Bigman80
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The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,409
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 28, 2021 14:15:55 GMT
Don't know what's going on there Steve . I have put the Ebay item number there too . They are working for me Brian. |
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Post by brian2957 on Jan 28, 2021 14:17:15 GMT
Strange , the links keep bouncing me back to the AA site .
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,409
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 28, 2021 16:53:32 GMT
Strange , the links keep bouncing me back to the AA site . Works fine  How odd.  |
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Post by stevew on Jan 28, 2021 17:53:57 GMT
Strange  |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,409
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 28, 2021 18:04:22 GMT
Strange oooooh, thats a scam! |
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JimBlog
Jan 28, 2021 22:36:26 GMT
via mobile
Post by jimbo on Jan 28, 2021 22:36:26 GMT
Tonight’s performance from the JustBoom DAC was just astonishing. Made a few changes in Audirvana and I am now getting the very best sound I have ever heard from a DAC.
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Post by brian2957 on Jan 28, 2021 22:49:24 GMT
It's a little wonder this DAC isn't it .
Can you use coax from your laptop to the JustBoom DAC James ?
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 28, 2021 23:25:34 GMT
Looking at the specs it is a decent performer in THD, SNR etc but it is certainly orders of magnitude below the PecanPi in terms of measured performance. And before any one says "its not all about measurements" I totally agree that the best form for evaluation is always audition. What i am wondering is whether there is a mechanical reason the Just Boom has slayed every DAC you have heard, jimbo? Intriguing situation. |
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Post by jimbo on Jan 29, 2021 7:46:14 GMT
It's a little wonder this DAC isn't it . Can you use coax from your laptop to the JustBoom DAC James ? Possibly if I ran it through a USB/SPDIF converter but I would be at the mercy of the converter? |
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Post by jimbo on Jan 29, 2021 7:55:39 GMT
Looking at the specs it is a decent performer in THD, SNR etc but it is certainly orders of magnitude below the PecanPi in terms of measured performance. And before any one says "its not all about measurements" I totally agree that the best form for evaluation is always audition. What i am wondering is whether there is a mechanical reason the Just Boom has slayed every DAC you have heard, jimbo ? Intriguing situation. I am not sure if the Justboom DAC has any particular technical advantages over any other DAC, I doubt it. But I am running it in an ultra simple set up. It maybe that Audirvana is having a large influence on performance and I am hearing just how good this software can be?
Even Helen remarked on how amazing it sounded last night and she really does not like digital at all but we were listening to some tracks that sounded simply stunning.
If I were to put a finger on why it was sounding so good it was maybe the fact it sounded unlike digital, I was not perceiving the processed nature of digital hardware/software, it sounded like nothing if you get what I mean.
If this performance is repeatable and not a strange alighning of the stars it will be the first DAC I can imagine using regularly for long periods. 
Just one other thing I was running it with very very average cables and the DAC was getting its juice straight out the Macbook battery via USB. I do know Audirvana also controls this area too?
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Post by stryder5 on Jan 29, 2021 9:43:48 GMT
OK had a reasonable session with the JustBoom last night, all items left on for 4 hours before listening. Cables.....all coax connectors, IC from source to DAC BlackCat 75, analogue output to amp Neotec 3004.
In my system (so don’t take as gospel) 3 amp mains charger sounded best, marginally beating normal charger.
My LPS sounded (obviously comparatively) shut in, less dynamic and vibrant, texture in instrument reduced, less zing in guitars.
These changes are not night and day, but subtle.
Altogether this little DAC performs well.
Gary
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Post by brian2957 on Jan 29, 2021 10:01:05 GMT
It's a little wonder this DAC isn't it . Can you use coax from your laptop to the JustBoom DAC James ? Possibly if I ran it through a USB/SPDIF converter but I would be at the mercy of the converter? Ah.. you don't want to do that , unless you have a few hundred ( at least ) to spend on a converter |
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Post by brian2957 on Jan 29, 2021 10:10:05 GMT
Thanks for the info Gary , don't think I'll bother with a LPS . I just received a 2.4V phone charger type PSU this morning so will give it a day or two to settle in then post my findings .
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Post by jimbo on Jan 29, 2021 11:32:04 GMT
OK had a reasonable session with the JustBoom last night, all items left on for 4 hours before listening. Cables.....all coax connectors, IC from source to DAC BlackCat 75, analogue output to amp Neotec 3004. In my system (so don’t take as gospel) 3 amp mains charger sounded best, marginally beating normal charger. My LPS sounded (obviously comparatively) shut in, less dynamic and vibrant, texture in instrument reduced, less zing in guitars. These changes are not night and day, but subtle. Altogether this little DAC performs well. Gary Interesting the LPS fared less well than the 3 amp charger. I have found running off the Macbook battery so far has given me best performance but phone charger very close. I am going to experiment with an LPS and maybe another charger but to be honest the sound I am getting is astonishingly good as it is. Again I feel Audirvana latest update has a large part to play here.
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Deleted
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JimBlog
Jan 29, 2021 12:28:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2021 12:28:55 GMT
I may have to try the software at home. I assume there is a free trial version?
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Post by jimbo on Jan 29, 2021 13:10:04 GMT
I may have to try the software at home. I assume there is a free trial version? Yep there is a free trial version, think you get 1 month and then its £80 for life with free updates.
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JimBlog
Jan 29, 2021 18:22:23 GMT
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Post by jimbo on Jan 29, 2021 18:22:23 GMT
MP3 320kbps Paris Texas sounds nearly as close as my vinyl through the JustBoom DAC which is a Holy Grail album for me.
Very worrying!
This album had space, extreme dynamics, massive transparency and is about as good as it gets in analogue world. I know this album so well and the MP3 version is nearly there!
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Bigman80
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Posts: 16,409
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 29, 2021 19:24:37 GMT
MP3 320kbps Paris Texas sounds nearly as close as my vinyl through the JustBoom DAC which is a Holy Grail album for me. Very worrying! This album had space, extreme dynamics, massive transparency and is about as good as it gets in analogue world. I know this album so well and the MP3 version is nearly there! I have the FLAC 😉 |
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JimBlog
Jan 29, 2021 19:25:12 GMT
via mobile
Post by stevew on Jan 29, 2021 19:25:12 GMT
MP3 320kbps Paris Texas sounds nearly as close as my vinyl through the JustBoom DAC which is a Holy Grail album for me. Very worrying! This album had space, extreme dynamics, massive transparency and is about as good as it gets in analogue world. I know this album so well and the MP3 version is nearly there! Your worried! Sh#t... I haven’t even had the credit card bill for my Ares dac yet..! Lol! Think I’m going to have to plumb an old Mac mini into my system and see what can be done. Worth a punt. |
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JimBlog
Jan 29, 2021 20:46:28 GMT
via mobile
Post by jimbo on Jan 29, 2021 20:46:28 GMT
Brian is getting same results as me and he has a very different system set up so the JustBoom DAC must be doing something right?
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JimBlog
Jan 30, 2021 19:27:35 GMT
via mobile
Post by jimbo on Jan 30, 2021 19:27:35 GMT
Today I have been doing more evaluating of the JustBoom DAC and as it is influenced a fair bit by Audirvana I decided to listen to it with the Digital volume controls switched out and there was a significant difference in clarity and slam. The software controlled digital controls do have a negative effect on the DAC for sure.
I did switch back to some vinyl late last night and the digital illusion was shattered but nevertheless because the JustBoom DAC does such a great job of digital I will be using it for file duties and Hope I can eek out a bit more with a better power supply.
On some material it is sublime but on others I am detecting a bit of harshness. It is very revealing of source material and mastering quality which is probably a strength? However it is on recordings I thought were good that this DAC seems to reveal some poor recording quality?
Anyway back to the heavenly Aldous Harding whose music and vocals sound fabulous in the digital world!
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JimBlog
Jan 31, 2021 8:47:30 GMT
via mobile
Post by stevew on Jan 31, 2021 8:47:30 GMT
Audirvana maybe contributing more than I thought as I was reading on their site some information regarding how DACs process information. They state that "DACs work at very high frequencies and low bit depth using upsampling. Audirvana uses your computer processing power which is far great than the in built capability of a DAC which can then run far more sophisticated and demanding upsampling algorithms. This is then fed to the DAC with a signal containing more accurate data thus facillitating the interpolation calculation".
Audirvana also controls computer operations and audio signal path to reduce jitter.
Maybe this is why such a simple DAC such as the Justboom performs so well with much of the heavy lifting done by Audirvana?
Ahh... this now makes total sense. Have a suspicion that Audirvana’s more recent updates have increased the requirements for computer power. When both my elderly Mac Minis kept shutting Audirvana down I started to look (via Clean my Mac) at the RAM usage. When I turned on Audirvana the 4 gig ram on both machines is exceeded. Read somewhere that Audirvana loads music onto ram after processing. My machines just cannot do it. Interesting that Roon will work on these machines. Trouble is my $1 trial ends soon. So I either get a Mac with more ram (can’t upgrade these older models), or pay Roon ( which I quite like and the sq is great). |
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Post by jimbo on Jan 31, 2021 10:12:41 GMT
Since I updated Audirvana to latest version things seem to have improved noticebly but my Mac does have 8 gig of RAM now and a SSD drive.
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Post by rexton on Feb 5, 2021 9:08:21 GMT
Jim, you might want to try an Ankar battery used to power laptops. I've slowly started moving away from any mains based power and where possible used batteries. I currently run my Garrard 301 PSU and my DAC this way. It stops the merry-go-round of power leads and buying "the latest" PSU.
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Post by jimbo on Feb 5, 2021 9:15:21 GMT
Jim, you might want to try an Ankar battery used to power laptops. I've slowly started moving away from any mains based power and where possible used batteries. I currently run my Garrard 301 PSU and my DAC this way. It stops the merry-go-round of power leads and buying "the latest" PSU. Good shout Andy I will check them out. |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,409
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 5, 2021 9:33:41 GMT
Your opening statement is exactly where I found myself I few months back.
The HA103-sel was the first cartridge I've ever run into the ground, and dropping £900 on the Goldring really struck a nerve with me.
I have music on all the time. The HA cartridge lasted about 1/3 of the time as any other one I have had here and that really pissed me off.
The attraction of digital severely grew at that point and I started to give serious consideration to trying a R2R DAC.
Obviously, I left the small form RPI type DACs behind, but they are the reason I felt it could be done.
My digital is now insanely listenable. Its my main source these days. Not through any lack of motivation to play vinyl, but just because it sounds so good.
The Just boom sounds like it's doing a sterling job, especially knowing how fussy you are about digital.
As for powering it....
There is always a negative with anything, even a battery. I'd try all of the options you can. If you want me to reduce the voltage on that one of mine, I am happy to do so. You just need an adapter for the Justboom.
£2 I think.
Let me know
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Post by jimbo on Feb 5, 2021 9:38:19 GMT
Your opening statement is exactly where I found myself I few months back. The HA103-sel was the first cartridge I've ever run into the ground, and dropping £900 on the Goldring really struck a nerve with me. I have music on all the time. The HA cartridge lasted about 1/3 of the time as any other one I have had here and that really pissed me off. The attraction of digital severely grew at that point and I started to give serious consideration to trying a R2R DAC. Obviously, I left the small form RPI type DACs behind, but they are the reason I felt it could be done. My digital is now insanely listenable. Its my main source these days. Not through any lack of motivation to play vinyl, but just because it sounds so good. The Just boom sounds like it's doing a sterling job, especially knowing how fussy you are about digital. As for powering it.... There is always a negative with anything, even a battery. I'd try all of the options you can. If you want me to reduce the voltage on that one of mine, I am happy to do so. You just need an adapter for the Justboom. £2 I think. Let me know That would be good to try Oli although I think getting a cable to fir maybe more tricky as the output on your LPSU is unusual being a 2 pin socket and it needs to go into a Micro USB. Not sure what cable is available for this? |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,409
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 5, 2021 9:41:27 GMT
Your opening statement is exactly where I found myself I few months back. The HA103-sel was the first cartridge I've ever run into the ground, and dropping £900 on the Goldring really struck a nerve with me. I have music on all the time. The HA cartridge lasted about 1/3 of the time as any other one I have had here and that really pissed me off. The attraction of digital severely grew at that point and I started to give serious consideration to trying a R2R DAC. Obviously, I left the small form RPI type DACs behind, but they are the reason I felt it could be done. My digital is now insanely listenable. Its my main source these days. Not through any lack of motivation to play vinyl, but just because it sounds so good. The Just boom sounds like it's doing a sterling job, especially knowing how fussy you are about digital. As for powering it.... There is always a negative with anything, even a battery. I'd try all of the options you can. If you want me to reduce the voltage on that one of mine, I am happy to do so. You just need an adapter for the Justboom. £2 I think. Let me know That would be good to try Oli although I think getting a cable to fir maybe more tricky as the output on your LPSU is unusual being a 2 pin socket and it needs to go into a Micro USB. Not sure what cable is available for this? I'm not sure it THAT tricky 😉 www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-5-5x2-1mm-DC-Female-power-Supply-Adapter-to-Micro-USB-Plug-Cable-12cm-UK-/302128109982?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292 |
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Post by stevew on Feb 5, 2021 10:33:12 GMT
The attraction of digital severely grew at that point and I started to give serious consideration to trying a R2R DAC.
Obviously, I left the small form RPI type DACs behind, but they are the reason I felt it could be done.
My digital is now insanely listenable. Its my main source these days. Not through any lack of motivation to play vinyl, but just because it sounds so good. [/quote]
Yeah... ditto.
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Post by jimbo on Feb 5, 2021 10:36:05 GMT
Brilliant mate, can you do the surgery! |
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