They developed this DAC via a DIY forum in the Netherlands and have made a first step to sell it. It is all still very premature. No manual, no packaging, no serial number, no power cable, just the DAC. Moreover, it is still under development. So no official reviews yet.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the inside, and I certainly won’t be opening up my DAC, as I’ve only had it for a week.
It is best to get information from Daudio themselves. Perhaps they would be willing to share a photo of the interior. Furthermore, they can also inform you about multiple playback methods. It features 6 digital inputs (USB, Optical, Coax, AES, Bluetooth, BNC) and 2 analog outputs (XLR, RCA).
Here is a photo of the back (not my DAC):
Never had the Holo DAC in my system, so I can’t answer your question. Besides it’s all very subjective.
I can only make the comparison with the T+A D200, where my preference clearly goes to the Daudio DAC. Enjoying and listening in a relaxed manner is much easier now. But whether that is the case for everyone, I can’t say.
^ I’ve never felt that DAC200 would not sound relaxed or that it would sound somehow raw, fatiguing or too edgy/hard. It comes down to system matching and of course HQP settings used for the upsampling. Some filters can sound edgier or highly detailed while some sound easier.
There is such a thing as ‘relaxed’ and ‘even more relaxed’. One doesn’t have to be bad per se, for the other to be better. There are few absolutes in this hobby.
I’d appreciate your opinion on a DAC decision for a HQPlayer-centric setup.
Current system:
HQPlayer Desktop on macOS
Roon (no DSP at all)
USB connection (so currently DoP only)
Target output: DSD256 (44.1-family)
Niimbus US5 Pro
Focal Utopia (v1)
I’m considering two DACs:
Holo Audio Cyan 2
Topping D900 (latest firmware)
I noticed that HQPlayer provides correction profiles for the Cyan 2 across PCM and DSD up to DSD1024, while the D900 has a correction profile specifically for DSD256.
My main question is not about measurements, but about overall synergy with HQPlayer.
If you were choosing today for this specific use case (DSD256 over DoP, no DSP in Roon, HQPlayer doing all processing), which DAC would you personally lean towards?
Also, if I decide to move to an NAA in the future and use higher DSD rates, would that change your recommendation?
Question about the TEAC gear: UD-701N has been confirmed as HQPlayer / DSD direct compatible here on multiple occasions, but has anyone tried the matching CD player, VRDS-701? Appears to have the same discrete TRDD 7 DAC as well as a USB input for it. Should work?
