Channel D Pure Vinyl Music Server Software and Seta Phono Stage and Lynx Hilo DAC

After all that trouble, did it work?

Having heard the system when Rob kindly brought it over for me to audition, I knew what to expect; but of course one never knows for sure until one has lived with it for a while.  It’s now been quite a few months, and it has not only met my expectations, but exceeded them.  In a nutshell, the new system eliminated the mechanical sound, while retaining the incredible transparency, dynamics, detail, and coherence of the Sanders Sound speakers.  The “character” of the system changed, to one with greater clarity.

Because so many components were changed (as shown in the table above), it was not possible for me to ascribe the sonic changes to any one component.  However, the one component I was able to focus on was the DAC.  In my previous setup I was using an AMR DP-777 DAC upstream of the Behringer.  In that configuration, the analog signal from the DP-777 was re-digitized by the Behringer, processed (i.e., cross-over and shelf function), then re-converted to analogue in the Behringer’s DAC.  Although there were benefits to using the DP-777 (as I could hear by substituting other DACs), the sound was undoubtedly influenced to a great deal by the Behringer.  Indeed, as one listener described it, for all intents and purposes, the Behringer was my DAC.  It is not my intention to disparage the Behringer; it is an incredible device, providing a plethora of functionality and great bang for the buck.  But alas, there is only so much sound quality one can get out of a $400 (give or take) device that does A-to-D conversion , signal processing, and D-to-A conversion.

In the new setup, all sources — both analogue and digital– pass through the Hilo.  In an effort to better understand the Hilo’s sonic signature, I listened to it with my Gallo Reference 3.5 speakers, and with other speakers which were in for review, each of which has a passive cross-over.  This also allowed comparison with other 2-channel DACs (all of which cost considerably more expensive than the Hilo’s $2495 MSRP).  To skip to the punch line, the Hilo is a most impressive device, which performs well above its price class.

If I were to describe the Hilo’s sound in one word, it would be “clean.”  Consistent with its pro-audio roots, the Hilo has low coloration, and little sonic signature.  Though my initial impression was that the Hilo had better dynamics than the other DACs I tried, this difference was lessened when I inserted a high quality linestage into the system.  This suggests that the Hilo is better able to drive long interconnects (25 feet in my was system) than were the other DACs, a result consistent with the Hilo’s pro-audio pedigree.  Of course, this might not be relevant for setups in which the DAC sits close to the amplifier, and thus has to drive only short interconnects.

Generally speaking, the Hilo provides very good retrieval of low level information, with very little digital signature.  It’s tone is close to neutral; neither warm like many tubed DACs, nor etched and analytical like some solid state devices.  As good as it is, it was bettered by the three-times more expensive Meitner MA-1 DAC (which is 2-channel only, and which lacks an ADC), in particular in the areas of bass impact, and 3-dimensionality.  It should however be noted that neither of these parameters were bad in the Hilo; they were simply better in the Meitner.  (For those interested, the Hilo frequency response is +/- 0.01 dB 20 Hz 0- 20 kHz at all sample rates, and crosstalk is an impressive -140 dB.)

I should mention also that the Hilo has eight user-selectable gain settings: 0, 2, 4, 6, 18, 20, 22 and 24 dB (the first four intended for “audiophile use, the later four for “pro-use).  While not fine enough to be used as a volume control, this feature does allow one to set the overall gain of the system.  (All Hilo functions are easily accessed by soft buttons and menus on the unit’s front face.  The new Hilo Firmware Version 6 allows the end user to assign the Line output volume control to the front knob for added ease of use.)  This is important when using digital volume controls (for the reason discussed above), but are also beneficial when the Hilo is used with a preamp, as analog preamps generally sound their best with minimal attenuation.  In addition, the Hilo’s adjustability allows one to optimize the overall “sensitivity” of the preamp’s volume control.

The notion of digitizing vinyl is one that it sure to raise a number of eyebrows.  I myself would never had considered it, but for my acquisition of the Sanders Sound Model 10C speakers.  That is, because the system as provided by the manufacturer includes the Behringer digital crossover, all signals — including those from vinyl — are ultimately digitized.  The new system differed in a number of ways from the older system.  First, whereas in the older system digitization was in the Behringer, in the new system it was in the Lynx Hilo.  Second, in the old system the amplification of the cartridge signal was in a Miracle Audio Phonatic phonostage, in the new system it was in the Pure Music Seta phono preamp.  Third, whereas in the old system RIAA correction was in the Miracle Audio Phonatic phonostage, in the new system it was handled by the Channel D Pure Vinyl software.  (Channel D Pure Vinyl has a considerable advantage over the Behringer, in that digital processing is at 192 kHz with the processing power of a Mac Mini, whereas the Behringer runs at 96 kHz.)

Prior to my getting the Sanders Sound speakers, my reference linestage was the Miracle Audio Divinitive (review forthcoming).  Owner and designer Mark Kovach, who I recently interviewed offers a number of options, including balanced outputs, subwoofer outputs, and a subwoofer crossover.  During the review process, it occurred to me that Mark might be able to adapt the Divinitive to accommodate the necessary four channels.  I spoke to Mark and within a few days he designed the appropriate modifications, and less than two months later he had a unit fully operational.  By pushing a single button, the lower frequency outputs from the DAC (i.e., those destined for the woofer) could now be routed to the Divinitive preamp, along with — but separate from – -the upper frequency outputs from the DAC (i.e., those destined for the electrostatic panel).  This maintained the dual stereo pair configuration through the preamp, and onto their respective amplifiers.  In essence what I now had was two independent stereo preamps in one unit whose volumes were synced to a single control (accessible by panel knob or remote), thus allowing precise level tracking in the analog domain between the upper frequencies (panel) and the lower frequencies (woofer) over a wide range of gains.