Question to the DAVE owners what settings do you have the DAC set to for using naim amp/pre-amp e.g. positive/negative , hf filter etc as found the manual a bit vague …
I preferred the Hf filter on into my 552. Phase made no real difference in my setup.
The filters make no difference to me. I do think the Dave sounds more natural into the 552 in pre-amp mode with the volume dropped 12-13db.
Interesting that you find a big difference upnp mode vs roon and squeezlight
Not tried mine in upnp mode yet can you switch modes without losing all your roon settings?
Must say i love roon functionality and is sounding pretty good
I noticed a good powercable and cerapuck isolation made a big difference on the zenith mk3 also
Thx simon did you leave DAVE powered on all the time or is it like the tt2 and comes on form after 10-15mins??
I left it powered all the time - although it does get a little warm…
Yes, it retains the settings when switching between modes.
The sound differences are there, but the roon output is already good in it’s own right.
Probably going to take a day or two to work through different setups etc.
Got everything setup this evening after an initial complications… a bit of ground loop when using the power brick with the TT2. Connected a earthing cable I had made in the past with a RCA connector. Just popped a BNC adapter on it and that sorted it out.
Initial impressions of the TT2 with the SN2 / HiCap etc was how focused the imaging was, deep controlled bass with bags of detail. Clear layering between instruments. The sound seemed totally detached from the speakers. Ended up listening to it for an hour before trying out the XLR cables.
This sounded quite bright in comparison… very thin so I went back to the SN2. Then I thought, maybe the power brick so reconnected the XLR cables again but this time made use of the DC Power Bank set to 15v. This made a big difference. The intense brightness disappeared and the bass returned.
Worked my way through some known tracks… I think there maybe a little less of the deepest of bass. But, this maybe the fact that the XLR adapters are new and need to be ran in. I’ve left it running this evening so I can carry on with the comparisons tomorrow.
Also… when I opened the box, I found a iFi DC iPurifier 2 connected to the power brick. Anyone had any experience with this device? Obviously the previous owner had bought it and the dealer just left it in the box.
Lots of tinkering to do before settling on a finished setup but so far very impressed!
will give that a try too then thx
The Qutest there was no ground loop feedback, this only happened with the TT2. No big problem… and no problem at all when used to power the speakers directly (no ground loop). But, I remembered that the Qutest also improved when I stopped using the power supply and used a power bank which led me to give it a try.
The difference in bass between using the TT2 with the SN2/HiCap and the TT2 powering the speakers directly isn’t big. Also, powering speakers direct does improve the clarity and level of detail. It is crystal clear throughout and the bass is very good. I just need to give it a bit of time to see how they compare after everything has been running for a while.
Edit. Forgot to say… plenty of power to power the speakers. I don’t get anywhere near full volume using the TT2 in amp mode.
Are you getting an Mscaler to demo with the TT2? I find CD quality files are all you need with the Chord stack. It takes the mind a few days to adjust to all the detail you will now hear,but once you are used to it,there is no going back. I find that when driving speakers directly off the TT2,very low volumes can be very satisfying.
It depends on how I get on with driving speakers directly for now. The initial tests seem very promising and look forward to trying both again tomorrow!
I guess in the greater scheme of things, the volume would be low in some situations but given the smaller room and 4ft listening triangle, it is actually very loud. More than I need so that won’t be the limiting factor for sure. Just need to identify the differences which will only come to light through listening to various tracks and genres.
Unless you plan on moving to a larger room,with more demanding speakers,it is all you need. Trade the SN2 on an Mscaler…but it is your choice in the end.
It’s what I’d love to do… certainly not adverse to it. It would mean a more streamlined system. A SN2, HiCap & HiLine would become redundant and, replaced with a M Scaler.
In all honesty, I’m amazed at how good it sounds given it is purely the Aries G1 & TT2… and that’s it. The soundstage/imaging is almost holographic. I’ve found the sound really is disconnected from the speakers and the depth of is very impressive!
It is the purest signal you will ever get, with no preamp, or amp “colouring” the sound. I better run for the hills.
It certainly revealing… you get to hear exactly what the pre/amp is doing.
Not sure how much work will get done tomorrow. I think there may well be plenty of sitting back and taking in the music!
Toonartist, another thing I did was hook up a JL Audio D 110 sub from the RCA outputs of the TT2, at the same time I was driving speakers from the XLR’s. This sounded awesome, actually a little too much bass for my apartment, I would think a D108 would be perfect.
A sub… I’d have to kick the dog bed out of the office to make room for it
What were you using as a transport/source?
At the time of that photo I was still using the NDS, which is on the top of the rack. Now I use the Naim Core, and have the Mscaler with the TT2.
Well, tomorrow I’ll be tweaking the position of the speakers slightly… possibly moving back a few inches. Try using the power brick again but without that iFi iPurifier 2 thing. Probably use it directly most of the day and then compare a bit later once it’s had a while running in.