chieftains – tears of stone ; Gershwin by Grofe ; Friends of Carlotta (direct to disc); Diana Krall - Live in Paris and We Get Requests by The Oscar Peterson Trio.

To me the first noticeable difference between the two DACs is the sense of space and the naturalness of the staging. NOS1 USB has a more forward perspective along with greater sound stage depth. I can imagine myself sitting in an expensive front seat of a concert hall playing back through NOS1 USB. When you buy a more expensive ticket to enjoy live performance you will be able to perceive a better sense of depth of the band or orchestra. The instruments in the back of the hall sounded more distant while the instruments near you will be very presence but can be sometime fatigue with extended listening. This is particularly true for NOS1 USB playing back “You look good to me” by the Oscar Peterson Trio. NOS1 USB produced a much greater sense of ride cymbal and hi-hat’s presence before you than the Alpha + Lynx. I have to lower the volume by one notch to avoid tendency of fatigue. Having said that I do not feel too much overwhelmingly tired at all listening to this album from NOS1 USB. But I like it played back from Alpha more than from NOS1 USB. Please do not get me wrong, cymbal sound produced by NOS1 USB is of resolved with transparent texture without graininess and edgyness. But it is a bit bright for me. On the contrary, when playing back Friends of Carlotta, NOS1 USB revealed much better sense of three vocal singers in different positions in the recording studio. The image and sense of position are stunning in which Alpha is not much resolving in this aspect. Through Alpha + Lynx, I am not quite sure if there are 3 or 4 vocals. The NOS1 USB revealed three singers right away and you know where they are in relation to your listening position. Playing back Gershwin through NOS1 USB reveals a much better sense of perspective that makes listening the same track through Alpha relatively flat like you buy a mid price ticket to a live performance. I went to Celine Dion live at Caesar Palace in Vegas some years back and did not book the ticket well in advance. My seat is skew on the side and at least two third of the depth of hall from the stage. Although the sound quality is world class with excellent dynamic, tranparency and sense of fresh and real, what I heard is so flat due to the distance from the stage. For me, I like to sit closer to the stage and pay premium. This is what you will get from NOS1 USB.

The other distinct aspect of NOS1 USB is its capability of delivering greater dynamic contracts, along with lightning-fast portrayal of transient information. The music swings effortlessly from quite to full steam with tremendous speed, but with no sense of etch on the transient leading edges. Playing Oscar Peterson and Diana Krall through NOS1 USB is tantamount to listening to their first live performance in their world tour. They are still full of energy and enthusiasm to portray their skill in music as much as they can. On the contrary, playing back the same tracks through Alpha + Lynx gives you an impression that they are a bit tired towards the end of their world tour. Diana Krall’s fingers rolling on her Steinway grand piano are not so punchy and powerful as she is still energetic. In sum, ability to resolve dynamic contrasts and transient is clearly to be more superior by NOS1 USB.

The last clear virtue of NOS1 USB over Alpha is the sense of transparency as a result of ability to reveal more details of musical information. Remember I played 24/768 through XX z-6 (see my signature). The presentation had a pristine clarity and vividness that seemed to strip away all the filters/windows placed between me and the musical notes. The results are so stunning that I could hear vividly a lively plug of Ray Brown’s double bass (Oscar Peterson Trio) which is not as resolving from Alpha + Lynx. While Alpha deliver timbres which are simultaneously immediate and palpable, yet gentle and relaxed, NOS1 USB wraps musical vividness with ease and grace making me so involved in music I hear.
 
On other aspects of the sound quality such as tonal balance, pace, rhythm, timing, musicality, both DACs are performing very well and have a little difference to compare. They do not sound exactly the same anyway but both sound excellent on these aspects.

Alpha Audio Design just recently released their USB interface which was reviewed and praised highly by Robert Harley. According to Robert, Alpha USB brings Alpha DAC to the next bar in all aspects of sound reproduction. This implies that Lynx card is no more a perfect match for Alpha DAC. It took Michael Pflaumer two years to design Alpha USB interface which is considered by Robert to be state-of-the-art. Does anyone here on this forum own Alpha DAC and its USB interface? If so please share your experience.

I definitely enjoy NOS1 USB over Alpha plus Lynx. NOS1 USB is now a permanent out board DAC in my listening room. Alpha is moved to other room. I am not quite sure if I should spend USD 1700 on Alpha USB. Would appreciate if anyone can share.

Praphan

It was also my first time reading threads on Gearslutz and I feel that some folks in there are pretty arrogant. Not to be surprised since most of them are recording engineers and professionals who think they know a lot. They tend to be so obsessed with technical specifications and numbers. Good recording engineers should use their ears more but I think some are too obsessed with technical specification driven by market demand and mass consumer behavior. Take a look at the example of THD war during the 70 and ‘80. Mass market audio components were back then often designed to look good “on paper” – on specification sheet – sometimes at the expense of the sound quality. The lower the THD, the better the amp was perceived to  be. This led the electronics giants to produce products with vanishingly low THD numbers. It became a contest between all leading brands not to be named here.

Recording engineers in Gearslutz should have also developed a habit of judging the product virtue from numbers before listening by their ears.

In our case, we are in a true “high end audio” business. Hi-end audio products are not only designed by ear, but are often hand-built by skilled craftspeople who take pride in their work. The designers are often audiophile themselves, building the products with as much care as if the products were to be installed in their own homes. This meticulous attention to detail results in a better quality of construction, hence reliability and durability. Hi end products are often backed by better customer service than mid-fi. Because high-end manufacturers care more about their products and customers, they generally offer longer warranties and periodic product update or exchange policy for improved quality.

To me, Peter is absolutely a hi-end designer and manufacturer. 

Praphan

Hi Mani,
Thanks and done.
Cheers !

Hello everyone,

Ghosts are finally hunted down by Peter !!

I am not quite sure where to post this but thought it might probably be best here so this thread can be closed in a happy ending way.

Being a lucky one with some priority treatment from Peter, I just received my NOS1 USB back to my listening room. Installation of  Phasure v1.0.2 driver was simple and took only few minutes. I connected NOS1 USB with my X58 chipset music server using a plain simple printer USB cable.   NOS1 USB worked perfectly fine with all my gigabyte mobos (P67, AMD and X58 chipsets). Anyone who is going to use Sandy Bridge processor can do so with no more compatibility problem with NOS USB version too.

Now I hope Peter doesn’t mind me doing some anatomy to NOS1 USB just in case someone eagers to see what are inside.

You will quickly notice that Juli@ card is replaced by another new sound card with USB interface. The sound device is smaller with compact size clocks on the rim of the card which understood to be very precise (low jitter) like Swiss watch. So when you return your NOS1 for an upgrade, don’t forget to put back the PCIe interface card and the DVI cable into the box. Peter might have some use with those stuffs. At least put them back in the market on eBay. It has no use for you anyway. This new sound card  is powered by the same PSU as it predecessor hence saving your burn-in time. My NOS1 USB comes with SPDIF interface as a gadget but not everyone will benefit from it. The USB connector that must go to your PC is located in the middle between the SPDIF connector and USB connecting to the small screen on the right leg of NOS. Talking about this little screen gadget, I hope Peter will spare some of his valuable time to write codes to fire up this screen in a near future. If this is possible then we don’t have to bother with the computer monitor anymore. Just use your keyboard to control XX z-6 with Auto HK command. Your cover art will be on your NOS right leg during playback. How nice ?

The DAC board located at the middle of the case remains intact. However, its PSU located in the same compartment as the toroidal transformers got some minor upgraded too. Looking closely in photo, you will see blue thin sheet of vibration damper slided in between those four heatsinks.  Two large Mundorf caps are now held in place by Styrofoam glued to the H-shape cover. This upgrade is to protect potential damage from vibration during shipping. Moreover, vibration may degrade SQ as well during listening session. A word of advise: when you ship your NOS1 back , don't forget to secure these four heat sinks with foam sheets like it was first shipped to you. Do the same for Juli@ card too.

Your NOS1 USB will be shipped back to you with greater protection. Peter put your original box in another bigger box with cushion foam floating between the two boxes.

How the upgrade sound compared to the NOS1 version ?  One single word : BETTER. But to what extend ? Well I cannot tell since I am the one who do not get the NOS1 works smoothly since day one. But definitely worth the upgrade cost. I also own Berkeley Alpha DAC which is also a very good DAC. I will compare both in a separate forum.

I am glad to be able to close this thread happily. I guess that my problem with NOS1 did give some inspiration for Peter to expedite his USB interface project which ended up not only solving Juli@ compatability problem but also sound much better than the first version too. "Excellente !"

Praphan
Mobo geek

PS. Sorry...... it can be impolite to do the anatomy without Peter's consent. The photos were removed.

Hello Juan,

Let's do an educated guess !

Take a look at the right leg of your NOS1. What do you think of that screen will be for ?  A tiny screen to be used as I/O device for your music PC. I guess Peter incorporates the code to fire up this feature in z-6 after it slept for a long time.

Just a guess 

Praphan

Hi

I am one of those Phasure NOS owners who also use Berkeley Alpha DAC extensively as well. I think most PC audiophiles run Alpha through Lynx card.

So the combination of Juli@ inside NOS1 will give different sound than Lynx plus Alpha. Personally I listen to music more from NOS1. NOS1 makes me more involving in music with other things being the same from cable to amps to speakers. Both are good DAC but it is just a matter personal preference. But surprisingly almost all of my audiophiles friends who audition my  NOS1 said that they hear the details that they have never heard before. Still it is very musical.

I will post a more analytical comparison when I get my NOS1 upgraded and fix my compatibility issue. Those who read my previous post all knew that NOS1 has issue with Gigabyte mobo.

On the sales pitch, I think I know Peter. He doesn't have to push the sales of NOS as the order is already beyond his production capacity. His stringent demand for quality makes it hard for him to OEM his DAC to contract manufacturer. Even it can be outsourced, the price for such stringent QC would make the price point even more outrageous.

Praphan

Hi Peter!

That is great!  Cannot wait to upgrade mine so I can solve my Juli@ card compatability issue.

Once upgraded, I will put it on the test bench to check the compatability with P67, X58 and G880 chipset mobo made by Gigabyte. Trust that USB interface will solve all the problem.

Thanks
Praphan 

Hi Peter,

This is the upgrade that you ask me to wait for !

So I have to wait until next month.

Regards!
Praphan

I live in a suburban area in Bangkok where short power black out is very common. At least twice a week in the rainy season. To protect the potential hardware damage on my PC running XXHE and NOS, both are powered by 1.5 KVA true on line UPS located outside the listening room. This is expensive but a safer insurance.
I run both 7/24 without problem. 
Praphan

Hi Juan,

What a post !! Congratulation for the "sufficiency" philosophy. We, the Thai people, have always  been following our King's advice on sufficiency since we encountered the economic crisis in 1997 (similar to what has happened to the US and Europe now).

As you might be aware, my NOS1 has been haunted by "Gigabyte" ghost for months. But I am now settling in with my son's PC which allows me just to concentrate on listening. The sound quality so far is "enough" for me to enjoy listening than playing around with the hardwares.

On the HDCD, I absolutely agreed with you that XXHE is not the best player for it. I usually played back HDCD on transport through Berkeley Alpha DAC (designed by Pacific Microsonic alumni).

Cheers !
Praphan

Birt,

The 9v batt is just sitting on the DVI connector to release strain from the thin lead.  I am not quite sure if your NOS1 came with two digitals volt meters sitting on the digital PSU. You should be able to see these volt meters through H and A die cut letters. The v meters are used to calibrate the differentail output offset. This 9 v batt is used to power these two v meters.

If you don't have one , please contact Peter.

Best
Praphan

Hello Juan,

Just wanna to share you my thought about running the AC power cord parallel with interconnect or spk cable.

As a general rule to avoid any EMI to IC or Spk cable generated by AC power, attention must be paid to the layout of these cables. Digital equipments like DAC or CD player can be quite sensitive to the EMI. You wouldn't want the power cable to run along parallel with a spk or IC, and thereby pick up a bit of grunge that hadn't been present before. If you had to have it run parallel, you'd like them to be at least 12 inches apart. Otherwise, they have to run cross path. It is best to do it abruptly at a 90 degree angle.

I think Peter had given it a thorough thought before deciding on NOS1 connector layout at the back. You can run power cord at 90 degree crossing with IC. Please see the attached photo. I made my own power cable using JPS Labs bulk in-wall cord (with silver coated, very flexible, with noise rejecting quality) and Wattgate 350i cryogenically treated gold plated IEC plug. This red cable is flexible enough to squeez into the back of NOS1. As you can see, the power cable can run 90 degree with my Nordost Valhalla balanced ICs. However, the power cord is running almost parallel to the DVI cable, but based on my listening experience , there is no problem.

All in all, the above is just theory. You have to trust your ears. Make slight change one at a time and compare to your reference CD and sound to compare those changes.

My two cents again.
Praphan

Hi Paul,

Glad for you to go for hexa core processor. With 12 threads running, we should expect improvement in SQ with future version of XXHE.

Your punch and dynamic in bass came earlier than mine. For me it came at after about 360 hours. So I think you will have more punch.

Enjoy!
Praphan