SB2 and PS Audio Digital Link DL III DAC or Transporter?

[pryamomimo]

IMO, you'd be far better off with the Transporter, as I think the PS DL III a very mediocre dac. Strident, unresolving .... YMMV

Hmm, this really makes me wonder what is the basis of your judgment. Owning it? Comparing it? To what? Owning a Cullen-modded DLIII for almost 2 years, I have a completely opposite impression. And I do have decent stuff to compare it with.

Only thing, it does not like being played after a long downtime (ducks to escape view of all opponents of burn-in existence).

On the other hand, Transporter may be a completely viable option. Never heard it, though.

[Phil Leigh]

Hmm, this really makes me wonder what is the basis of your judgment. Owning it? Comparing it? To what? Owning a Cullen-modded DLIII for almost 2 years, I have a completely opposite impression. And I do have decent stuff to compare it with.

Only thing, it does not like being played after a long downtime (ducks to escape view of all opponents of burn-in existence).

On the other hand, Transporter may be a completely viable option. Never heard it, though.

That's not burn-in... that's warm-up. Completely different!

[pryamomimo]

That's not burn-in... that's warm-up. Completely different!

Whatever you call gradual but consistent improvement in sound quality over the course of several days after about a day or more of downtime. I expect you are not the one to bring up listener conditioning (or whatever it is called).

[sckramer]

Whatever you call gradual but consistent improvement in sound quality over the course of several days after about a day or more of downtime. I expect you are not the one to bring up listener conditioning (or whatever it is called).

hmmm... I havnt unplugged mine since I got it in march-- I know it's always on, even with no signal (leds also turn off)

[Phil Leigh]

Whatever you call gradual but consistent improvement in sound quality over the course of several days after about a day or more of downtime. I expect you are not the one to bring up listener conditioning (or whatever it is called).

Just to be clear, I consider "burn-in" of anything but speakers to be a complete and utter myth. Just as well IMHO otw we would never have got to the moon...all those capacitors settling down etc - that would have thrown the instruments right off :-)
As for those rather expensive astro telescopes...
As far as I am concerned, it's pure human psychology: we need things to sound better so eventually our brain adjusts to the new experience and then for a while it does sound better... and then later it sounds worse if we are mildly insecure or continues to sound OK if we aren't.

[C_W]

Originally Posted by occam
IMO, you'd be far better off with the Transporter, as I think the PS DL III a very mediocre dac. Strident, unresolving .... YMMV

I own both the PS Audio DLIII(unmodded with an SB3) and a Transporter. I am very happy with the DLIII and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I don't find it "strident" at all. I've never taken the time to do direct controlled comparisions with it vs the transporter. I have it in my bedroom running through a Linn Classic to Zu Druids and it sounds great.

[occam]

Originally Posted by occam
IMO, you'd be far better off with the Transporter, as I think the PS DL III a very mediocre dac. Strident, unresolving .... YMMV

I own both the PS Audio DLIII(unmodded with an SB3) and a Transporter. I am very happy with the DLIII and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I don't find it "strident" at all. I've never taken the time to do direct controlled comparisions with it vs the transporter. I have it in my bedroom running through a Linn Classic to Zu Druids and it sounds great.

As I said, YMMV (your mileage may vary)....
I've not heard the Cullen modified version.

I compared it to my modified Zhaolu 2.0 (internal ac power filtering, jumpered out electrolytics between CS4398 dac and analog stages, BB OPA2107 opamps for filtering, and NS LM4562 output opamp, simple opamp swaps) using a Stereovox digital cable. Both dacs were continuously powered for a couple of hours before and durring listening and each was isolated from the AC mains via additional isolating power filters. The Zhaolu cost $275 before my diy mods.
The DLII owner, myself, and a few others did the listening comparisons. My previous characterization was charitable, to say the least.

This is not to say that the DLIII isn't an ideal complement to your system, simply that it impressed noone when slotted into mine. Its owner has since traded 'down' to a Beresford dac(dunno which one, and I've not heard it)and couldn't be happier. YMMV

FWIW,
Paul

[pryamomimo]

Paul, thank you for the detailed answer. The reason I asked was that I _now_ have a completely opposite opinion of my (Cullen-modded) DLIII, however when I first installed it things were very different. It went into my system side-by-side with what was my pet DIY project for almost 2 years. AD DAC chip, Black Gate caps, separate shunt regs, exotic opamps, you name it. At first, I was very unimpressed with DLIII to say the least. Thin and strident - similar to your description. Luckily, sending it back was too complicated, and my patience was rewarded - after two full weeks. In the course of this time, the changes were so VERY obvious, it would be impossible to attribute them to autosuggestion, mind set or whatever one may want to call it. It was about hearing more things in various registers, eventually hearing reflections from room boundaries, sound becoming less sibilant, etc., etc. The biggest thing for me is that I listen to a lot of Early and Baroque music, and those period strings sound simply painful if anything is not completely right in the playback chain.

The reason I am writing this is that (my) DLIII seems to pretty much revert to its neonatal condition once it is powered down for any considerable time. It is then a matter of days to get rid of the last traces of harshness. Also, a similar thing happened last winter when a window was left open by negligence, and the room got very cold. Again, several days of recovery.

Keeping this in mind, I am extremely happy with this DAC. For me, it brings out the beauty in music, so that I listen to it (and not to the way it sounds), for hours and hours. I have other equipment that may sound more resolving (the setup in my studio), or warmer (the Cambridge Audio as player), but the DLIII simply has the right magic in my system.

[pryamomimo]

Just to be clear, I consider "burn-in" of anything but speakers to be a complete and utter myth. Just as well IMHO otw we would never have got to the moon...all those capacitors settling down etc - that would have thrown the instruments right off :-)
As for those rather expensive astro telescopes...
As far as I am concerned, it's pure human psychology: we need things to sound better so eventually our brain adjusts to the new experience and then for a while it does sound better... and then later it sounds worse if we are mildly insecure or continues to sound OK if we aren't.

Phil, you believe it's a myth. As you may see, based on my personal experience with this DAC, NOS tubes in my PrimaLuna, with freshly soldered circuits during my days of DIY hobby, and even -lately - with newly purchased Chord speaker cable (replacing Van den Hul cable), I believe there are gradual changes in sound quality after such components are installed. And these changes can be far from subtle. In fact, I was so struck by the drastic changes in the sound of my system after I replaced the speaker cable happening over the course of a MONTH, I tried to find and read every piece of information on cable "break-in" available on the Internet. What I found is that manufacturers as respected and diverse as Cardas, Van den Hul, Audioquest, Nordost, Chord, Atlas and many others I would not remember now, all have observed the effects of cable "break-in", but none of them so far is able to provide a comprehensive explanation as to the causes. This might be one big conspiracy, and then I may be a part of it ;-)

On the other hand, I agree with you that it is about human psychology - the way we perceive. However, having once spent nine years trying to comprehend this discipline in academic setting, I tend to believe it might be more complicated and subtle than what you describe. Anyway, this could make a good subject for discussion over a glass of vintage Bordeaux or Burgundy, opened and decanted some time prior to consumption :-)

[NewBuyer]

...I tried to find and read every piece of information on cable "break-in" available on the Internet... all have observed the effects of cable "break-in", but none of them so far is able to provide a comprehensive explanation as to the causes...

I wonder if they "observed" these supposed effects through actual measurements - or just with subjective (ears-only) listening tests, like I usually do.