Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 10/18/2010(UTC)
Posts: 36
Location: UK
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Not sure if this is posted in the right place but here goes....
After a number of build niggles I finally got the Opus up and running and I have done some comparisons with other DACs.
The Opus configuration is:
Toslink -> WM8804 -> Opus WM8741 x 2 (differential mono) -> IVY x 2 -> Ballsie (for SE output).
Power by Placid x 2 (IVY boards), LCDPS (digital), LCBPS (Ballsie)
Other DACs tested:
Benchmark DAC1 HDR
Naim DAC
Amplification: Tweaked Hypex UcD400 dual mono
Speakers: Heybrook Sextet (Tweaked)
The listening was done in both SE and Balanced (XLR)
All the DACs here are very good and the comments about the differences are really nit picking but then again that is what us Hi-Fi nuts get all worked up about.
The Opus has a sound very similar to the Naim DAC which is praise indeed. Excellent detail and real dynamics. Deep bass and fast attack particularly shown on percussion and plucked strings e.g. guitar. Treble is clear without too much grain but not the best here. However where both the Opus and Naim fall down is on their ability to convey a sense of space around the instruments, here the Benchmark wins. It maintains the deep bass and speed, has cleaner treble and an excellent sound stage. When you consider the price that a Opus can be build for and the level of performance available it is very competent but ultimately not the best you can buy.
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 11/9/2007(UTC)
Posts: 453
Location: usa
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I felt feeding 5V from Placid to the analog side of the OPUS was a very worthwhile upgrade: http://www.twistedpearau...t.aspx?g=posts&t=934In addition, the Wolfson DAC has 5 filters you can select (2 of the 5 are only available in software mode).
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/18/2010(UTC)
Posts: 36
Location: UK
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I did try feeding the Opus from a Placid, still with the onboard regs, but I could not hear any difference.
The Opus is a good DAC just not as good as others IMHO.
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/21/2010(UTC)
Posts: 75
Location: Colorado
Thanks: 1 times
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Steve: Something to consider: The Opus (and the Wolfson chip) is a very good DAC, and I suspect that you can get it to outperfrom the Benchmark, but you will have to control the incoming jitter somehow. Note that the Benchmark uses an onboard asynchronous sample rate converter, which essentially re-clocks the data resulting in very low jitter-the Naim DAC also has a quite sophisticated de-jittering approach. With your Opus build, you do not have any kind of onboard jitter reduction scheme, so the ultimate performance of your Opus will be limited by the incoming jitter levels. I note that you are feeding the Opus through toslink (which is usually reletively high in jitter) but you do not state what the source is.
You might want to try your comparisons while feeding the Opus with a known low jitter source, my suggestions would be: Hiface Evo via I2S direct to Opus board, or Wavelength Audio Wavelink, via SPDIF electrical connection (with a good SPDIF cable) to your receiver board. I think you will be quite surprised at how much better the Opus will sound with a low jitter source.
Another option would be to add the Twisted Pear ASRC to the Opus, but I suspect that the best performance would be a low jitter source like the Evo, direct I2S to the Opus board, and avoiding ASRCs alltogether. The forthcoming TPA asynchronous USB-I2S receiver would also likley produce very good results with direct connection to the Opus (but not the current adaptive USB receiver).
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