Phasure NOS1 USB DAC for MAC

[esimms86]

Thanks Peter. I'll keep you posted on where I stand with gathering the funds to fully commit to a purchase. It's great to hear that the
Phasure NOS 1 asynchronous Dac is less demanding of connected computer power. I may in fact not need to upgrade my 2010 mac mini after all. A gentle nudge from you and Mani in the form of some very useful information was helpful and the new upgrade sounds like it hits the ball out of the park(if you can stand an American baseball metaphor).

Esau

[Scuba]

Hi Peter, have you tried PureMusic for playback?
I prefer it by a large margin in my system to Amarra and Audirvana.
At the moment I prefer the "NOS" setting, probably due to the USB bridge I am using - ART Legato - limited to 44.1k .
It is available as a trial download, usable for 15 days: http://www.channld.com/pure-music4.html .

Regards,
Bogdan.

[PeterSt]

Bogdan, hi there !

... No I did not. Maybe this is because I stopped believing in Amarra not long after its start. Then came PM around, and it somehow looks too large to me. But since you so kindly provided a link for download, I will.

I will let you know ...

Regards,
Peter

[Scuba]

Paul, thanks for your quick answer!

Now, a little more details about my system and my preferences:
I listen mostly symphonic music and opera, but I am listening jazz and blues sometimes.
I am using an EmmLabs CDSD SE (latest version, with metallic transport) and EmmLabs DCC2 SE directly into the power amp - BAT VK-600SE. The IC is Audioquest Wild. Speakers: Raidho/Eben X-4 . Speaker cable: AQ Everest. Power cables: AQ NRG-5. Power conditioning: Isotek Sigmas .
I was trying to built a pc-based playback system that would get near the EmmLabs combo, with no luck.
2-3 years ago I have built a PC with the CMP2 specs, into the tiniest details (hardware and software), and I was very disappointed with the results. I tried XX Highend in the early stages , but it was quite unstable at the moment, so I sticked to foobar + ASIO. I have used several interfaces (ESI Julia, Edirol UA-1ex, M-Audio Transit, HiFace, Modded HiFace) and several tweaked computers (most of them highly tweaked and configured to play from memory). None of them could hold a faint candle to the Emm transport.
Until I switched to a MacBook Pro and ART Legato. First I tried Amarra, didn't liked it, then sticked with Audirvana for a couple of weeks, until I installed Pure Music. This is the first setup that I find acceptable compared to the CDSD se.
I find amusing that some of my friends say that my system sounds more hi-rez when playing just redbook CDs than any other system they heard, using hi-rez material.
The thing is that I find the differences between redbook and SACD (same album) minimal, and I think that the recording and mastering are far more important.
I believe that detail is important, but only when it comes with timbral and tonal accuracy and integrity, coherence, macro-dynamics and layering.
I believe that upsampling in software is good only for NOS DACs, and detrimental for DACs that have DSP.

Just my 2c, sorry for the long post!

All that being said, I will try a PC based solution, with W7/64 and latest XXHE . And I am very curious about the USB NOS1!

[PeterSt]

Hi Peter, have you tried PureMusic for playback?
I prefer it by a large margin in my system to Amarra and Audirvana.

Well, I really don't know how you manage to prefer *that*. Over Amarra maybe (didn't try that yet), but PM must really be the most confusing, ugly, interfering with everything program ever. Jikes !
Mind you, I am not talking about the SQ at this time, but about how it causes all other programs to be upfront, herself always being through everything because actualyl PM is *always* up front (with a 50% or so opaqueness), that not showing as active in the top bar (usually iTunes is) ... that it's Less is More function usually stops working as soon as there's a fart of something else ... iTunes is playing while PM should or the other way around or both, or that you can't even load tracks on/it/over it unless by means of upsampling and in an area *you* not even will have found (because it anticipates iTunes really). MAN, what a waste of 2 hours of my time. Only to get it a litte.
And no, of course i don't want to let rule iTunes.

Ok ok, that being behind me I could finally proove when PM was playing and not iTunes, and so ...
Forget about it.

The most pure sines come from my most strict impulses. And, since one means of "SRC" (upsampling) is supported only, there wasn't much to try further. On this aspect, I don't see much difference when iTunes is doing the upsampling.

Keep in mind guys : I am not talking about native SQ which may come from it on to any other DAC. It is is just not useable for the NOS1. That's all. And obviously I tried, because it would just be very useful (for me, let's say).

Sorry ...
Peter

PS: Maybe my judgement about all the confusing stuff is not justified at all. But I started out with the "Less is More" functionality, which I maybe shouldn't have done. That gets it in a mode which is uncontrollable, and doesn't really work either (really, apply one change anywhere, and it needs a restart, *that* needing to set the Less is More setting again, and ... well, it is a sort of loop). Additionally, it acts inconsistently strange at the sample rate settings. This may go unnoticed to you. For example, if a track is set to repeat (which must be done in iTunes) at the next iteration it may come up with another sample rate as with the first play of the track; this will be related to "use the highest sample rate for your DAC" setting, but which still allows me to change that to lower in AudioMidi and which really plays like that. Until the next iteration (or next track, which I did not try), then it switches to the higher sample rate. Dangerous stuff.

[Scuba]

Ok Peter, thank you for the answer! I was trying to find out if Mac would be a viable solution with your DAC.  It seems that it is not.
I'll have to try a PC-based solution with XXHE and see how it works in my setup. So, I'll take a look at the recommended platform for XXHE and start from there.

[PeterSt]

Ok Bogdan, thanks.

The thing is that I find the differences between redbook and SACD (same album) minimal, and I think that the recording and mastering are far more important.

Wait until you heard the new Redbook ... 
Then we'll talk again about the minimal differences.

Anyway, I think your approach is the good one. But by the time you have it all up and running, I'd really give Audirvana another try. Or Fidelia, also good. I will provide the settings then. Maybe I'm saying this because it is your conclusion that the Mac is no good for the NOS1. Ok, not with Pure Music, of that is what you mean.

Regards,
Peter