DAC Choices - Denafrips vs. Schitt

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Normally the volume on the ARC REF 6SE with the Moon or NAIM to listen at 80db the volume is around 34. To reach 80db with the May it varied between 24 and 28 on the 6SE.
Peeking at the specs, the Holo May DAC outputs 2.9V for RCA and 5.8V for XLR, while the Moon 280D outputs 2V for both XLR/RCA. That may explain the lower volume level on the ARC Ref6SE. I did not see any options to trim down the output at the Holo May DAC. Given the ARC Ref6SE accommodates for 18V at XLR or 9V at RCA inputs, I don't think there's anything to worry about.
 
Thanks for the kind words. Yah its funny I actually went from Home Theater to 2 Channel + HT. And yah you are right I've tested listening to Tidal on the Marantz and on the 6SE and the Audio Research does sound a lot better but for movie watching it doesn't matter to me so much. And I'm thankful the 6SE has the ability to do Home Theater bypass. But during a movie my center is doing most of the work anyways, so it still sounds good to me for movies but blows me away for music listening all in one room. Although the Marantz is about to be replaced with the Trinnov Altitude16 which from what everyone is saying will be a huge step up in processing. We will see how good it really is compared to the 6SE.

As for the HoloAudio I listened from 6 o'clock last night till about 10:30 before the wife shut me down. LOL. All different genres of music but mostly my test songs I have in a playlist. And right off the bat I can say a few good things about the May, and a few bad things about the May. First, the detail retrieval is amazing. Separation of vocals and instruments is wonderful. Definitely heard some items in songs I haven't heard since the Bartok left my room. In Billie Eilish's "I Love You" right after the plane takes off in the song there is some sort of music or instrument playing in the bottom left hand corner of that soundstage. This does not get picked up on my Moon 280D or my NAIM Uniti Atom DAC. That whole portion of the song from 1:55 till about 2:45 is very detailed and has tons of hidden layers that most DAC's don't pick up. In the Song "The Ballad of Bill Hubbard" by Roger Waters the Holo does exactly what it's supposed to do and makes sure that the dog is way off in the distance to your right and I mean it sounded like surround sound. Then the whole TV and talking over my left shoulder was amazing! Haven't heard it that good in some time. And when Razz is giving his account of seeing and trying to help Bill Hubbard the whole time that interview is going on it is right to the left of me say at 10 o'clock. Way outside the left speaker. That is a Job Well Done by the May KTE!

But you can also tell there is a major loss in the low end bass. It's just not there anymore. And nothing changed in the room except for the DAC. In songs like "Fever" by Malia/Boris Blank, "Slide Away" by Miley Cyrus and "A Milli" by Lil Wayne; those songs on any other DAC I've had in this house have rattled my windows with the low end bass. In fact I have a video on YouTube where "Fever" is visually rattling the camera while filming. This DAC does not do that. Maybe it needs break-in or maybe I have a setting to change so testing and researching on that front.

Next thing I noticed is when panning back and forth in some songs like say "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent or "In the Distance" by Yosi Horikawa something is off. At around the 2:20 mark in "Stranglehold" there is a sound that goes left to right and right to left and continues throughout the song in intervals. Now you should be able to visualize that in the soundstage going across the stage. But for some reason the May KTE drops about 2 or 4 feet right in the center. Like it jumps instead of being a fluid cross along the front stage. Also in Yosi Horikawa's "In the Distance" when Yosi starts to record the running back and forth, the May again just jumps over that 2-4 feet of sound stage right in the center. Did not get that with the NAIM or the Moon 280D. Very weird and not sure how or what to change to get it back.

But all in all I can say, the May is great and the detail it brings out in tracks is just amazing for the price. In Yosi's whole album "Wandering" and compared to the other DAC's I have here, it is by far a much better DAC and they can't touch the May in that area of detail retrieval. The only other DAC I have had in this room and in this system that sounded this good in detail retrieval was the Bartok at $13k more than the May KTE. One of the tracks I always use to demonstrate the detail retrieval is the song "Bubbles" in the same album which is amazing to listen to for details in your system. Most DAC's and/or systems can't pick up the detail of each ball Yosi uses to drop on a certain surface, may it be a drum, table, or the floor. With the Holo May you could hear and count every single different type of ball dropped along with visualizing an image in your mind of what each ball was whether or not it was a marble, ping pong ball, or the cheap ball in the basket of a Walmart isles that costs like $.99.(I got that visual of that ball.) The Holo does an outstanding job of creating that sound stage and image in my room. That soundstage was 180 degrees of imaging in front of me that just draws me into the music. So far I'm very happy with the purchase.


Thanks very much Jason for the detailed first impressions. I am hoping the drawbacks will go away after >250 hours of burn-in. Keep us informed.
 
I

I have a late 2014 cylindrical shape Mac Pro. I have 7 hard drives for only storage music files. I don’t use roon. I use Audirvana Plus instead. Also I have two cd players by Bel Canto a CD2 and a CD3t.
My Holo May Kte is doing only good things. Pure sound quality from Red Book Audio.

Happy listening!

Hey Robert what USB Cable are you using? I'm planning to swap out my USB tonight with two others I have lying around. Currently I'm using the Nordost Tyr 2 but I'm going to test the Curious and AudioQuest I have as well. Thinking of picking up a WireWorld and a Cardas to compare also. So was curious as to what you were using to get such good results. Thanks in advance.
 
Here is another take on the May KTE after another in depth listening on Friday and Saturday. It's been on and running music through it since January 6th; which is about 360 hours now. And the low-end has improved and I now hear bass again in my system that was lost by swapping in the May over the Moon 280D. The May still has amazing detail retrieval and the separation of vocals and instruments is wonderful. But it is still not what I remember I loved about the Bartok. Yes its detailed and presents a good soundstage besides the center issue but something is missing from what I remember from the dCS Bartok and PSA DSD w/ Lumin being in my room.

So I took it with me to JS Audio on Saturday to demo side by side with the 15A's there. This way I could setup a blind test to see if I can tell the difference or pick a winner overall between it and dCS. Setup was ARC REF 6SE and 160S into the 15A's to mimic my home listening session.

IMG_6063.JPG


Steve from JS went ahead and cabled up my May KTE with exact cabling for power and interconnects as the dCS. The dCS was even fed its network connection off of the Fiber switch SmallGreenComputers provided with the Sonore. We then grouped them in Roon so when a Track was played it was played in both DAC's at the same time. Steve then plugged each DAC into separate inputs on the back of the REF 6SE. With out me knowing which input was which I had no idea which I was playing, liking, or choosing. We then held my db meter in the listening space and made sure each input was volume matched to 80db. When doing so we found out that both DAC's were on 26 of the 6SE. So that was easy.

First tracks were off of "Wandering" by Yosi Horikawa or course, my go to. I'd do 20 or 30 seconds of "Bubbles" and then Steve would switch inputs and I'd do the same 20-30 seconds for the next input. We did that for the entire "Wandering" album. Detail retrieval on both were very good but one was definitely giving more retrieval and a much wider and deeper soundstage. In the track "Bubbles at the 10 second mark there is a very small ball dropped which is either a ball bearing or maybe a BB but when it was dropped it sounded as if it hit right behind my left ear. Now I hadn't heard it like that before so I knew one was definitely out performing the other in detail retrieval and soundstage or it was this untreated room which I doubt. Also with one DAC all of the ball dropping was wider then 180 degrees and all around me in the room. just crazy and gave me such a better listening experience.

Next up was the "Letter" one DAC made the writing on the paper so fluent across the front soundstage and the hands appeared huge up in front of me. That DAC didn't skip over the center part of the soundstage. So with this track I was beginning to know which input was which since I remembered how badly the May KTE did with center stage imaging and how it missed or jumped over 2 to 3 feet right in the center when flowing back and forth from left to right.

Then "In the Distance" was played for me and I heard that skipping in the center again that I was getting at home just a day ago and last week. Like Yosi is running across the mic field and jumping or disappearing from the very center. Then Steve switched over the input and I started the track again. Right off the bat I could hear Yosi, or whoever he recorded walking towards the mic field, like he was walking up from 20 feet behind the speakers. The imaging was so much better and when he runs across the mic field it was fluent and no missing in the center. I knew then that one DAC was better then the other and had my ideas as to which one was which.

Steve then suggested we play a track of music to see which one outperforms the other. So I selected "Tin Pan Alley" again like last week when demoing the amps with his brother Dave. It is one of my favorite tracks for testing. We also double checked the volume levels again to make sure the track was at 80db since the music was a little lower compared to the album "Wandering". We started the track and I went right to the 3:30 mark in the track to hear those guitar riffs and Stevie's voice when he is singing the line Roughest Place I've Ever Been at 4:30 and how it sounds. It sounded good and was very impressed. You could hear him singing the word Been well and how his voice is using his throat to carry out the note. Then I stopped it at the 6 minute point. Everything sounded great. So I said lets switch DAC's. Holy $H!t what a change. The riffs were huge and sounded amazing. When Chris Layton hits the side of the drum with his stick every 4 to 5 seconds it is so defined and crisp. When Stevie is singing that same line you can hear him go in and away from the Mic and how close he gets. Then the spot where he talks about the 44 and making the shot sound you could hear more definition in the crackling sound. The music was just amazing and sounded wonderful.

That's when I paused it and was like Ok I have to see which is which because I knew one input just outperformed the other. And of course it was the dam dCS at $18k compared to the $6k for the May KTE. So for $6k could I live with what I was missing from hearing the dCS again? To be honest I don't think I can. And the reason for that is because we then swapped out the 160S for the Boulder 2160 and tried the same DAC's again with that same 3-6 minute portion of the song "Tin Pan Alley". Everything improved and I mean everything for both DAC's by say 50% increase in performance. That Boulder 2160 is just amazing but when he swapped the input to the dCS, I just fell in love with the 15A's all over again. I was shocked at how those speakers sounded. I was enjoying them so much that I listened to more songs and I went on for another hour in the store. Steve and I were both blown away at how the dCS, REF 6SE, Boulder 2160, and the 15A's performed. Steve, just like his brother Dave last week, was blown away at the presentation and performance the 15A's had with that Amp swap. Call it synergy or call it being stupid drunk in love with that gear, either way I want that in my room and want to hear that music reproduction at home with my 15A's.

So I'm going to have to make some changes in my system and life to come up with the means of getting that dCS and Boulder into my room and playing through my 15A's. I have to, or I'll always listen to my rig now knowing what it should sound like instead. It may be 2 weeks or 2 years with a lot sacrifices with selling things and saving but it has to be done.

In conclusion the $5,828.00 May KTE is good and it's a great DAC for the price point. But in the end the dCS Bartok just outperforms it in every way; But at 3x the cost it should. I'd make the comparison of these DAC's like this; the May KTE is a New York strip from Outback. A very good steak and you can live off of that steak forever if only have tasted that NY Strip; and be very satisfied. But the dCS is like having a Dry Aged Prime Rib cooked by Gordon Ramsey at his restaurant. Once you have tasted the difference in steaks and chef its hard to go back to just Outback NY Strips forever? By the way I love Outback. LOL

Hope my review helps others understand what they are getting from the May KTE in that it is a solid, well built, good sounding DAC with lots of detail retrieval for $6k. But is it the best DAC since slice bread according to some reviewers on YouTube and Online? No, not for me with my very revealing 15A's.
 
*Very* interesting! Thanks for posting Jason.

Now I have to say that I'm dying for you to do a Bartok / DSD MkII comparison, once the MkII is available. Is that too much to ask?

Mike

That is definitely a very good possibility. I loved my PSA DSD and have been waiting to hear the MKII.
 
Here is another take on the May KTE after another in depth listening on Friday and Saturday. It's been on and running music through it since January 6th; which is about 360 hours now. And the low-end has improved and I now hear bass again in my system that was lost by swapping in the May over the Moon 280D. The May still has amazing detail retrieval and the separation of vocals and instruments is wonderful. But it is still not what I remember I loved about the Bartok. Yes its detailed and presents a good soundstage besides the center issue but something is missing from what I remember from the dCS Bartok and PSA DSD w/ Lumin being in my room.

So I took it with me to JS Audio on Saturday to demo side by side with the 15A's there. This way I could setup a blind test to see if I can tell the difference or pick a winner overall between it and dCS. Setup was ARC REF 6SE and 160S into the 15A's to mimic my home listening session.

View attachment 22291

Steve from JS went ahead and cabled up my May KTE with exact cabling for power and interconnects as the dCS. The dCS was even fed its network connection off of the Fiber switch SmallGreenComputers provided with the Sonore. We then grouped them in Roon so when a Track was played it was played in both DAC's at the same time. Steve then plugged each DAC into separate inputs on the back of the REF 6SE. With out me knowing which input was which I had no idea which I was playing, liking, or choosing. We then held my db meter in the listening space and made sure each input was volume matched to 80db. When doing so we found out that both DAC's were on 26 of the 6SE. So that was easy.

First tracks were off of "Wandering" by Yosi Horikawa or course, my go to. I'd do 20 or 30 seconds of "Bubbles" and then Steve would switch inputs and I'd do the same 20-30 seconds for the next input. We did that for the entire "Wandering" album. Detail retrieval on both were very good but one was definitely giving more retrieval and a much wider and deeper soundstage. In the track "Bubbles at the 10 second mark there is a very small ball dropped which is either a ball bearing or maybe a BB but when it was dropped it sounded as if it hit right behind my left ear. Now I hadn't heard it like that before so I knew one was definitely out performing the other in detail retrieval and soundstage or it was this untreated room which I doubt. Also with one DAC all of the ball dropping was wider then 180 degrees and all around me in the room. just crazy and gave me such a better listening experience.

Next up was the "Letter" one DAC made the writing on the paper so fluent across the front soundstage and the hands appeared huge up in front of me. That DAC didn't skip over the center part of the soundstage. So with this track I was beginning to know which input was which since I remembered how badly the May KTE did with center stage imaging and how it missed or jumped over 2 to 3 feet right in the center when flowing back and forth from left to right.

Then "In the Distance" was played for me and I heard that skipping in the center again that I was getting at home just a day ago and last week. Like Yosi is running across the mic field and jumping or disappearing from the very center. Then Steve switched over the input and I started the track again. Right off the bat I could hear Yosi, or whoever he recorded walking towards the mic field, like he was walking up from 20 feet behind the speakers. The imaging was so much better and when he runs across the mic field it was fluent and no missing in the center. I knew then that one DAC was better then the other and had my ideas as to which one was which.

Steve then suggested we play a track of music to see which one outperforms the other. So I selected "Tin Pan Alley" again like last week when demoing the amps with his brother Dave. It is one of my favorite tracks for testing. We also double checked the volume levels again to make sure the track was at 80db since the music was a little lower compared to the album "Wandering". We started the track and I went right to the 3:30 mark in the track to hear those guitar riffs and Stevie's voice when he is singing the line Roughest Place I've Ever Been at 4:30 and how it sounds. It sounded good and was very impressed. You could hear him singing the word Been well and how his voice is using his throat to carry out the note. Then I stopped it at the 6 minute point. Everything sounded great. So I said lets switch DAC's. Holy $H!t what a change. The riffs were huge and sounded amazing. When Chris Layton hits the side of the drum with his stick every 4 to 5 seconds it is so defined and crisp. When Stevie is singing that same line you can hear him go in and away from the Mic and how close he gets. Then the spot where he talks about the 44 and making the shot sound you could hear more definition in the crackling sound. The music was just amazing and sounded wonderful.

That's when I paused it and was like Ok I have to see which is which because I knew one input just outperformed the other. And of course it was the dam dCS at $18k compared to the $6k for the May KTE. So for $6k could I live with what I was missing from hearing the dCS again? To be honest I don't think I can. And the reason for that is because we then swapped out the 160S for the Boulder 2160 and tried the same DAC's again with that same 3-6 minute portion of the song "Tin Pan Alley". Everything improved and I mean everything for both DAC's by say 50% increase in performance. That Boulder 2160 is just amazing but when he swapped the input to the dCS, I just fell in love with the 15A's all over again. I was shocked at how those speakers sounded. I was enjoying them so much that I listened to more songs and I went on for another hour in the store. Steve and I were both blown away at how the dCS, REF 6SE, Boulder 2160, and the 15A's performed. Steve, just like his brother Dave last week, was blown away at the presentation and performance the 15A's had with that Amp swap. Call it synergy or call it being stupid drunk in love with that gear, either way I want that in my room and want to hear that music reproduction at home with my 15A's.

So I'm going to have to make some changes in my system and life to come up with the means of getting that dCS and Boulder into my room and playing through my 15A's. I have to, or I'll always listen to my rig now knowing what it should sound like instead. It may be 2 weeks or 2 years with a lot sacrifices with selling things and saving but it has to be done.

In conclusion the $5,828.00 May KTE is good and it's a great DAC for the price point. But in the end the dCS Bartok just outperforms it in every way; But at 3x the cost it should. I'd make the comparison of these DAC's like this; the May KTE is a New York strip from Outback. A very good steak and you can live off of that steak forever if only have tasted that NY Strip; and be very satisfied. But the dCS is like having a Dry Aged Prime Rib cooked by Gordon Ramsey at his restaurant. Once you have tasted the difference in steaks and chef its hard to go back to just Outback NY Strips forever? By the way I love Outback. LOL

Hope my review helps others understand what they are getting from the May KTE in that it is a solid, well built, good sounding DAC with lots of detail retrieval for $6k. But is it the best DAC since slice bread according to some reviewers on YouTube and Online? No, not for me with my very revealing 15A's.

Thanks Jason for the very detailed analysis. For sure, dcs ought to sound better. For me to be able to afford the dcs, I would have to win a nice lotto prize. Seriously, I think I will be very happy with the May connected to my Pass Labs preamp and amp. But I hope you get your toys soon.
 
Here is another take on the May KTE after another in depth listening on Friday and Saturday. It's been on and running music through it since January 6th; which is about 360 hours now. And the low-end has improved and I now hear bass again in my system that was lost by swapping in the May over the Moon 280D. The May still has amazing detail retrieval and the separation of vocals and instruments is wonderful. But it is still not what I remember I loved about the Bartok. Yes its detailed and presents a good soundstage besides the center issue but something is missing from what I remember from the dCS Bartok and PSA DSD w/ Lumin being in my room.

So I took it with me to JS Audio on Saturday to demo side by side with the 15A's there. This way I could setup a blind test to see if I can tell the difference or pick a winner overall between it and dCS. Setup was ARC REF 6SE and 160S into the 15A's to mimic my home listening session.

View attachment 22291

Steve from JS went ahead and cabled up my May KTE with exact cabling for power and interconnects as the dCS. The dCS was even fed its network connection off of the Fiber switch SmallGreenComputers provided with the Sonore. We then grouped them in Roon so when a Track was played it was played in both DAC's at the same time. Steve then plugged each DAC into separate inputs on the back of the REF 6SE. With out me knowing which input was which I had no idea which I was playing, liking, or choosing. We then held my db meter in the listening space and made sure each input was volume matched to 80db. When doing so

That's when I paused it and was like Ok I have to see which is which because I knew one input just outperformed the other. And of course it was the dam dCS at $18k compared to the $6k for the May KTE. So for $6k could I live with what I was missing from hearing the dCS again? To be honest I don't think I can. And the reason for that is because we then swapped out the 160S for the Boulder 2160 and tried the same DAC's again with that same 3-6 minute portion of the song "Tin Pan Alley". Everything improved and I mean everything for both DAC's by say 50% increase in performance. That Boulder 2160 is just amazing but when he swapped the input to the dCS, I just fell in love with the 15A's all over again. I was shocked at how those speakers sounded. I was enjoying them so much that I listened to more songs and I went on for another hour in the store. Steve and I were both blown away at how the dCS, REF 6SE, Boulder 2160, and the 15A's performed. Steve, just like his brother Dave last week, was blown away at the presentation and performance the 15A's had with that Amp swap. Call it synergy or call it being stupid drunk in love with that gear, either way I want that in my room and want to hear that music reproduction at home with my 15A's.

In conclusion the $5,828.00 May KTE is good and it's a great DAC for the price point. But in the end the dCS Bartok just outperforms it in every way; But at 3x the cost it should. I'd make the comparison of these DAC's like this; the May KTE is a New York strip from Outback. A very good steak and you can live off of that steak forever if only have tasted that NY Strip; and be very satisfied. But the dCS is like having a Dry Aged Prime Rib cooked by Gordon Ramsey at his restaurant. Once you have tasted the difference in steaks and chef its hard to go back to just Outback NY Strips forever? By the way I love Outback. LOL

Hope my review helps others understand what they are getting from the May KTE in that it is a solid, well built, good sounding DAC with lots of detail retrieval for $6k. But is it the best DAC since slice bread according to some reviewers on YouTube and Online? No, not for me with my very revealing 15A's.
Agree with Jason, Robert and Cahuck, its an excellent review.
Am considering the May KTE, dcs Bartok, Lumin X1 and Sonnet Pasithea to pair with 13a's and C.J. tubes.
Your May/Bartok comparison is very useful.
 
Finally today, I held my nose and ordered a Holo May DAC KTE. I think it will take roughly seven weeks for me to get it. Special thanks to Roberto who seems very happy with this unit. That gave me a bit of piece of mind. This is the first gear I am ordering online without actually listening to it. BTW, Roberto, would you mind giving us an update? I heard this DAC needs at least 500 hours to really shine. Have you noticed any further improvements?
 
Hey Northy, the waiting time really worth every second. Now my May Kte is fully broken and the unit is a wonderful DAC. I had before several different brands and some a little more expensive. This unit belongs to another and higher level. I only regret that I would like to have more time to enjoying it!!! Rediscovering all my digital music and believe me when I say: youtube sounds great too.
it is one of the best R2R measuring dac on Mother Earth if not the best! Easy to listen, the overall sound is a little lay back with a steady wide and deep stage. The classical music, specially camera orchestra is breathtaking. Popular music is fantastic too. You don’t need to play loud your system to have all the musicians playing for you with air between the instruments with the right harmonic texture and their size. Voices are projected to the air with an outstanding realism. You will be very happy as I am. Nothing to envy the more expensive Dacs.

Happy listening
 
Hey Northy, the waiting time really worth every second. Now my May Kte is fully broken and the unit is a wonderful DAC. I had before several different brands and some a little more expensive. This unit belongs to another and higher level. I only regret that I would like to have more time to enjoying it!!! Rediscovering all my digital music and believe me when I say: youtube sounds great too.
it is one of the best R2R measuring dac on Mother Earth if not the best! Easy to listen, the overall sound is a little lay back with a steady wide and deep stage. The classical music, specially camera orchestra is breathtaking. Popular music is fantastic too. You don’t need to play loud your system to have all the musicians playing for you with air between the instruments with the right harmonic texture and their size. Voices are projected to the air with an outstanding realism. You will be very happy as I am. Nothing to envy the more expensive Dacs.

Happy listening
Gracias Roberto. You put my mind further at ease. I am not one of those who likes to constantly upgrade. I want to target a very nice gear, save up for it, buy it and keep it for a long, long time enjoying it with pride of ownership. Thanks for providing the detailed description of the sound. That is the exact sound I am looking for - mated with my Pass gear, I think I will be in sonic heaven.
 
Congrats on the purchase! I'm confident you will enjoy it very much.

Wish you would have said something tho because mine is just sitting here in the box and you could have had it in a week instead of waiting.
 
Congrats on the purchase! I'm confident you will enjoy it very much.

Wish you would have said something tho because mine is just sitting here in the box and you could have had it in a week instead of waiting.
Hi Jason, thanks. I am curious why are you selling yours? Are you not happy with its performance?
 
Hi Jason, thanks. I am curious why are you selling yours? Are you not happy with its performance?

No. As I stated in my review of the Holo, it is a great DAC and I can see why so many love it. I've just been very lucky to have some really Great DAC's in my room, (Holo May included) to test against each other. And in my opinion, with my gear, and my room, the Holo was beaten out by the Bartok and the PS Audio/Lumin Combo. And I wouldn't be surprised if the PSA DSD MKII beats out the Bartok in the future. I love that Analog sounding DAC they produce. Right now tho, I'm not even streaming with the Bartok because I have only been spinning vinyl for the past two to three weeks.

And if you haven't noticed I'm not one to set it and forget it. I'm always trying to better anything I get in life; except for my wife. LOL If I buy something I upgrade things as the years go by; same goes for my system. Before it was buying parts for either my Jeep, motorcycle, or my Truck and trailer setup. But now all of those are gone so my system gets my full OCD attention. I can sit in my room all weekend long and tear it down just to rebuild it to the exact same thing all over again because I want to see and hear what a certain rack change does to my eyes and ears. Crazy I know. LOL
 
No. As I stated in my review of the Holo, it is a great DAC and I can see why so many love it. I've just been very lucky to have some really Great DAC's in my room, (Holo May included) to test against each other. And in my opinion, with my gear, and my room, the Holo was beaten out by the Bartok and the PS Audio/Lumin Combo. And I wouldn't be surprised if the PSA DSD MKII beats out the Bartok in the future. I love that Analog sounding DAC they produce. Right now tho, I'm not even streaming with the Bartok because I have only been spinning vinyl for the past two to three weeks.

And if you haven't noticed I'm not one to set it and forget it. I'm always trying to better anything I get in life; except for my wife. LOL If I buy something I upgrade things as the years go by; same goes for my system. Before it was buying parts for either my Jeep, motorcycle, or my Truck and trailer setup. But now all of those are gone so my system gets my full OCD attention. I can sit in my room all weekend long and tear it down just to rebuild it to the exact same thing all over again because I want to see and hear what a certain rack change does to my eyes and ears. Crazy I know. LOL

Hey Jason, whatever turns your motor. If that keeps you from chasing skirt, so be it. It only makes your marriage stronger.
 
Hey Jason, whatever turns your motor. If that keeps you from chasing skirt, so be it. It only makes your marriage stronger.
Sorry but I don't follow? Out of my entire message you took away chasing skirt and my marriage. LOL
 

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