The lovely thing about the May is that every corner of the community loves it for similar reasons. Gorgeous build quality and control (for everyone), fantastic engineering (for that crowd), incredible objective performance (for that crowd), absolutely fantastic subjective performance. And they don't even dabble in audiophool nonsense. Definitely my dream DAC to add as a compliment to my ADI-2 Pro Fs BE. Being able to run it from the AES out on the RME with signal processing etc would be a dream
always nice to see a full review showing all the internal construction You out did yourself thank you for all your hard work 4 us I just purchased the L2
"The DSD Dac module resistor network of May Dac does not use R2R architecture for the DSD, more specifically it uses a very specific architecture which is optimized to perform DSD data to analog. So to be entirely accurate the DSD part of May Dac is using resistor ladders, not R2R.." So Holo is using discrete components to decode DSD. Pretty cool.
@@angelwars3176 Then what's the point of an expensive R2R DAC if you're going to convert to DSD? You won't be using the ladder converter. And most of your music and audio is PCM anyway.
Thanks for the clarity of your reviews. I'm never going to be able to afford anything like this but as technology tends to trickle down to less expensive gear it's worth understanding how it works and the benefits of it.
Looking forward to getting this on the review desk. 🐅🐅🐅 The line between analogue and digital most certainly is truly blurred now. currently reviewing the spring 2 L4 I never Believed possible they’re being such a difference between it and the chord cutest
I’m new to your channel. Love how informative and entertaining your videos are. Looks like I have new things to listen to while I cook, clean, or whatever.
Great review! I have a system running AudioLinux. Would this DAC be able to support DSD512 playback using hqplayer from Linux sources via USB? Most DACs unfortunately- like my Qutest - requires windows with ASIO drivers to get DSD512 playback via USB using hqplayer .
I was attracted to the May for the perfectionist approach to engineering described in this video. It's not often that a product can so thoroughly satisfy both objectivists and subjectivists, but May delivers everything that both parties want. And it sounds glorious.
I can't afford the gear, so I come here for music discovery. Beautiful opening track sequence, I've discovered several songs and artists listening to your videos! Enjoy the content! Cheers!
Thanks for posting this and great job! I was wondering when you would post this. I’m absolutely LOVING my Holo May. However it should be said that there is a break in period needed for this DAC. It took 72 hours playing it 24 hours a day to break it in. Then it sounded amazingly smooth and analogue - like a high end turn table.
Fantastic video of a fantastic piece of equipment. What did make me wince, though, is that during the extensive narration of the internals (please excuse the bluntness) you would have been gently spraying them as you did so! Silly as it might sound, I would have used a surgical mask!
Still mainly in FPV format, but clearly a big step up in production quality. Great video. I actually got quite impatient for your next video, feels like it was more than two weeks lol Looking forward to the next one
Wow. After you implied that this is superior to the Dave M scaler, I thought it'd be like 15-20k. Pleasantly surprised. Still too rich for my blood, but 4-5k seems like an amazing price.
Both prices are extremely exaggerated. Just think about it, it is a downpayment for a house. For what? A small box of transistors and capacitors and other elements.
@@Burevestnik9M730 a Ferrari costs as much as a house. And for what? Just a car with 4 wheels that takes you from A to B. See how flawed your argument is?
@@Burevestnik9M730 where do you live that even 25k is a propper down-payment? Hell, where I am a 100k down-payment only gets you a 600sqft condo and im not even in a major city...
Since this unit draws 50 W at idle I would like to turn it off when not using it for a long period of time. My set up is in a vented cabinet with no convenience access. I use a PS audio power generator with switched power outlets. My question is, since there is no hard on/off switch, if you cut power to the May Dac, when you restore power does it turn back on?
Question: Do Holo develop circuit modules for NASA and ESA? Judging from the design and build quality, they might be doing this "on the side". Someone who can state "Quality without compromise." without lying. Nice. Rare.
It’s not over budget when you consider that this is probably the last DAC you will ever need to buy in your lifetime. That was my rationale for getting it. :)
@@BrentLeVasseur Don't get me wrong, It's beautiful and I bet you will have a lot of fun with it... but following my experience, in Fields like Mechanical Keyboards, Synthesizers and also Audio-Gear... Even if you reach an extremely High-End state with your Gear, there are still flavors within that state. There is no Endgame... :D
@@Nexotron I understand your perspective, however that kind of thinking will drive you bankrupt and insane. :) There is a “good enough” point where you can hit audio nirvana that isn’t the absolute perfect sound - because that doesn’t exist in nature - but it sounds good enough to make you forget that you are listening to gear and let’s you just enjoy the music. That’s true end game for me, and the Holo May DAC gives me that experience. Not once do I think…hmmm there isn’t enough detail there…or geeze this sounds really chalky or glitchy…-it just gives you the music as it was recorded. That’s all I need!
@@BrentLeVasseur I agree I have had the KTE now for a month and I have never yet felt that the music was misrepresented or distorted in any way. I think he had it right when saying that the best way to describe it is just an organic/analog sound which is completely open and just there. I don't see myself getting another DAC either. What worries me is the upkeep. The reality is that these are technical components that can break over time and the more you have of those you need a budget to deal with the maintenance. Most people that have a DAC like this will have this value multiplied from the transport to the amplification and speakers/headphones. That's what scares me the most.
@@dennisd9875 Maybe the capacitors might loose some of their charge over time, but that would take 20 years or more. By then we could both be dead. I wouldn’t worry about it.
The interlink cable has a large number of separated conductors. You can see this on the internals actually too. So some will go from the left psu to left channel, some from right psu to right channel etc imgur.com/a/zCrpasF
Your channel sold me on the Holo May KTE and it's been the best return on investment I've ever made in any of my components. One thing I'm experiencing is with my cheaper Naim solid state amp it is everything great anyone has ever said about it. But when I connected to my Supratek Cortese LCR tubed amp, the details have increased and there's more separation in instruments but all the smoothness, liquid, musically immediacy is gone. It really loses its magic. Don't get me wrong it's still sounds great, but I wonder if the May is better suited for a solid state preamp rather than tubed. Mine is an active tube, and is well reviewed with exceptional praise, but I feel like it filters out something in exchange for detail and sounding a bit analytical. The difference is sounds aren't close enough to ignore so I may be considering the Serene next. Any one else pair the May w a tube preamp and have any experience they can share?
This is a great review. But it begs to ask the question can someone who is not “perfection” hear any difference between this or something like a RME ADI-2? Can you actually the roughly $3000 difference in real world listening? Or me simply asking this type question means I have no business evening consider a Holo May Dac
For sure you can hear the difference, just hunt down some Holo May demo's like these all immediately recognisable for their 3D holographic sound and natural instrument timbres: ruclips.net/video/QlzuOuwnZ00/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/R2tsBvWDfBk/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/Yw8I75hsCAE/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/dKNYZxTGSM8/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/uPGVMUPSuAI/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/EUsETdszUm0/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/YzGg-iuzHto/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/ZIvdu0Qiwk8/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/5-LEYv3cQVc/видео.html
Great review! Might want to correct something: DSD stands for Direct Stream Digital, NOT delta sigma DAC. Delta Sigma is a totally different animal and would not be worth implementing is this level of unit IMO.
I'm aware, but when in "OS DSD" it is operating as a delta sigma dac. It is using delta-sigma modulation to modulate the incoming 16/24bit information to a high sample rate 1-bit stream and converting on the 1-bit converter. This is delta sigma.
Great review, thanks. You mentioned Crystek. What clocks are they? Maybe that's the only thing not top of the line, although it probably serves the purpose. Would you agree?
Great review! I am very interested in the May. I have heard the M scaler and TT2 and they are very good. In your M scaler review you mentioned that you would talked about pairing with the May? I didn't see that in the review of the May . The review of the May is very complete and with your technical expertise and what NRD had to say. It is almost a given this is the best DAC going for the Money. I just wonder does the M scaler help? I hope you get the opportunity to test the Mola Mola Tambaqui and give a perspective on it given its price. Thank You!
Brilliant content, great technology and great review/product knowledge, but i gotta be honest, i own an RME ADI-2 DAC which i love, this product falls into that awkward category of investment versus percentage improvement......i think i get great bang for my bucks with the RME, no doubt this brilliantly designed HOLO device would most likely be superior in it's reproduction capabilities given it's design, electronics and power supply components.....a comparison of the two devices would be great, however i dont think i could justify the uplift in investment.......but a comparison would be great to hear. Keep the great content coming, thank you
If you use quality power filtering and some superb PS like Ferrum Hypsos, then it's pretty close, at least with Spring 3 L2. The biggest difference vs ADI-2 is its anemic bass (around 5dB at 50 Hz, which is fixable through its EQ). But if you're using stock PS (and God forbid no power filtering), then you're missing the whole show..
Hey goldensound i was very very much looking forward to watching your reviews on this very very very good sounding and amazingly detailed dacs i would really really love to know and to see if you can be able to help me choose which kind of dac i should get
Yep it is indeed real NOS. I'll talk about this a bit more in the Ares 2 review cause it turns out denafrips "NOS" isn't NOS at all. And yes the symbol translates to 'plum' or 'mei' when written plainly I think
So, this is going to work well with my audio research reference 5SE preamp and decware tirode amp Point to point wired. And Klipsch Cornwall fours. I hope so. 🤞🏼
I watched Hans B’s review then NRD then this one... I think currawong had the spring KTE. You were the only reviewer to compare levels which is extremely valuable! I also watched zeos but apparently he can’t tell a Dac from a toaster. I own the Spring KTE and love it this far is nOS mode... I look forward to the release of the spring 3.
Can't comment firsthand (other than vs ares 2 which isn't really fair) but those who have tried both including Ron from NRD, and a friend of mine who currently owns May and Terminator, say that the May wins. May also quite comfortably beats the denafrips stuff in various objective aspects. I hardly imagine you can make a "bad" choice though, they're both going to be excellent.
Hello, I'm new to your channel. The first thing I want to say is that I'm kind of wondering what your desk is. It is spacious enough to hold everything on top of it yet it still lots has space left on it! The second thing is your speakers. Are they active? If they're passive, what drives them? The third thing is your isolations. Did you make them? If not where can I get those? Thanks for the great channel. I finally found a reviewer who is really interested in quality and doesn't use "budget" keyword in his videos ^.^
Just an opinion that the fine sound of this DAC is due more to its outstanding power supply, analog sections and USB implementation, and less to its D2D digital to audio conversion. Swap out the D2D and replace with 2 ES9038pro chips and I think you will have a DAC of comparable quality. And you will cut production cost by a significant sum.
@@lennym2407 according to whom? Some people love r2r DACs and DCS method of randomizing the noise. The brain is very sensitive to artificial, repetitive noise.
Though I was completely sold on the Holo Audio L2 dac my OCD fought me right up to the moment of placing my order , I now have the May KTE . Thank you to my audio friend whom introduced me to Holo Audio and a Big shout out to GoldenOne for all his enthusiasm and hard work !
Please recommend me player or streamer (or any other source) different than PC for this DAC in order to be able to use all its abilities especially high resolution PCM and native DSD. Thank you.
So I'm guessing it's bad to leave this thing on 24/7? lol I hear there's some warm-up time with R2R DACs, so do you leave it on or just turn it on when you use it and wait a bit? Nice, in-depth review btw...looking forward to the Spring 3 release! I've been told it gets to about 95% in performance to the May which is pretty cool.
No you would want to leave it on whenever possible. I only turn it off when going away or if there's a storm etc. It takes an hour or two to properly heat up. Repeated thermal cycles from being turned off/on repeatedly are MUCH worse for components than being left on/hot
So I use $9 Apple DAC but I am curious About what IO Stream would give the best possible output ? Considering there's ain't going to be any noise interference with the audio , what is the difference it would make ?
My HQPlayer settings are available here: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CxAXpskSUiQgRCpPfswFKtaBzB5ac26W?usp=sharing
“Dropped the Holo May down the stairs”. This should be the first test for every DAC.
I am in awe of the construction quality as design ingenuity. This is what I would call “true system integrity”.
The lovely thing about the May is that every corner of the community loves it for similar reasons. Gorgeous build quality and control (for everyone), fantastic engineering (for that crowd), incredible objective performance (for that crowd), absolutely fantastic subjective performance. And they don't even dabble in audiophool nonsense. Definitely my dream DAC to add as a compliment to my ADI-2 Pro Fs BE. Being able to run it from the AES out on the RME with signal processing etc would be a dream
Good on you - looking forward to part 2. Finally a comparison of level 2 vs KTE
always nice to see a full review showing all the internal construction You out did yourself thank you for all your hard work 4 us I just purchased the L2
"The DSD Dac module resistor network of May Dac does not use R2R architecture for the DSD, more specifically it uses a very specific architecture which is optimized to perform DSD data to analog. So to be entirely accurate the DSD part of May Dac is using resistor ladders, not R2R.." So Holo is using discrete components to decode DSD. Pretty cool.
It's nice to finally find a company that made an R2R dac be able to play DSD encoded audio properly.
So we get two DAC's for the price of one so to speak.
@@angelwars3176 Well is the D-S playback as good as the R2R? And a lot of other DACs might even sound better converting to PCM anyway.
@@jon4715 interesting. The opposite argument seems to make more sense i.e convert everything to DSD but obviously all down to DAC architecture.
@@angelwars3176 Then what's the point of an expensive R2R DAC if you're going to convert to DSD? You won't be using the ladder converter. And most of your music and audio is PCM anyway.
May go super brrrr
I wonder how it compares to something like a Mola Mola Tambaqui or the Chord Dave
I had DAVE+MScaler side by side with it for a while, and compare the two a bit in part 2 :)
(Spoiler: I wasn't even tempted to keep DAVE+MScaler)
@@GoldenSound amazing
@@GoldenSound looks like this DAC is good
Very Happy with May L2.
Thanks for the clarity of your reviews. I'm never going to be able to afford anything like this but as technology tends to trickle down to less expensive gear it's worth understanding how it works and the benefits of it.
Why can't you afford it? we have an average salary in Canada of 4000 dollars a month, I think that in a year you can save money
@@LimePieMusic yes you're in Canada i'm not!
@@angelwars3176 where are you from?
This thing is crazy! I'm not sure how they can better it for the next version.
Looking forward to getting this on the review desk.
🐅🐅🐅
The line between analogue and digital most certainly is truly blurred now.
currently reviewing the spring 2 L4
I never Believed possible they’re being such a difference between it and the chord cutest
For some reason I picture Golden as Loki... same voice.
I’m new to your channel. Love how informative and entertaining your videos are. Looks like I have new things to listen to while I cook, clean, or whatever.
Never heard anyone when talking about this level of equipment mention in the same description mention gaming:)
Thank you so much for all of the high quality, extremely informative content.
Much love from NYC.
great review keep up the good work golden :)
I like how these things can be moved around and opened up by a snap of the fingers. It's a far more useful feature than MQA 😉
ikr
That's good because MQA is dead on arrival on top of being a sham!
That Arya comparison wow! That thing makes the A90 look like a baby!!
Let’s hope the prequels don’t ruin the originals 😉
Oh yes, been waiting for this one! Hype!
Wow that is beautiful construction too
Great review! I have a system running AudioLinux. Would this DAC be able to support DSD512 playback using hqplayer from Linux sources via USB? Most DACs unfortunately- like my Qutest - requires windows with ASIO drivers to get DSD512 playback via USB using hqplayer .
I'm not too sure with regular linux, but with Jussi's modified Linux kernel (www.sonarnerd.net/src/) you can use up to DSD1024 native with it
@@GoldenSound What about Antipodes CX Linux?
I was attracted to the May for the perfectionist approach to engineering described in this video. It's not often that a product can so thoroughly satisfy both objectivists and subjectivists, but May delivers everything that both parties want. And it sounds glorious.
I can't afford the gear, so I come here for music discovery. Beautiful opening track sequence, I've discovered several songs and artists listening to your videos! Enjoy the content! Cheers!
I have done the same.
lmao I'm here for the same exact reason. Unless I win the lottery I'm only here to learn and discover music
Thanks for posting this and great job! I was wondering when you would post this. I’m absolutely LOVING my Holo May. However it should be said that there is a break in period needed for this DAC. It took 72 hours playing it 24 hours a day to break it in. Then it sounded amazingly smooth and analogue - like a high end turn table.
Only 3 days? Thats not too bad, some people report 500-1000 hours...
What exactly "breaks in" in a device that converts digital datastream to analog waveform?
never heard of the brand until now. insides look nice. i also like the Samtec high retention USB port. Woo Audio use that too.
Fantastic video of a fantastic piece of equipment. What did make me wince, though, is that during the extensive narration of the internals (please excuse the bluntness) you would have been gently spraying them as you did so! Silly as it might sound, I would have used a surgical mask!
The internals look really good . The engineer must have taken pride in designing this
Still mainly in FPV format, but clearly a big step up in production quality. Great video.
I actually got quite impatient for your next video, feels like it was more than two weeks lol
Looking forward to the next one
I just found your channel through the Chord Dave review. Amazing channel, very in depth!
Love your musical choices as well, keep it up:)
Keep up the good work. Appreciate your unbiased insights and passion.
Wow. After you implied that this is superior to the Dave M scaler, I thought it'd be like 15-20k. Pleasantly surprised. Still too rich for my blood, but 4-5k seems like an amazing price.
Both prices are extremely exaggerated. Just think about it, it is a downpayment for a house. For what? A small box of transistors and capacitors and other elements.
@@Burevestnik9M730 a Ferrari costs as much as a house. And for what? Just a car with 4 wheels that takes you from A to B. See how flawed your argument is?
@@k-doggy1762 Raw materials of one Ferrari tire cost as much as all parts of these DACs.
@@Burevestnik9M730 where do you live that even 25k is a propper down-payment? Hell, where I am a 100k down-payment only gets you a 600sqft condo and im not even in a major city...
@@Burevestnik9M730 uh.... a set of 4 tires fot an f8 are cheaper than the may...
love the details of the internal design.
as a technical person I love it!
Excellent review. As always mate. Can't wait for part 2 🤘🤘🤘
Thank you so much for this review. Excellent depth.
Since this unit draws 50 W at idle I would like to turn it off when not using it for a long period of time. My set up is in a vented cabinet with no convenience access. I use a PS audio power generator with switched power outlets.
My question is, since there is no hard on/off switch, if you cut power to the May Dac, when you restore power does it turn back on?
Thanks for a very well made review
Hidden piece of tech-art
So....if I used my laptop as a streamer and this level 2 as a DAC, that would be as good as most high quality DAC/streamer combos?
I have a Lumin X1 but curious which dac dac is better
Great engineering, the only thing missing is a build in 10 band PEQ, then it would be the perfect DAC.
Awesome stuff. Looking forward to subjective impressions.
You forgot to say how is the build.
Question: Do Holo develop circuit modules for NASA and ESA? Judging from the design and build quality, they might be doing this "on the side". Someone who can state "Quality without compromise." without lying. Nice. Rare.
How does this thing measure compared to a good delta sigma like d90se?
Nice detailed review, thanks a lot!! Keep going
I audibly gasped when you opened the PSU. What a gorgeous Design. The DAC too... But a little over Budget for me. :D
It’s not over budget when you consider that this is probably the last DAC you will ever need to buy in your lifetime. That was my rationale for getting it. :)
@@BrentLeVasseur Don't get me wrong, It's beautiful and I bet you will have a lot of fun with it... but following my experience, in Fields like Mechanical Keyboards, Synthesizers and also Audio-Gear... Even if you reach an extremely High-End state with your Gear, there are still flavors within that state. There is no Endgame... :D
@@Nexotron I understand your perspective, however that kind of thinking will drive you bankrupt and insane. :) There is a “good enough” point where you can hit audio nirvana that isn’t the absolute perfect sound - because that doesn’t exist in nature - but it sounds good enough to make you forget that you are listening to gear and let’s you just enjoy the music. That’s true end game for me, and the Holo May DAC gives me that experience. Not once do I think…hmmm there isn’t enough detail there…or geeze this sounds really chalky or glitchy…-it just gives you the music as it was recorded. That’s all I need!
@@BrentLeVasseur I agree I have had the KTE now for a month and I have never yet felt that the music was misrepresented or distorted in any way. I think he had it right when saying that the best way to describe it is just an organic/analog sound which is completely open and just there. I don't see myself getting another DAC either. What worries me is the upkeep. The reality is that these are technical components that can break over time and the more you have of those you need a budget to deal with the maintenance. Most people that have a DAC like this will have this value multiplied from the transport to the amplification and speakers/headphones. That's what scares me the most.
@@dennisd9875 Maybe the capacitors might loose some of their charge over time, but that would take 20 years or more. By then we could both be dead. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Is there an official distributor in the UK?
I’ve always wondered how this works as a dual mono, there’s only one cable from one of the power supplies - does that make sense?
The interlink cable has a large number of separated conductors. You can see this on the internals actually too. So some will go from the left psu to left channel, some from right psu to right channel etc
imgur.com/a/zCrpasF
@@GoldenSound ahhhh, thanks man, finally makes sense!
Will you put this up against the denafrips terminator? I'm interessted where to put my money in. 🙂
Your channel sold me on the Holo May KTE and it's been the best return on investment I've ever made in any of my components. One thing I'm experiencing is with my cheaper Naim solid state amp it is everything great anyone has ever said about it. But when I connected to my Supratek Cortese LCR tubed amp, the details have increased and there's more separation in instruments but all the smoothness, liquid, musically immediacy is gone. It really loses its magic. Don't get me wrong it's still sounds great, but I wonder if the May is better suited for a solid state preamp rather than tubed. Mine is an active tube, and is well reviewed with exceptional praise, but I feel like it filters out something in exchange for detail and sounding a bit analytical. The difference is sounds aren't close enough to ignore so I may be considering the Serene next. Any one else pair the May w a tube preamp and have any experience they can share?
I have Spring Level 2 and May will definitely be my next DAC
This is a great review. But it begs to ask the question can someone who is not “perfection” hear any difference between this or something like a RME ADI-2? Can you actually the roughly $3000 difference in real world listening?
Or me simply asking this type question means I have no business evening consider a Holo May Dac
For sure you can hear the difference, just hunt down some Holo May demo's like these all immediately recognisable for their 3D holographic sound and natural instrument timbres: ruclips.net/video/QlzuOuwnZ00/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/R2tsBvWDfBk/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/Yw8I75hsCAE/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/dKNYZxTGSM8/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/uPGVMUPSuAI/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/EUsETdszUm0/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/YzGg-iuzHto/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/ZIvdu0Qiwk8/видео.html , ruclips.net/video/5-LEYv3cQVc/видео.html
Ooooh, I see that WA22 there! Interested to hear what you think about it
I'm curious about the level 1 spec May, how does that differ?
I am impressed with your review.
Great review! Might want to correct something: DSD stands for Direct Stream Digital, NOT delta sigma DAC. Delta Sigma is a totally different animal and would not be worth implementing is this level of unit IMO.
I'm aware, but when in "OS DSD" it is operating as a delta sigma dac. It is using delta-sigma modulation to modulate the incoming 16/24bit information to a high sample rate 1-bit stream and converting on the 1-bit converter. This is delta sigma.
Really enjoyed this review, thank you. I would be very interested in your review and opinion of the Denafrips Terminator Plus. 👍😎
Is the holo May your reference? How does it compare to Mola Mola tambaqui?
A little off topic, but it seems like the ahb2 seems small enough to place on the table. Wow. Always thought they were quite big.
It sounds nice and the price too which not everyone can afford. I can afford to buy it but I wouldn't.
The analogue stage uses IC's as I/V converter, so it is not fully discrete.
Great review, thanks. You mentioned Crystek. What clocks are they? Maybe that's the only thing not top of the line, although it probably serves the purpose. Would you agree?
Great review! I am very interested in the May. I have heard the M scaler and TT2 and they are very good. In your M scaler review you mentioned that you would talked about pairing with the May? I didn't see that in the review of the May . The review of the May is very complete and with your technical expertise and what NRD had to say. It is almost a given this is the best DAC going for the Money. I just wonder does the M scaler help?
I hope you get the opportunity to test the Mola Mola Tambaqui and give a perspective on it given its price.
Thank You!
Brilliant content, great technology and great review/product knowledge, but i gotta be honest, i own an RME ADI-2 DAC which i love, this product falls into that awkward category of investment versus percentage improvement......i think i get great bang for my bucks with the RME, no doubt this brilliantly designed HOLO device would most likely be superior in it's reproduction capabilities given it's design, electronics and power supply components.....a comparison of the two devices would be great, however i dont think i could justify the uplift in investment.......but a comparison would be great to hear. Keep the great content coming, thank you
If you use quality power filtering and some superb PS like Ferrum Hypsos, then it's pretty close, at least with Spring 3 L2. The biggest difference vs ADI-2 is its anemic bass (around 5dB at 50 Hz, which is fixable through its EQ). But if you're using stock PS (and God forbid no power filtering), then you're missing the whole show..
I love your review - it's like if Z-Reviews was super intelligent and British!
Z reviews with his expensive headphones said no audible difference between his other under 1 grand dacs.
@@locmanw1583 Z reviews is a clown
Hey goldensound i was very very much looking forward to watching your reviews on this very very very good sounding and amazingly detailed dacs i would really really love to know and to see if you can be able to help me choose which kind of dac i should get
The Airist R2R dac also has a separate DSD dac afaik.
Airist converts dsd to pcm
How come a dac without the polarity switch could sound decent?
Very interresting !.When is a Mola-Mola Tambaqui dac test?
They've said they'll send me one in a couple months! Looking forward to it
but is the nos a real nos? reading the chinese word on the chassis, i think it means 'plum' rather than 5th month of the year.
Yep it is indeed real NOS. I'll talk about this a bit more in the Ares 2 review cause it turns out denafrips "NOS" isn't NOS at all.
And yes the symbol translates to 'plum' or 'mei' when written plainly I think
@@GoldenSound thx. hope you review some traditional nos dacs like sw1x or border patrol.
Isn't the Gustard R26 doing the same as well in terms of 1 Bit DSD decoding ?
So, this is going to work well with my audio research reference 5SE preamp and decware tirode amp Point to point wired.
And Klipsch Cornwall fours. I hope so. 🤞🏼
Could you please review the Chord hugo 2?.The RUclipsr currawong has said that it’s the best DAC/Amp at the $2000 price point.
I watched Hans B’s review then NRD then this one... I think currawong had the spring KTE. You were the only reviewer to compare levels which is extremely valuable! I also watched zeos but apparently he can’t tell a Dac from a toaster. I own the Spring KTE and love it this far is nOS mode... I look forward to the release of the spring 3.
Thanks great vid. Does the great jitter reduction eliminate need for a separate DCC? Thanks.
omg! why can't many other reviwers do anything like this?
Temperature regulated...hmm. Probably no point in cooling the unit with a fan if it's just going to consume more power to raise the temp?
I wonder how this compares to other r2r DACs in the same price category (Denafrips f.i.)
Can't comment firsthand (other than vs ares 2 which isn't really fair) but those who have tried both including Ron from NRD, and a friend of mine who currently owns May and Terminator, say that the May wins. May also quite comfortably beats the denafrips stuff in various objective aspects.
I hardly imagine you can make a "bad" choice though, they're both going to be excellent.
@@GoldenSound needs to be compared to the Terminator Plus
@@GoldenSound $4,000 Terminator or $6,900 Terminator Plus?
@@GoldenSound I'd love if you could get an R-7HE from Audio-GD in to compare with your May.
But what about MQA support 😉
Golden Sound debunked MQA. If you own any product with MQA in t, get rid of it as soon as you can.
Great review thank you.
How does it compare to dcs vivaldi, or Yggdrasil a2?
how do i measure jitter? i have a ifi igalvanic and would like to see the difference with and without it connected to my dac.
listen to it, if sounds better then good if not you got ripped off, why do you need to see it ? its not a tv, its sound !
Hello, I'm new to your channel.
The first thing I want to say is that I'm kind of wondering what your desk is. It is spacious enough to hold everything on top of it yet it still lots has space left on it!
The second thing is your speakers. Are they active? If they're passive, what drives them? The third thing is your isolations. Did you make them? If not where can I get those?
Thanks for the great channel. I finally found a reviewer who is really interested in quality and doesn't use "budget" keyword in his videos ^.^
Do you think there would be a benefit of using i2s over USB on the May?
Hi guys. I have a topping D90. Is the May quite a large jump up specifically in instrument placement / separation and staging? ❤
I have the May KTE and love it!!
Best review channel
Just an opinion that the fine sound of this DAC is due more to its outstanding power supply, analog sections and USB implementation, and less to its D2D digital to audio conversion. Swap out the D2D and replace with 2 ES9038pro chips and I think you will have a DAC of comparable quality. And you will cut production cost by a significant sum.
The difference is in the errors that occur in an R2R are truly random as opposed to a dac chip which will be inherently pseudo random.
@@yeahright3733 I think this refers to ADCs, but in any event it's a distinction without a difference.
@@lennym2407 according to whom? Some people love r2r DACs and DCS method of randomizing the noise. The brain is very sensitive to artificial, repetitive noise.
Great review. Been looking at this DAC for sometime. Watched a few other reviews. Great explanation of the internals and how they work.
Though I was completely sold on the Holo Audio L2 dac my OCD fought me right up to the moment of placing my order , I now have the May KTE .
Thank you to my audio friend whom introduced me to Holo Audio and a Big shout out to GoldenOne for all his enthusiasm and hard work !
is the top level from wildism the same as the KTE ? and does it come with the fox as well ? (im a bit confused)
Which amp are you using in conjunction with the May here?
What is the best : this one or the Denafrips Terminator plus ?
There’s levels to this game!
Please recommend me player or streamer (or any other source) different than PC for this DAC in order to be able to use all its abilities especially high resolution PCM and native DSD. Thank you.
Holoaudio Red Streamer
So I'm guessing it's bad to leave this thing on 24/7? lol
I hear there's some warm-up time with R2R DACs, so do you leave it on or just turn it on when you use it and wait a bit?
Nice, in-depth review btw...looking forward to the Spring 3 release! I've been told it gets to about 95% in performance to the May which is pretty cool.
No you would want to leave it on whenever possible. I only turn it off when going away or if there's a storm etc.
It takes an hour or two to properly heat up.
Repeated thermal cycles from being turned off/on repeatedly are MUCH worse for components than being left on/hot
@@GoldenSound Does your May have a built-in pre-amp? I see volume buttons on the remote so it got me wondering...
do you have any experience with the smsl dp5? its a low ocst network player with i2s output and ballanced out
How does it compare to Aqua La Scala II Optologic R2R?
So I use $9 Apple DAC but I am curious
About what IO Stream would give the best possible output ? Considering there's ain't going to be any noise interference with the audio , what is the difference it would make ?