tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post5274254659614789338..comments2024-03-28T00:31:13.472-07:00Comments on <em>Archimago's Musings</em>: PREVIEW: Oppo Sonica DAC (Thanks Oppo for making it right... On the rationale for technical perfection.)Archimagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-68112170963063638752018-04-27T12:28:17.788-07:002018-04-27T12:28:17.788-07:00Do you think the volume control on Sonica is adequ...Do you think the volume control on Sonica is adequate for do I need a pre-amp?<br />How do you rate the volume control?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17623725483194887664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-45513656484725103092018-03-18T16:30:51.646-07:002018-03-18T16:30:51.646-07:00Thank you for the comment John,
I appreciate your ...Thank you for the comment John,<br />I appreciate your sharing and comments around your experience and results.<br /><br />For myself, I can appreciate the change over time with mechanical devices like speakers and headphones as well as the warming-up phenomenon with devices in general (especially amplifiers and tubes). In fact, I can measure tiny differences with DACs for example as it warms up Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-78072964632868007322018-03-18T01:42:23.807-07:002018-03-18T01:42:23.807-07:00Hey there, Archimago. I really appreciate your op...Hey there, Archimago. I really appreciate your opinions (here and elsewhere), your due diligence, and your demeanor, especially in your recent MQA expose. <br /><br />However, and with all due respect, I find it rather difficult to take your perspectives on sound quality seriously when it seems by your own admission in this article you're unable to discern something as simple as before and John Stehnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06345639493349096593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-90705609402651072082017-11-13T20:20:47.819-08:002017-11-13T20:20:47.819-08:00Hello Unknown,
Tough to answer all questions of co...Hello Unknown,<br />Tough to answer all questions of course; especially when I don't have a BDP-205. Yes, the BDP-205 is also based on the ES9038 DAC chip. However, I'm sure much of the interior design is different due to the varied capabilities!<br />Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-81027096796164023812017-11-13T18:45:52.032-08:002017-11-13T18:45:52.032-08:00i called oppo....yes dac circuitry for sonica is s...i called oppo....yes dac circuitry for sonica is same as the 205 (the 205 has a 2nd es9038 chip for multichannel, but for stereo the dac circuitry is the same.<br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04665034034490173230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-25686601586466931052017-11-12T13:27:22.013-08:002017-11-12T13:27:22.013-08:00no longer answering questions?no longer answering questions?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04665034034490173230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-91829145448792505292017-09-21T22:52:04.405-07:002017-09-21T22:52:04.405-07:00Does the Sonica have the same DAC as the oppo 205?...Does the Sonica have the same DAC as the oppo 205? If i want a decent sacd player and dac, do i lose anything by getting the 205 instead of the sonica inre the dac?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04665034034490173230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-9213955324005954892017-09-08T08:48:25.999-07:002017-09-08T08:48:25.999-07:00Can you bypass (not use DNLA) for WiFi to get gapl...Can you bypass (not use DNLA) for WiFi to get gapless playback?Matt Noblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15870804570658854036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-30404958043023075332017-09-02T06:47:13.405-07:002017-09-02T06:47:13.405-07:00Excellent review!Excellent review!Chuvallohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02959835073201658310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-79026485285494918392017-09-02T06:46:32.641-07:002017-09-02T06:46:32.641-07:00The Sonica is a great component, I have the Audioc...The Sonica is a great component, I have the Audiocom Signature version which is great. <br />I have been using ROON Server (nas to FMC) via a Squeezebox Touch (SPDIF) into the Sonica. Whilst I enjoy listening the sbt is now quite limiting. I have asked Oppo twice about ROON (waiting for the second reply) as this would allow me to retire the SBT. <br />I am considering the PS audio dsd dac as a Chuvallohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02959835073201658310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-35293543262478890132017-06-19T02:41:23.797-07:002017-06-19T02:41:23.797-07:00Bonjour auriez vous comparer le Oppo DAC et le nou...Bonjour auriez vous comparer le Oppo DAC et le nouveau DAC AUDIO-GD Singularity 19 R2R?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14094147802568493197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-72332891215808062192017-06-12T19:39:03.077-07:002017-06-12T19:39:03.077-07:00Many thanks for this write up. I like my OPPO SDAC...Many thanks for this write up. I like my OPPO SDAC but I felt something was missing on less-than-stellar recordings. I installed the update and I believe I immediately heard a significant improvement. I am also wondering if the volume was a tad higher. Thanks for the review and for e info about the update. normdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308078763599545682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-10238980199347916672017-06-08T10:29:37.445-07:002017-06-08T10:29:37.445-07:00Awesome! Looking forward to your final review.Awesome! Looking forward to your final review.RacingPHThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03398760141258017574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-30468013012302275222017-06-08T05:51:28.324-07:002017-06-08T05:51:28.324-07:00Sure. I'll put the files up for download this ...Sure. I'll put the files up for download this weekend - working on the Oppo Sonica DAC measurements write-up.<br />Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-1607866999253220842017-06-07T09:14:46.849-07:002017-06-07T09:14:46.849-07:00Hi Archimago, is it possible that you upload those...Hi Archimago, is it possible that you upload those Oppo AP test results somewhere?<br /><br />Or would you send a copy to racingpht@outlook.com. Always love your objective reviews, thanks!RacingPHThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03398760141258017574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-40402618578790632252017-05-18T04:21:16.122-07:002017-05-18T04:21:16.122-07:00Yes, we need more rationalism. That is why I raise...Yes, we need more rationalism. That is why I raised the issue of how perfect is perfect enough. For me this is not about how close we should try to get to the original sound (I like very good sound), but how close we got to that, at various parts of the reproduction chain. Of course, measured results of electronics can probably always be improved, but that is unnecessary if we cannot hear the Willemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01421405679737892329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-15823009627534941662017-05-15T10:59:21.652-07:002017-05-15T10:59:21.652-07:00Hi Willem,
Alas the standard Blogger comment syste...Hi Willem,<br />Alas the standard Blogger comment system is limited. No worries about the little typos, etc...<br /><br />You've certainly touched on a very important part of the audiophile hobby and "inconvenient truth" about this topic of very inexpensive gear already delivering what's needed to high-fidelity reproduction. I've expanded on this slightly in the latest post Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-70763471518488460052017-05-15T07:45:09.332-07:002017-05-15T07:45:09.332-07:00Hi Doc Nerdkiller,
Yes, I have listened with both ...Hi Doc Nerdkiller,<br />Yes, I have listened with both computer/JRiver --> USB Sonica and also JRiver --> DLNA Pi --> USB --> Sonica.<br /><br />As you suggested, getting the RPi streamer fixes the problem with gapless (it does mean an extra device of course) and it sounds great. I honestly cannot fault the sound of the Sonica DAC through the USB input from the Pi at all and just as Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-16206679743910465142017-05-15T03:40:14.151-07:002017-05-15T03:40:14.151-07:00he sonic perfection of all such electronics makes ...he sonic perfection of all such electronics makes me wonder two things. The first is why there still is this ongoing search for formats that are more perfect than perfect. If CD Red Book (or just a bit better like 24/48) is already perfect, why do we need higher resolutions, dsd, etc? The only consequence of this futile search for perfection beyond perfection is a stream of new format Willemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01421405679737892329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-70607080259699181322017-05-14T23:02:34.279-07:002017-05-14T23:02:34.279-07:00The click could be easily avoided if JRiver would ...The click could be easily avoided if JRiver would do their homework. After finishing a DSD playback they should send out 'digital 0' as DSD stream, so the converter does not fall back to PCM. Onkyo is doing this exact workaround in their (cheap) app HF-Player for iOS. So you will only have a click when actively changing from a DSD file playback to a PCM file playback.<br /><br />This Techlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00511548486704836818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-57213407382783416432017-05-14T17:14:18.553-07:002017-05-14T17:14:18.553-07:00I know you've mentioned in your last post that...I know you've mentioned in your last post that you'll be taking a bit of a break from your weekly schedule but a little bit more info on the Sonica's sound would be highly appreciated?<br /><br />Have you found any new problems?<br /><br />Also, have you had a chance to compare JRiver > USB > Sonica vs JRiver > DLNA/ethernet > RPi > USB > Sonica?<br /><br />I'd Dr nerdkillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160595492713745436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-55256653117557021102017-05-13T23:30:11.373-07:002017-05-13T23:30:11.373-07:00The click only occurs with DSD files, after play i...The click only occurs with DSD files, after play is finished, or I press stop, or jump to another file (DSD or PCM). It seems that the thing always returns to PCM when not actively playing DSD. The WASAPI setting to play silence after a track has no effect. I contacted customer support, who told me there was nothing I could do and that the click shouldn't be loud. I need to try another PhilFromTOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15063597190515177345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-90450520015708633542017-05-13T15:14:36.728-07:002017-05-13T15:14:36.728-07:00Greetings Phil. A pleasure...
Hmmm, that's re...Greetings Phil. A pleasure...<br /><br />Hmmm, that's really unfortunate to hear about the loud click on the Aune! Is this with both PCM and DSD playback when the music stops?!<br /><br />Needless to say, for those experiencing PCM-DSD switching noise, with a reasonably powerful computer and JRiver, one could just upsample everything to DSD256/DSD512 or PCM384/768 to a supported DAC. Just Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-15729999954733070152017-05-13T15:04:38.515-07:002017-05-13T15:04:38.515-07:00Thanks, Archimago, that's encouraging.
The Aun...Thanks, Archimago, that's encouraging.<br />The Aune has a really LOUD click after any end of file or stop, so it's good to know that other DACs don't have the same flaw. Maybe the Oppo will be a good upgrade in a year or so.<br />I enjoy your blog immensely, btw: so refreshing after the bullshit from rampant subjectivists (or crooks selling snake oil.)<br />Keep up the good fight.PhilFromTOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15063597190515177345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-84320645651889067222017-05-13T14:57:58.978-07:002017-05-13T14:57:58.978-07:00Hi Unknown.
In my experience with the TEAC, there...Hi Unknown.<br /><br />In my experience with the TEAC, there's a slight "tick" when switching between PCM to DSD and vice versa. Between tracks there's no problem if you're staying in the same PCM/DSD domain.<br /><br />I've been listening to the Sonica DAC this afternoon and went between standard 16/44 PCM, DSD64, and DSD128. No issue. I tested this with JRiver 22 Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.com