ARCAM irDAC - 2

[Thomas savage]

I bought this to pair with JBL 705p's but after waiting for months for the speakers to come I decided to crack open the DAC and hook it up to my pre amp.

I want to take the eventual setup ( JBL's and arcam dac plus my phone as source ( 320k mp3's)) around to a few diehard vinyl lovers, I'm confident the combination can provide a dynamic and entertaining sound that will shock a few.

Alas I'm stuck with just the dac but after hooking it up ( psu that came with it, cheap cables that came with it) to my pre amp ( via the fixed output on the arcam) and streaming music from my phones SDD card via Bluetooth I can say I'm mighty impressed.

I can't hear any negatives in terms of 'Noise' , switching back and forth from my CDP on some genres of music ( like old jazz records) it's hard to detect any meaningful difference between my TAD CDP and the arcam.

In fact many of the typical recordings you find folks testing setups with at shows and at thier homes all sound strikingly similar. The biggest ( but still marginal) difference comes with electronica with my CDP proving to be better in terms of sound stage and over all dynamics ( possibly the difference in format) and all round more natural with seemingly deeper more rounded bass notes..

All in all I'm looking forward to the arrival of the JBL's and may well use the dac in my main setup as it's far easier to change tracks when I'm in bed on a Sunday morning ..

I'd like to see this measured, both when operated through a wired connection but also through the Bluetooth setting.

 

[RayDunzl]

I'd like to see this measured

https://www.stereophile.com/content/arcam-irdac-ii-da-processor-measurements

 

[watchnerd]

$749....I could get 2 x AppleHomepods for that is what I would expect the masses to say.

 

[sonci99]

Has anyone else experience with this Dac? I'm reading good things about its headphone section, and it does everything I need.
It can be had a lot cheaper than it's MSRP.

 

[JJB70]

I'm thinking of buying one of these. They're quite easy to find with pretty good discounts now and the specification seems comprehensive. I know products from Topping, SMSL etc can be excellent, but there is also something to be said for buying something from an established brand sold via a dealer network in terms of after sales and warranty cover should you ever need it and at around £300 the irDAC 2 doesn't seem over priced.

 

[amirm]

I have bought an Arcam rHead which I will review "soon."

 

[JJB70]

I've been tempted to buy an rHead just in case I want a separate headphone amp again as currently in the UK they're selling for about £169 which is not much more than what would normally be assumed to be much lower cost alternatives.

 

[watchnerd]

I've been tempted to buy an rHead just in case I want a separate headphone amp again as currently in the UK they're selling for about £169 which is not much more than what would normally be assumed to be much lower cost alternatives.

$599 in USA....

 

[Krunok]

$749....I could get 2 x AppleHomepods for that is what I would expect the masses to say.

You can actually buy it for less than 300GBP (app $385)..

https://pricespy.co.uk/audio-video/hifi-separates/dacs-headphone-amplifiers/arcam-irdac-ii--p3551530

 

[derp1n]

http://www.analogueseduction.net/arcam-headphone-amplifiers/ARCAMRHEAD1.html

£198.99

I'd send Amir a Gilmore Like mk2 to compare... but I need the 230v. Not that the mk2 is as cheap now, but at original RRP they were the same.

e: and the RNHP - Rupert Neve Headphone Amplifier... although that guy must be deaf at 92... let alone dressing himself.

 

[EastConcept]

Sorry to top an old thread but I own the Arcam irDAC-II and I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience of how this DAC compares against more modern DAC's such as Topping, S.M.S.L, Gustard or Schiit (e.g., Modius)? Perhaps someone here has owned it and been tempted to try some of the newer DAC's.

I'm aware the Arcam irDAC-II is a consumer DAC so may be pricey for what it is (IDK really?) but to my knowledge is well manufactured and has had mostly positive reviews. The measurements seemed decent in Stereophile's review so this has stopped me "upgrading" (that and I actually do like it for the most part).

But there is always a "what if" when I see these amazing reviews of the latest Topping and Gustard gear. I've almost bit the bullet on a Topping D50s and Gustard X16 but at the last minute think "I must be bonkers spending this much on a DAC when the one I already have is probably fine!".

I'd love to hear any thoughts from Arcam irDAC and irDAC-II owners past and present.

 

[terrys999]

Eastconcept
I own the irdac 2. Midrange is crap.
And to be honest. I don’t rate it . The problem arises when you use usb.
I have performed lots of tests, midrange is very recessed when using usb.
I compared the dac with. Cxn. Mdac plus. And adi 2 dac fs. And the dac in cxa80.
All blow the irdac away.
Dump the irdac, get any topping. Mdac plus or bitethe bullet and get the rme adi 2 dac.

 

[EastConcept]

Thanks for the reply Terry.

This sort of aligns with my experience. I don't think the USB output of the Arcam irDAC-II handled the Raspberry Pi3b USB input very well (which is known to be problematic in iteself), kind of sounded flat and soulless, unless it was my hearing playing tricks on me but I did A/B comparisons for a good couple of hours and was not happy with the sound at all. Perhaps suggests the Arcam irDAC-II USB could be better engineered to handle the problems of the Pi3b USB input as other people here report no issues using their USB DAC's with the Pi3b. It works absolutely fine with the Pi4b USB input though, sounds clear and alive. Another thing is I swear the irDAC-II sounds better the longer I leave it on. I basically have it on all the time now.

I've decided to order a second hand Chord 2Qute in the end. It measures well on here anyway and has favourable reviews so I'm sure it'll be an upgrade of sorts. If not, it's an easy resell on eBay. I strongly considered an S.M.S.L SU-9 or Gustard x16 but I don't fancy importing something at the moment after a recent bad experience.

I may try one of the modern DAC's in a year or two. With the way things are going who knows what groundbreaking unit you'll be able to buy for £200 or so by then!

 

[terrys999]

Good decision.
Your right irdac sounds bloody awful. Flat
I did see a review on the dac and the graphs showed noise creeping in, not brilliant.
It’s the usb that lets it down, there was a guy selling upgraded power supplies for the irdac 2. He claimed it fixed midrange issue, I think it was just a scam.
Enjoy your chord,

 

[9colai88]

Thanks for the reply Terry.

This sort of aligns with my experience. I don't think the USB output of the Arcam irDAC-II handled the Raspberry Pi3b USB input very well (which is known to be problematic in iteself), kind of sounded flat and soulless, unless it was my hearing playing tricks on me but I did A/B comparisons for a good couple of hours and was not happy with the sound at all. Perhaps suggests the Arcam irDAC-II USB could be better engineered to handle the problems of the Pi3b USB input as other people here report no issues using their USB DAC's with the Pi3b. It works absolutely fine with the Pi4b USB input though, sounds clear and alive. Another thing is I swear the irDAC-II sounds better the longer I leave it on. I basically have it on all the time now.

I've decided to order a second hand Chord 2Qute in the end. It measures well on here anyway and has favourable reviews so I'm sure it'll be an upgrade of sorts. If not, it's an easy resell on eBay. I strongly considered an S.M.S.L SU-9 or Gustard x16 but I don't fancy importing something at the moment after a recent bad experience.

I may try one of the modern DAC's in a year or two. With the way things are going who knows what groundbreaking unit you'll be able to buy for £200 or so by then!

Hi EastConcept

Did you get your irdac-ii replaced with something else? And what's you impression?

I have the irdac-ii myself and i listen to rock and EDM most of the time. In rock music I kinda miss some attack from the drums in many tracks, but I always thought that it's the way the tracks were mastered. After seeing your posts I've been considering to sell it and buy a Topping d50s. I do not use the USB port though, I use the optical spdif.
BTW I have a pair of Dynaudio Contour S3.4 speakers, powered by an insane class-H power amp (Ground sound H-amp-XXXV)

The Irdac-ii seems to measure well, so I'm surprised that it might alter the sound in the mids? I mean it's a DAC and it measures well. Shouldn't the response be flat and pretty accurate then?

Best regards
Nicolai

 

[EastConcept]

Hi Nicolai,

Yes, I replaced the irdac-ii with a Chord 2Qute and found it a worthy upgrade.

To be honest the irdac-ii wasn't that bad in hindsight, it was pleasant enough but I remember I was having some issues with the USB input, whether that was bad engineering on the irdac-ii's part or the raspberry PI hardware I was using at the time. Who knows. I definitely fancied a change and once I plugged in the 2Qute it quickly highlighted what transpancy meant when it comes to DAC's. Irrespective of what you might read on here, I personally found the irdac-ii to sound coloured.

I now have a Gustard x16 (arrived today in fact). I'm finding it very good for the money and will most probably sell on the 2Qute now.

Other DAC's I've tried: Schiit Modius, Topping e30, Topping d10. All good DAC's but weren't quite keepers for my Hi-Fi system. The Modius was better than the Arcam though.

 

[9colai88]

Hi Nicolai,

Yes, I replaced the irdac-ii with a Chord 2Qute and found it a worthy upgrade.

To be honest the irdac-ii wasn't that bad in hindsight, it was pleasant enough but I remember I was having some issues with the USB input, whether that was bad engineering on the irdac-ii's part or the raspberry PI hardware I was using at the time. Who knows. I definitely fancied a change and once I plugged in the 2Qute it quickly highlighted what transpancy meant when it comes to DAC's. Irrespective of what you might read on here, I personally found the irdac-ii to sound coloured.

I now have a Gustard x16 (arrived today in fact). I'm finding it very good for the money and will most probably sell on the 2Qute now.

Other DAC's I've tried: Schiit Modius, Topping e30, Topping d10. All good DAC's but weren't quite keepers for my Hi-Fi system. The Modius was better than the Arcam though.

Thanks for the reply.

I have also had problems with my irdac-ii. I actually send it back for RMA a few years back because it would freeze occasionally and had to be restarted. Eventually I found it that the USB was causing the problem.
A short quality USB cable helped on the problem, but didn't solve it 100%.

I only use optical input on it now. But it still sounds interesting that the newer DACs could sound more transparent. I don't really know what to expect from that. I don't know what "colored" or "transparency" sounds like. But I'll probably give it a try if I can sell the at irdac-ii and spend the money on a new DAC.

I'm considering a Topping d30pro because of it's review on this site and then it's nice with XLR outputs.