I have been stagnant in putting up new posts for some time... Not because I lost interest in music listening . In fact, I am extremely happy enjoying streaming music from Tidal/CD from Elekit. It's just that there are no interesting new products that had caught my eyes and my system is running at a satisfactory level though I know its weaknesses well, yet I am more than happy to live with them and enjoy music, which is most important.
I met a new friend H who is from Vancouver and is passionate in designing a DIY active speakers using cheap class D amp modules and cheap drivers and I had enjoyed listening to his dirt cheap setup and provide a few cheap upgrade tips to him as well some items like the UMI !
H is definitely a fan of cheapaudio like me. His goal is to design affordable high end to those who don't want to spend the money, respect! We contacted each other about music and other matters which we share same interest.
Both of us bought an GanFet amp and while he was extremely happy with it and think it will be his end game amplifier. I have experienced some setback due to some ground loop developed in my setup and the amp is extremely sensitive and had picked it up. Story is ongoing and deserve a full post to go through this journey (a lot of pain and tears) which is far from reaching the end.
Meanwhile, there are few devices that I have purchased, one is staying and two is purchased based on sheer curioisity.
YJCO D816 ACM8816 Ganfet Amp , it is probably the cheapest GanFet amplifier in the market from Taobao selling for only $538rmb , roughly 70USD. But it only accepts digital inputs and Bluetooth , so the flexibility of tweaking sound is very limited. Sound wise it is acceptable for what it is but it is not one of those products that will wow you.
HiFi Rose RW800 Lite. Recently released in Jul/26, It reminds me of the compact Auralic Airies Mini streamer which I had owned before, small and fit for purpose (110mm x 115mm x 27mm) if you want to do some simple streaming from Tidal , Spotify and Qobus etc. Build in ESS DAC ES9280 all-in chip. It offers playback from Bluetooth, Lan line and Wifi and supports playback up to PCM 32-bit/384kHz and DSD128 which is more than sufficient. Sound is very good given its price , clean, transparent and analytical which exactly carries the same bloodline of any Sabre chips . It is a matter of system matching and music preference/taste. I'm still shopping for a LPS that has USD input since it's powered by 5V/1A through USB outlet. For around $200USD, I think it's priced at a very reasonable level competing against WiiM and Bluesound. Or an option to extend your older amp in adding an extra digital streaming capability.
The moment of truth, is it better than my workhorse Wattson WEA? Upon initial audition and back and forth comparison, the RW800 does offer a clearer sound , while WEA has a more meaty and musical presentation. Insert the Uptone LPS to my WEA changed the outcome, detail retrieval in microdynamics as well as music ebb and flow of WEA has the upper hand and I can enjoy music more. But with proper matching, the RW800 is a highly capable unit that punches above its price tag!
While I still don't understand a lot of ppl buying expensive gears and only play streaming through entry level devices and claiming streaming is never as good as CD or Analog.....But a properly designed streamer, not necessarily expensive, can bring you high level of joy and enjoyment ! I'm not looking down on entry level streaming products , in fact, they are very decent products and helps younger gen XYZ to get into the world of Hifi (no Cans or IEM please) as well as the introduction of ChiFi (in a non degratory way) that has closed the gap between younger gens and HiFi such that decent music can be had for fraction of price compare to 10, 20 years ago!
VDH Server Power Cord. It was recommended by my friend who helped terminated all my Sommer cables. He said he had the cord faced off with Siltech Double Crown and 40th Anni and think they are neck to neck and ultimately prefers the Server slightly as it is more on the neutral side. When I first insert it into my Uptone LPS, the sound is a bit muffled and not as impressive. After some burn in time, the slight haze has gone and the sound has become smoother and sound has improved noticeably. I can hear more nuances and small details and singing techniques of artists are eaier to pick up despite I thought my setup was pretty good before. Bottomline is that I am enjoying more the music than before. At $100USD for 2m run (recommended minimum length for shielding purposes) , it's absolutely a steal!
As usual, some photos taken lately to share
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