photobillyli

So it seems to me that there is no way to actually by pass the pre amp in the mu2, is my understanding correct?

Of course I don't. But can you tell me more about "feeling the existence of the DAC (tambaqui)"? Do you mean you can hear the noise? Or is it not analogue enough? Or not smooth enough? Does it lack enough details or dynamics?

What exactly does it mean that you don't feel the existence of the DAC, but just the music?

Now I see you point, the Major DAC is not simply doing the D to A of conventional DSD, but it is a new 1.5 bit signal.

Any experience in the cross-feed function on HQPlayer? As a headphone user, I really want to have a good cross-feed function.

This is the so called "sigma-delta" DAC, right?? I have tried using the DAC correction for my Cayn 2, but don't know why I don't like it, so usually disabled this function in both DSD and PCM mode. So the Holo DACs, on one hand has a R2R DAC and a DSD DAC on the other hand. It can natively decode the PCM (no need to do the DSD-like conversion) and has a DSD DAC to natively decode DSD. Is my understanding right?

Thank you for your suggestions. I will definitely try them soon. Perhaps upsampling to DSD simply makes the music sound smoother, which can be more appealing at first. I have tested several 2-channel systems and different DACs this month. During these demonstrations, only PCMs (as no HQplayer and no upsampling PCM to DSD) were played, and I noticed that the music from PCM, while less smooth, but appeared to have more details and dynamics. This led me to experiment with PCM upsampling using HQPlayer at home. To my surprise, the upsampled PCM sounded more dynamic and detailed compared to DSD, which sounded smoother but lacked details and dynamics. I even noticed some unpleasant sounds after DSD conversion. Furthermore, I compared the sound quality of sending non-upsampled PCM and Roon-upsampled PCM to my Cyan 2 DAC, and the PCM upsampled by HQPlayer clearly outperformed the other methods. I am now very pleased with the PCM upsampled by HQPlayer.

Thank you so much for your reply. So can I assume that the MU2 converts PCM to 1.5 bit DSD before it is being decoded by the major DAC?

Initially I thought I only need a DAC that can do DSD very well. PCM is not the focus as I upsample everything to DSD for playing. However, after having discovered the beauty of PCM, I am now searching for a DAC that can do both PCM and DSD well.

MU2 has only one DAC, it handles both the PCM and DSD signals. But how?? does it convert the PCM to DSD and then do the D to A or the other way round? I am checking other DACs at a similar price range, like the Bricasti M12, it contains two DACs one is designed for PCM and the other one is specifically for DSD.

Thank you for your reply. I mainly used the ASDM7EC-ul-512 and ASDM7EC-light-512. You mentioned that the "less smoothness with PCM is due to higher distortions." In relation to this, I have a few questions: 1. What are the reasons for the higher distortions? Is it a problem with PCM itself, or is it due to poor D to A conversion of my DAC? If I were to use a better DAC, could I reduce the distortion with PCM and achieve a "smooth" PCM reproduction? 2. Generally, DSD is smoother. I assume this is due to less distortion. But why is that? Is it because the D to A conversion of DSD is less distorted, or is it because the DAC I am using does a better job with DSD conversion? Thanks.

I used to use HQP to upsample everything to DSD256/512 and feed my Holo red and then Holo Cyan 2. I found the sound very smooth. However, recently, it came to my mind to try using PCM. I suddenly found that while PCM is not as "smooth" as DSD, I believe this is due to the additional details that PCM provides. I can hear much more in PCM, and the dynamics are much better too. So, how should I configure the PCM settings to achieve the best results? As for the filter, I used to prefer the poly-sinc-gauss-xla with DSD. Should I use the same one for PCM? What about the noise shaper and the bit depth? Should I set it to 20?"

Do we need to connect the HQP computer and the Audio Streamer to the same switch/router? Or it is ok if I place the HQP computer in a separate room and it is connected to a satellite router. While the audio streamer is connected to the main router. The satellie router and the main router wirelessly. Will this bring obvious negative effect on the sound quality?

Just checked the price, it is way out of my budget... so sad how about the psd 3100hv? function wise, it is similar to the sdv 3100hv, but much cheaper

Does there exist a device that combines the function of (1) NAA endpoint (2) Stremaer (3) A good DSD DAC and (4) A Pre-amp? I wanna put such a device in the living room to drive a pair of speakers. While the HQP pc is placed in my bedroom. The HQP pc is connected to a Satellite Router while the "device" is connected to the main Router.

As I mentioned, I am an active headphone user and not very familiar with 2-channel systems. Currently, my source is a mini PC using HQP to upsample everything to DSD512 for feeding into the Holo Red + Cyan 2. When paired with the Ferrum OOR, the resulting sound is notably analog, with minimal noise, very smooth, excellent dynamics, and beautiful treble and enough bass. The separation is also clear. Last Saturday, I visited the local distributor and tried the MU2 connected to a 2-channel system in a demo room. I was initially amazed by the resolution, imaging, and sound separation of the system. However, I am unsure of the MU2's overall contribution. One drawback was my lack of enjoyment when listening to female vocals, possibly due to speaker issues. I then tried connecting my ZMF caldera to the MU2's headphone output but stopped after a few minutes due to significantly inferior sound quality compared to my home system. Maybe the MU2 as a source could be remarkable, its headphone output may not meet the standards of my Ferrum OOR. I am not sure. Given my inability to directly compare the MU2 through A/B testing as a potential replacement for my current setup at home, I remain unconvinced that the MU2 can notably outperform the combination of HQP + Holo Red and Cyan 2, especially considering the cost. I may simply keep my home system but add a pair or active speakers to enojoy what a 2-channel system can bring me.

I am ok with an external hp amp, as i already have a very very good ferrum oor which i love so much

Thank you so do you mean the mu2 lacks bass? Or do you mean the seem-to-be lack of bass actually makes the musics more enjoyable?

Hey all, After going through the reviews of the MU2, I've noticed a few common points: 1. The sound it produces is described as very analog and with a high resolution. 2. People find listening to the sound from the MU2 very relaxing. 3. The performance of a single MU2 seems to match or even surpass that of three separate streamer, DAC, and preamp devices, each of which falls within a similar price range as the MU2. For current MU2 users, could you share some comments on these points? I am particularly curious about what is meant by the "relaxing" aspect of listening to musics on the MU2. I've never made a single purchase as expensive as an MU2 before. I want to ensure that investing in it is worthwhile and that I can rely on the MU2 for at least five or more years to simply enjoy music without worrying about the equipment. Oh one more thing, has anyone tried the headphone jack on the MU2? I'm curious to know if it can drive planar headphones effectively.

Thank you, everyone. Despite the eventual need for a separate Roon server/core if I do run a big music library, I still believe the MU2 is an exceptional Streamer/DAC/preamp for my needs. Having read numerous reviews, all of which praise the sound quality of the MU2, some even go as far as to label it groundbreaking.

Thanks, Steve. It appears to be a viable solution to store the most frequently played music on the internal storage of the MU1/2 and the rest of my extensive music collection on a NAS. By using the MU1/2 as the Roon core/server to manage both the songs in the internal storage and on the NAS, the Roon core/server in the MU1/2 can maintain reasonable responsiveness. One of the reasons I am interested in the MU2 is its simplicity. It combines the functions of a Roon core/server, streamer, DAC, and pre-amp in one device. By adding a pair of active speakers in my living room, I can create a high-quality stereo system. When listening in the living room is not possible, I can easily detach the MU2 and move it to my bedroom to enjoy music through my headphones. Therefore, it would be more convenient if I do not have to add a separate Roon core/server with an additional LPS power supply. If such an addition is necessary, the value of the MU2 is seemed to be dimished.

Managing that 280K songs seems to be really beyond the capabilities of the MU1's Roon Core/Server.

Thanks. So, do you mean you install the Roon Core/Server on the NAS that stores 100k+ songs, with the MU1 serving as the Roon endpoint? Or do you use the MU1 as the Roon Core/Server and you include the folder on the NAS as one of the music storage locations for the Roon Core/Server on the MU1?

Thank you so much. Does it make any difference in the performance of the sound and the responsiveness of the Roon Core if more than 100,000 songs are stored in the internal storage, via USB storage or on NAS? I am considering whether it could be a solution to keep the most frequently played musics in internal storage, while storing the remaining of a large music library, such as over 100,000 songs, in an external storage or a NAS. I am unsure whether this approach could allow the Roon Core in MU1/2 to efficiently manage a sizable music library without slowing down. Regarding Roon's DSP, I never use it. I simply enjoy the sound quality without any Roon DSP. For a high-end machine like MU1/2, I don't believe any Roon DSP function can enhance the sound quality. I prefer to listen to the audio processing done by the MU1/2.

I am planning to buy a MU2 to simplify my system. However, I have heard from someone who uses the MU1 that the Roon Core in the MU1 can become very slow when the internal storage contains a large music library. He has stored over 5TB of music in the internal storage and has experienced the Roon Core running slowly and sometimes becoming unresponsive. To address this issue, he deleted some songs. Surprisingly, after deleting the songs, the sound quality actually improved. Have any MU1 or MU2 users had a similar experience?