VST plugin was just an example. Based on what Golden Sound found it is some heavy DSPing going on in that DAC.
Hopefully it will become evident as soon as Amirm gets hos hands on a Denafrips Terminator Plus.
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Topping Centaurus R2R DAC Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Hopefully it will become evident as soon as Amirm gets hos hands on a Denafrips Terminator Plus.
Roland68
Major Contributor
The easiest thing to do is send Amir the device to test.
What do you think the results will be when Amir tests the Denafrips Terminator Plus?
The Denafrips Gaia DDC is using this «ARM Cortex-M4 core to achieve leading performance of 225 DMIPS and 608 CoreMark® at 180MHz executing from embedded Flash» for its FPGA DSP (EDIT: False. It was for USB audio). It looks more like a CPU for a mini computer/android device: https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm32f446.html
Could this be doing the DSP effects that Golden Sound is «hallucinating» about?
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oleg87
Addicted to Fun and Learning
That's a microcontroller, with very limited capability for serious DSP (I've used it on projects at work). I'm guessing they're using it to handle USB and system functions.
Yes, I think I was tricked by some AI again. It does not seem to have much to do with the DSP.
Denafrips writes about the Gaia:
- Proprietary USB Audio Solution via STM32F446 Advanced AMR Based MCU
Someone misspelled ARM.
Yeah, this should not happen. You are doing the right thing by sending it back for repair.
(Edited out grumpiness)
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Sorry, In the Video the Topping Centaurus would not work in NOS with 44.1 kHz content. It also had issues with oversampling. I was wondering if these issues were resolved with firmware and if anyone has experience with this. Much of my library contains 44.1 wave file and much of the content on Qubuz is still 44.1 kHz.
Can't answer your question - but my advice would be - if you want best performance don't use R2R. It universally performs worse (even when working at its best) than even inexpensive sigma delta types.
If you want the sort of distortion that R2R creates perhaps you'll like the even worse distortion of the centaurus even more.
To come to this conclusion, did you A/B test the very best from Holo Audio and an inexpensive sigma delta DAC?
Roland68
Major Contributor
In fact, we've conducted several such blind tests in recent years, even with much more expensive DACs in the five-figure euro range.
The guests who brought these expensive DACs were more than just dismayed; they were absolutely stunned. They came up with the most outlandish excuses, and some even came back to test them again.
For those who accepted and realized the result, it all turned into a certain rage against this industry (manufacturers, reviewers, influencers, YouTubers, etc.). Not infrequently, they had tears in their eyes.
You would not want NOS mode with any content especially not with lower sampling rates.
Oversampling was designed to make it easier for DAC’s converting lower sampling rates its solves real problems.
Either let the DAC do it’s thing and upsample or upsample in your playback software.
So avoid the NOS mode until you get better news about the firmware .
Aha ! You did not buy this DAC yet ! Just don’t it’s all marketing hype , buy a normal DAC with your desired features
Or just buy for example a WiiM Ultra , it’s more than DAC but has a lot of useful features if want to spend some more .
The DAC things are kind of a solved problem since some decades , so buy for features conectivity look and feel , local dealer support etc etc .
If you need balanced audio I have no recommendations at the moment, have not invested that much time researching that .
I already own a WiiM ultra and find it sounds extremely similar to the DAC in my Arcam AVR 11. I have also tried a Topping D50 III which sounds similar. I would like to try a r2r DAC with full knowledge that it will not be as technically accurate. As a hobby i am looking for something with a different sound signature to try out.
Roland68
Major Contributor
I think you're getting lost in something.
Any DAC that has its own "sound or sound signature" must be considered technically defective.
Most people don't even understand what a DAC's job is.
A DAC's only job is to convert existing data from digital to analog, period, end of story! Nothing more.
These are absolute and precise data; there's no room for interpretation.
If two different DACs produce different results from the same data, whether measured or audible, then either one of the DACs is defective, or both.
Or would you want a device that arbitrarily alters the music source material without your consent, without you knowing how or why?
Good R2R DACs don't alter the sound signature.
With poor R2R DACs, filters, analog circuits, etc., can have an audible influence and, above all, introduce distortion. This is found in some expensive devices to justify the high price difference.
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I don't need to. We know how well devices perform, and to what degree that is audible by even the most sensitive of human ears.
While the most likely result (were I to test them) is that I would hear no difference (People vastly over estimate the audibility of distortion) is is possible that the degree of distortion shown in the measurements of the R2R DAC might be audible to some people some of the time.
For a halfway competent Delta Sigma - it is not.
I don’t think this is ”bad enough” it might not have a sound signature at all ? Possibly with some settings it might have ?
But it will then impose the same alteration to everything, there are rarely “one thing fix all” or silver bullet solutions ?
How could one coloration make all music better ?
If we look at the review in some situations it can have a slightly falling high frequency response, you can make that in your WiiM for free and see what you think ?
For experiments I’ve found this chart .
But it will then impose the same alteration to everything, there are rarely “one thing fix all” or silver bullet solutions ?
How could one coloration make all music better ?
If we look at the review in some situations it can have a slightly falling high frequency response, you can make that in your WiiM for free and see what you think ?
For experiments I’ve found this chart .
Distortion ? I have recently got myself a vinyl player, the THD of pickups are in the >1% range
the effect is surprisingly benign but it’s mostly H2 it’s a bit charming , but it’s perfectly fine on some music . The distortion of not using a reconstruction filter ? I don’t know the effect of that ?Similar threads
