Post by Bigman80 on Mar 19, 2021 15:42:39 GMT
Being newly fanatical about the digital realm, the hint of the possibility of a little bakeoff between the Sokeris and the Musician Pegasus was enough to make me froth at the mouth.
How times have changed!
One upon a time, anything digital would have had me avoiding a bakeoff like the plague, but now we have some serious quality pouring onto the market, I am really enthusiastic to dig into the market and see what can be had for reasonable cost.
The arrival of affordable R-2R DACs had given hope to Analogue Junkies everywhere that some sort of listenable digital replay would become feasible. Sure enough Denafrips have conquered the consciousness of the inquisitive digital-phobe, and based on the listening tests the Musician Pegasus (MP) was subjected to, I can see why.
You may wonder why I have mentioned the Denafrips brand. Well it’s been suggested that the MP is made in the same factory as the Denafrips gear, and with so many striking similarities in the build and materials, it would not surprise me.
It’s comparative opposition today was my Soekris 1421 DAC with External LPSU. This DAC changed my digital opinion, so it’s going to be tough for anything to come in and dislodge it.
Due to the LPSU the costs of the units are also very close in proximity to each other. Both units were fed from the NovaFidelity N15D via Coaxial. No USB here!
For those not familiar with my system, it’s pretty pointless explaining it as it’s all custom made apart from the Amplifier and Speakers. So the Amp is a Neurochrome 686 and the Speakers are stock Yamaha NS1000M and everything apart from the amplifier is going through my BMU.
Right, onto the nitty gritty!
The tracks i chose were quite deliberate as i didn’t expect much tonal variation, so i was looking for soundstage congestion, channel separation and soundstage variations in the beginning. However this was a big mistake. Pretty quickly there was an obvious difference in the tonal quality of each DAC. I abandoned the playlist and opened up the library to tracks I know really well.
First up was Sera Una Noche - Taquito Militar
I have waxed lyrical about this Todd Garfinkle recording masterclass before, and I always give it a play on anything that passes through here. The reason being the recording itself is not manipulated in post production to a point where it becomes something it never was.
Instead Todd tries to just publish what he records on his Korg recorder. I am a fan.
The space and dimensionality in this recording is something to behold and this was a particular area of strength for the Soekris. The soundstage was deep and wide and as the percussion was being played from various locations in the soundstage, the Soekris moved with lighting speed to reveal every little nuance, every little detail...micro or macro, it didnt matter, the Soekris caught it and displayed it effortlessly.
There was a quickness and sharpness about it’s replay. Listening to the skins flex and hearing the physical contact made between hand and drum was clear and easy to pick up.
The MP didn’t match the soundstage or the speed at which the Soekris moved. Instead the MP provided more of a relaxed presentation. There was a noticeable increase in LF presence. This did not come at the expense of LF detail either. It just seemed to have a Depth to the LF that wasn’t available in Soekris.
I was a little concerned that the MP didn't have enough HF extension.
The MP was placed in to OS mode and this improved, but not to the Soekris’s level.
Next up was John Van Der Veer - Manha De Carnival
As a three piece guitar track, this is quite a challenge to separate the guitars from each other. Again, the SOekris seemed a good bit ahead in channel separation and soundstage depth and width, but the MP was gaining brownie points.
It’s tonal balance seemed to be a bit fuller, a bit richer. The guitars, whilst not as well separated, were tonally more gratifying. The low frequency heft was also starting to edge the MP in front of the 1421 in terms of scale. The LF were kind of meeting my feet on the floor level whereas the Soekris was no lower than the bottom of the speaker.
That may or may not make sense to anyone but I am trying lol.
I decided that we needed to get some vocals in to the mix.
Up next was Dusty Sringfield - Son of a Preacher man
BINGO!
The MP finally showed what it’s all about…….vocals.
Dusty had a smokey sound to her on this track via the MP. Sure, the soundstage didnt take shape as well as with the Soekris, and the Cymbals were further back into the mox….but the vocals….wow.
As humans, the most common sound we hear is the human voice. We start to recognise it from the womb, so when i say this rendition REALLY convinced, i;d like to think i have heard vocals enough to be qualified lol
Seriously, the vocals caught me and took me away. At one point i was fixated on the centre point in the soundstage and i had forgotten to listen to anything else. I was transfixed.
The Soekris does not do this. Simple.
I threw on Chet Adkins & Mark Knopfler - There’ll Be Some Changes Made
The Soekris throws a huge soundstage, with depth and scale. The guitars were perfectly snappy and the attack was brilliant on the solos. The vocals were crisp and clear and everything was totally enjoyable.
Enter the MP and the vocals of Chet instantly gave his age away. On the Soekris, the vocals sounded a lot more like those of a younger man. The MP stripped away that image and presented him more true to life…...more natural.
A pattern was starting to form and was finally confirmed with my last track i was going to use to write about:
Thin Lizzy - Still in Love With You (Live)
The Soekris does what it does best…...it recreates everything available and makes it listenable. The track is recorded live and on stage. The Soekris delivers that soundstage. It puts the guitarists in a particular position on that stage, Phil Lynott in another position and in truth, gives a performance that gives the vinalysta’s of the world something to seriously ponder.
“Digital doesnt image well” - Not on your life!
The MP doesn’t get to that level of soundstaging. It does deliver scale and it does have the ability to sound much bigger than the Soekris. Lynotts voice was fuller as was the guitar and the presence of the “live performance” was pretty impressive. The bass kicked a bit harder deeper down and i must admit, i felt i’d like a bit more of that from the Soekris.
I listened on to lots of other material, and the truth of the matter is, these two DACs couldn’t be more different.
The Soekris is fast, nimble, fleet of foot and possibly lacking a little LF extension and midrange richness to REALLY convince you that what you are hearing is real life-like. It’s punchier, with a little more of a defining leading edge.
The MP was for the most part, ultra convincing when it came to vocals. Etta James was glorious, as was Eva Cassidy and Dusty Springfield. They were soulful, emotive and most importantly they were latching onto consciousness. The MP lacks a little of the micro and macro detail in comparison but as we have discussed many times in hifi, everything is an accumulation of compromises. Where it really excelled was fluidity and sounding more like vinyl than any other DAC i have heard.
Ideally, if such a thing was possible…...id love a Soekris-MP hybrid. One that takes the HF extension, detail, speed, soundstaging and imaging of the Soekris, and the LF extension, tonality and organic presentation of the MP
If anything has that, i’ll be onto it like a shot!
Conclusion:
Whilst I think the MP is a seriously good bit of kit, especially for the money and with fit and finish as good as anything i have had here, i am not feeling an urge to bin the Soekris. This is due to them being quite different as opposed to there being an outright winner.
However, I am pleased to say the MP was a really enjoyable listen and if i was a Vinyl valve lover that happened to be looking for a DAC of the R-2R persuasion, i would recommend it for an audition without hesitation.
The Sigma Dacs i have had here, like the Topping D90, D50, M2Tech etc just dont make music sound like these R-2R DACS. I don’t know why but as a listener i have just never engaged with the sound they make in the same way.
There are DACs of other design that I have heard that I think would do well here, so i am not suggesting that Sigma DACs should be avoided, or that R-2R is the ONLY DAC worth listening to, just that i have liked the two i have heard and that so far, either of them would be absolutely welcome to hang around here.
As for the MP Vs The Soekris, I would recommend the MP over the Soekris, as the Soekris was not up to this level before Alan and I stuffed a LPSU on it and Tony C made me a half decent regulator board for it. This isn't a mod that is possible for those not capable of some decent standard of Audio DIY experience. The Soekris in stock form (SMPS) would have been beaten today. HOWEVER, if you *could* do the mod, i think you would stand to gain more in the overall performance.
Big thanks to Alan for letting me have a listen.
How times have changed!
One upon a time, anything digital would have had me avoiding a bakeoff like the plague, but now we have some serious quality pouring onto the market, I am really enthusiastic to dig into the market and see what can be had for reasonable cost.
The arrival of affordable R-2R DACs had given hope to Analogue Junkies everywhere that some sort of listenable digital replay would become feasible. Sure enough Denafrips have conquered the consciousness of the inquisitive digital-phobe, and based on the listening tests the Musician Pegasus (MP) was subjected to, I can see why.
You may wonder why I have mentioned the Denafrips brand. Well it’s been suggested that the MP is made in the same factory as the Denafrips gear, and with so many striking similarities in the build and materials, it would not surprise me.
It’s comparative opposition today was my Soekris 1421 DAC with External LPSU. This DAC changed my digital opinion, so it’s going to be tough for anything to come in and dislodge it.
Due to the LPSU the costs of the units are also very close in proximity to each other. Both units were fed from the NovaFidelity N15D via Coaxial. No USB here!
For those not familiar with my system, it’s pretty pointless explaining it as it’s all custom made apart from the Amplifier and Speakers. So the Amp is a Neurochrome 686 and the Speakers are stock Yamaha NS1000M and everything apart from the amplifier is going through my BMU.
Right, onto the nitty gritty!
The tracks i chose were quite deliberate as i didn’t expect much tonal variation, so i was looking for soundstage congestion, channel separation and soundstage variations in the beginning. However this was a big mistake. Pretty quickly there was an obvious difference in the tonal quality of each DAC. I abandoned the playlist and opened up the library to tracks I know really well.
First up was Sera Una Noche - Taquito Militar
I have waxed lyrical about this Todd Garfinkle recording masterclass before, and I always give it a play on anything that passes through here. The reason being the recording itself is not manipulated in post production to a point where it becomes something it never was.
Instead Todd tries to just publish what he records on his Korg recorder. I am a fan.
The space and dimensionality in this recording is something to behold and this was a particular area of strength for the Soekris. The soundstage was deep and wide and as the percussion was being played from various locations in the soundstage, the Soekris moved with lighting speed to reveal every little nuance, every little detail...micro or macro, it didnt matter, the Soekris caught it and displayed it effortlessly.
There was a quickness and sharpness about it’s replay. Listening to the skins flex and hearing the physical contact made between hand and drum was clear and easy to pick up.
The MP didn’t match the soundstage or the speed at which the Soekris moved. Instead the MP provided more of a relaxed presentation. There was a noticeable increase in LF presence. This did not come at the expense of LF detail either. It just seemed to have a Depth to the LF that wasn’t available in Soekris.
I was a little concerned that the MP didn't have enough HF extension.
The MP was placed in to OS mode and this improved, but not to the Soekris’s level.
Next up was John Van Der Veer - Manha De Carnival
As a three piece guitar track, this is quite a challenge to separate the guitars from each other. Again, the SOekris seemed a good bit ahead in channel separation and soundstage depth and width, but the MP was gaining brownie points.
It’s tonal balance seemed to be a bit fuller, a bit richer. The guitars, whilst not as well separated, were tonally more gratifying. The low frequency heft was also starting to edge the MP in front of the 1421 in terms of scale. The LF were kind of meeting my feet on the floor level whereas the Soekris was no lower than the bottom of the speaker.
That may or may not make sense to anyone but I am trying lol.
I decided that we needed to get some vocals in to the mix.
Up next was Dusty Sringfield - Son of a Preacher man
BINGO!
The MP finally showed what it’s all about…….vocals.
Dusty had a smokey sound to her on this track via the MP. Sure, the soundstage didnt take shape as well as with the Soekris, and the Cymbals were further back into the mox….but the vocals….wow.
As humans, the most common sound we hear is the human voice. We start to recognise it from the womb, so when i say this rendition REALLY convinced, i;d like to think i have heard vocals enough to be qualified lol
Seriously, the vocals caught me and took me away. At one point i was fixated on the centre point in the soundstage and i had forgotten to listen to anything else. I was transfixed.
The Soekris does not do this. Simple.
I threw on Chet Adkins & Mark Knopfler - There’ll Be Some Changes Made
The Soekris throws a huge soundstage, with depth and scale. The guitars were perfectly snappy and the attack was brilliant on the solos. The vocals were crisp and clear and everything was totally enjoyable.
Enter the MP and the vocals of Chet instantly gave his age away. On the Soekris, the vocals sounded a lot more like those of a younger man. The MP stripped away that image and presented him more true to life…...more natural.
A pattern was starting to form and was finally confirmed with my last track i was going to use to write about:
Thin Lizzy - Still in Love With You (Live)
The Soekris does what it does best…...it recreates everything available and makes it listenable. The track is recorded live and on stage. The Soekris delivers that soundstage. It puts the guitarists in a particular position on that stage, Phil Lynott in another position and in truth, gives a performance that gives the vinalysta’s of the world something to seriously ponder.
“Digital doesnt image well” - Not on your life!
The MP doesn’t get to that level of soundstaging. It does deliver scale and it does have the ability to sound much bigger than the Soekris. Lynotts voice was fuller as was the guitar and the presence of the “live performance” was pretty impressive. The bass kicked a bit harder deeper down and i must admit, i felt i’d like a bit more of that from the Soekris.
I listened on to lots of other material, and the truth of the matter is, these two DACs couldn’t be more different.
The Soekris is fast, nimble, fleet of foot and possibly lacking a little LF extension and midrange richness to REALLY convince you that what you are hearing is real life-like. It’s punchier, with a little more of a defining leading edge.
The MP was for the most part, ultra convincing when it came to vocals. Etta James was glorious, as was Eva Cassidy and Dusty Springfield. They were soulful, emotive and most importantly they were latching onto consciousness. The MP lacks a little of the micro and macro detail in comparison but as we have discussed many times in hifi, everything is an accumulation of compromises. Where it really excelled was fluidity and sounding more like vinyl than any other DAC i have heard.
Ideally, if such a thing was possible…...id love a Soekris-MP hybrid. One that takes the HF extension, detail, speed, soundstaging and imaging of the Soekris, and the LF extension, tonality and organic presentation of the MP
If anything has that, i’ll be onto it like a shot!
Conclusion:
Whilst I think the MP is a seriously good bit of kit, especially for the money and with fit and finish as good as anything i have had here, i am not feeling an urge to bin the Soekris. This is due to them being quite different as opposed to there being an outright winner.
However, I am pleased to say the MP was a really enjoyable listen and if i was a Vinyl valve lover that happened to be looking for a DAC of the R-2R persuasion, i would recommend it for an audition without hesitation.
The Sigma Dacs i have had here, like the Topping D90, D50, M2Tech etc just dont make music sound like these R-2R DACS. I don’t know why but as a listener i have just never engaged with the sound they make in the same way.
There are DACs of other design that I have heard that I think would do well here, so i am not suggesting that Sigma DACs should be avoided, or that R-2R is the ONLY DAC worth listening to, just that i have liked the two i have heard and that so far, either of them would be absolutely welcome to hang around here.
As for the MP Vs The Soekris, I would recommend the MP over the Soekris, as the Soekris was not up to this level before Alan and I stuffed a LPSU on it and Tony C made me a half decent regulator board for it. This isn't a mod that is possible for those not capable of some decent standard of Audio DIY experience. The Soekris in stock form (SMPS) would have been beaten today. HOWEVER, if you *could* do the mod, i think you would stand to gain more in the overall performance.
Big thanks to Alan for letting me have a listen.
