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Review and Measurements of Audio-gd R2R11 DAC & Amp

graz_lag

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Hi, I'm a new member and I write from Italy.. sorry for my english.
I'm interested in the question about audioGD (I have one audioGD R28 now..) and I asked to a headset engineer in my country what he thinks.
This is his answer:
"If you trust the measures and not the ears you should take Yamaha 90s products..
But you will discover that as for eating the analysis of the components does not give you information on how good will be what you eat.
Forget it and trust what you listen to.
It is no coincidence that I have been developing my projects around these machines for more than 5 years.
You should buy another Dac amplifier for balanced headphones and I really want to see how you will find when you realize that almost all manufacturers use integrated components to return the measures but the sound is sterile and devoid of dynamics.
Violectric, Ifi, Sennheiser, oppo, etc. etc. etc.
I've already already gone through all of them."

If an engineer is saying that, I would like to know from what university he has got his degree ...
Welcome to the forum BTW !
 

chrisliuboy

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Thanks ;)
We are investigating, this is all very strange.
Well, I got more dynamic from a $50 dac/amp than the well measured Dx3pro, but it's definitely not as clean as it . They say the AD chip is more dynamic than the AKM in DX3. Honestly I am not very happy about it, but it's no one's fault because people's preference is different. I think enough measurement could tell you the whole story, but how much is enough? Can we even measure everything? Just like you buy a car there is too much aspect could affect you overall driving experience which can not be told all by the numbers. If an engineer in automotive (I am) tell you that you should drive more vehicle, try them out before you buy it will people ask where he got the degree from? It's just a reasonable suggestion. I trust and love to see the measurement by amirm a lot when he call out the bad devices, but how much you will love the "good devices" (when they are just good enough in measurement) only depends on your ears. Sorry for my English also.
 

graz_lag

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One can claim whatever he wants ... distortion is the greatest cause of distress in Hi-Fi ... :facepalm:
However, some prefer getting small amounts of the right types, for example adding some of the low harmonic distortion and resonance renders a deeper, rounded, smoother, etc., sound.
It might well be your ears do not like the neutral, analytical, transparent, precise, etc., sound.

Try to take the listening test here just for fun, you can see how you compare to others in terms of identifying a distorted signal :
http://www.klippel.de/listeningtest/lt/
 

chrisliuboy

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One can claim whatever he wants, distortion is the greatest cause of distress in Hi-Fi ... :facepalm:
However, some prefer getting small amounts of the right types, for example adding some of the low harmonic distortion and resonance renders a deeper, rounded, smoother, etc., sound.
It might well be your ears do not like the neutral, analytical, transparent, precise, etc., sound.

Try to take the listening test here just for fun, you can see how you compare to others in terms of identifying a distorted signal :
http://www.klippel.de/listeningtest/lt/
Yep, you are right, I seems be to one of the bass-head who is trying to deny it all the time :facepalm: Rip my taste ~~ :p
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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"If you trust the measures and not the ears you should take Yamaha 90s products..
Yamaha of 90s likely was better! You are being given a story/myth. There is no reality to what he is saying.

Do you go to a doctor when you are sick or do you take whatever some person on the internet says?
 

Filodream

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So I'm among doctors here..

However, the manufacturer was contacted to provide explanations and the measurements of my R28.
 

Filodream

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these are the measures of my r28 (SN: R-28 18080306T)
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I ordered a Topping dx7s today and it will arrive within the week. I really want to hear the differences :rolleyes:
 
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amirm

amirm

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these are the measures of my r28 (SN: R-28 18080306T)
How do you know they are yours? And what does "audio-gd2.4" mean on the bottom right corner?

The measurements are very incomplete by the way. First one doesn't go through the DAC (the generator is analog). And neither has an indication of what the actual levels are (dBr means relative, not absolute voltage).
 

NTomokawa

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Regardless, Audio-GD (or whomever is running this gongshow) has some really bizarre priorities.

They openly admit that they don't expect their products to measure well (and they don't), that they design by ear, that the chief designer repeatedly performs "listening tests" so that they could tweak the 2nd order harmonics.

And now that they are being challenged, they pull out some measurements?

What?

:mindblown:
 
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amirm

amirm

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And now that they are being challenged, they pull out some measurements?
They have always post some measurements. Problem is that I can't get the same performance as them.
 

Filodream

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Regardless, Audio-GD (or whomever is running this gongshow) has some really bizarre priorities.

They openly admit that they don't expect their products to measure well (and they don't), that they design by ear, that the chief designer repeatedly performs "listening tests" so that they could tweak the 2nd order harmonics.

Can I know where you found these informations?
 

andreasmaaan

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Can I know where you found these informations?

From their website:

"Some customers may consider the DAC's sound flavor depend on which DA chips or parts built in.
But this is not true. We can adjust the sound flavor to which is we like .
In NFB-7.77, it had built in the ES9038 Pro chips but its sound just similar to R2R 7 , had not the Sigma Delta sound .
The discrete R-2R design had the better detail and transparency than the classis R-2R chips. We are consider in this middle/ low range price, users may like the sound more smooth and analog , so we increase the even harmonic and odd harmonic, spend a lot time to adjust and test the harmonic and frequency band , listen the sound quality and flavor for finally confirm the parameter..
A lot people may know the even harmonic , just like the tube design, proper even harmonic especial 2x harmonic made the sound tube like and smooth .
But a lot people even some designers don't know the proper odd harmonic especial 3x harmonic can make the sound lively.
If you like to looking for the good specs, R2R 1 may not as good as the same price range ESS9028 Sigma Delta design, but its sound is analog and smooth."
 

rwortman

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And the audio industry moved to D/S DAC's because the original R2R designs had poor linearity and sounded like crap. Back to the original crap but now it smells like roses.
 
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