Ah, sorry- misread your post. I'd love a E70 Velvet but have so many DACs now it's ridiculous.
I think you fail to grasp the monumental impact of adding Velvet to the name of the AKM version.Not really though when you consider the only main difference is ESS vs AKM and the word velvet.
JSmith
The E70 is $296. The E70 Velvet is $382. Excellent prices for both dacs.
If they manage to control the smell I’m all for it!Oh I've already emailed them asking for a baby camel hair version... will be the smoothest sound ever. I'm told they're looking into it...![]()
Not really though when you consider the only main difference is ESS vs AKM and the word velvet.
JSmith
Sorry, but when it comes to a blind test between two transparent DACs, that's just not enough."To evaluate DAC performance, I paired the E70V directly with my time-tested studio monitors via XLR. I switched between both of the units, volume-matched, and used the same AQ cables. Although the difference is quite small, I was able to distinguish between the E70V and E70 8 out of 10 times in a blind test…"
I hope you're not trying to connect two DACs to one USB port on the Raspi using a simple splitter cable, because that won't work.USB A male to USB A female splitter cable
The USB cables don't carry an analog signal that you could measure the voltage of. You need to measure the voltage at the DAC outputs, in-situ. Or at the Amp output works as well. Use a 60Hz test tone for this, and make sure any replay gain is turned off in the player.This is where I need help. I have a multimeter, a Radio Shack handheld sound level meter, and pink and white noise FLAC files. I was planning to check voltages on the USB cables and sound levels through my speakers. What is the best recommendation for level matching?
Give your son a phone with a random number generator running on it that outputs either a 1 or a 0. After each trial when you're done A/B-ing and tell your son which DAC you think is which, he should refresh the generator. If it's a 0, have him plug out both DACs and plug them in the same way as before. If it's a 1, have him plug out the DACs, then plug them back in the other way.Blind:
I will have my son connect the DAC USB cables and XLR cables between the DACs and HPA-4. The DACs will not be visible to me, and I will switch between the two HPA-4 inputs. Switching should be nearly instantaneous. I will have control of the HPA-4 remote and will switch between the two inputs at will. Only after I have completed the comparison will I look to see which DAC is connected to which input. How many trials should I run?
I hope you're not trying to connect two DACs to one USB port on the Raspi using a simple splitter cable, because that won't work.
You can certainly connect two USB devices to one port on your Pi using a USB Hub. Those have a controller inside that assures proper communication. As a result, both DACs will be detected by the Pi as separate devices.That was the plan to avoid having to switch inputs/ouputs on multiple devices. Why would it not work? The Pi has 2 USB 3 and 2 USB 2 ports. I guess I can use one pair of outputs. Are they both active or will I have to switch between them? Looks like I'm going to have to do some experimenting.
You can certainly connect two USB devices to one port on your Pi using a USB Hub. Those have a controller inside that assures proper communication. As a result, both DACs will be detected by the Pi as separate devices.
What doesn't work is connecting two accessories to one port with a simple USB splitter made of only copper wires.
It should be possible to tell the Pi to output the audio to two USB DACs simultaneously, but I don't know if or how this works using picoreplayer.
Let me understand, when you guys changed from es to ex that was something else?Prof. Wolf posted measurements of this unit 8 days ago;
It seems this implementation of the AKM 4499EX is also showing the IMD hump which showed up in the measurements of the SMSL D400EX.![]()
Measurements of Topping E70 VELVET DAC - L7Audiolab
台式设备 随着"三小强"中SMSL和Gustard都推出了自己的4499EX解码器,拓品的研发总让我感觉是不是有点滞后?不过随着我拿到这台 Topping E70 VELVET 我打消了疑虑,拓品还是他家的老样子……www.l7audiolab.com
From what I can see it's basically the E70 with an AKM chip instead of ESS;
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Greetings! TOPPING E70 VELVET DAC!
The twins of E70 with higher capabilities! TOPPING has announced numerous superior DACs, including the D series, and E series, all of which play very well and get many high-praised! And this time, TOPPING updates its E series and invites E70 VELVET to be a new member! From what it is named...shenzhenaudio.com
JSmith