Done with the SEG

[Giovanni68]

I got the SEG and the Dorado a couple years ago, got it after reading so many enthusiast reviews, connections wise it does really do it for me, never having had a DAC before I have nothing to compare it to but when I listen with my old Sony CDP-X505ES with its own analog output and then switch to the SEG I have to admit I like the Sony way more, the SEG seems to put a veil on front of the speakers.

It's ok, what can you buy for that money? I wanted to get rid of the annoying click I hear when I listen to a playlist with different bit rates, asked here on the forum if anybody suffer same issue and wrote to the kind guy who builds and sells the gear but even him doesn't have a reply not to say that to get a reply is no easy task and, in fact, I didn't get any after my last email and this, along with the "quality" of the sound will make me look at somewhere else.

Just sharing my experience

[Alp]

I had the SEG and Dorado and got good results but it also depends on the quality of what you are feeding it with I.e. the coaxial or optical output from your CD player, USB from a laptop etc. There are better DACs around now but they too will be limited by the input.

I also got clicks, but most of what I play is the same bit rate. If you have not done so, try upgrading to the latest firmware. Stan will provide that for a very low cost.

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[Goofy]

Giovanni, you have pm.

[worrasf]

the SEG seems to put a veil on front of the speakers.

An interesting observation Giovanni - that certainly is not my experience with the SEG/Dorado - I find it very clear and detailed. I do wonder if there may be something going on earlier in the signal pathway to give you a veiled sound?

FWIW I have just bought a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M (with a MCRU Long Dog power supply) not because I was dissatisfied with the SEG but because I wanted to listen to a DAC that would "unfold" MQA files from my streamer using TIDAL master (the jury is still out on whether there is a sonic benefit although when I used my Dragonfly Red from my MacBook there was an obvious audible improvement compared to the Chord chordette gem I was using previously) The DacMagic also has an abundance of inputs (2 optical, 2 coax, bluetooth & USB) - It certainly sounds very good to my ears. Soundstage is a tad wider and deeper than the SEG, a little "sweeter" in the midrange (I find the SEG can sound a little "dark" on some tracks) perhaps not so much bass weight but beautifully clear and detailed - marvellous with female vocals and piano/blues/jazz.

[Mr Neds]

I’ve got a SEG with mk. 1 Dorado and I certainly wouldn’t call it veiled!

[Giovanni68]

If you have not done so, try upgrading to the latest firmware. Stan will provide that for a very low cost.



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I emailed him several times but besides the time it takes to get a reply when asking about the firmware and if it could maybe fix I didn't get a reply any longer, won't want to waste either his or my time behind something the one who did the project himself apparently can't answer

[Giovanni68]

An interesting observation Giovanni - that certainly is not my experience with the SEG/Dorado - I find it very clear and detailed. I do wonder if there may be something going on earlier in the signal pathway to give you a veiled sound?

FWIW I have just bought a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M (with a MCRU Long Dog power supply) not because I was dissatisfied with the SEG but because I wanted to listen to a DAC that would "unfold" MQA files from my streamer using TIDAL master (the jury is still out on whether there is a sonic benefit although when I used my Dragonfly Red from my MacBook there was an obvious audible improvement compared to the Chord chordette gem I was using previously) The DacMagic also has an abundance of inputs (2 optical, 2 coax, bluetooth & USB) - It certainly sounds very good to my ears. Soundstage is a tad wider and deeper than the SEG, a little "sweeter" in the midrange (I find the SEG can sound a little "dark" on some tracks) perhaps not so much bass weight but beautifully clear and detailed - marvellous with female vocals and piano/blues/jazz.

Maybe the 30 years old Sony DAC does a better job, who knows... fact is that by switching from the preamp DAC/CD inputs the CD one sounds more detailed, back in time it was the second best option as a CD Player in the Sony lineup and I also had it upgraded in the output stage.

Maybe matter of playing with the different led blinks on the SEG but I really don't expect much more than I experienced already, I believed all the fuzz about "a DAC which sounds as good as products costing three times as much..."

[Alp]

All I can say is that more than 10 years ago I went from using an expensive Linn CD player to streaming music from a Squeezebox to an early Beresford DAC and have never looked back. Perhaps your Sony CD player is simply very good. However, if you are connecting it to the DAC then the SPD/IF or Toslink cables you use can make a big difference or it may be that the digital outputs from your Sony are simply not very good, which could be the case if is so old.

[Lawrence001]

Some of those old Sony ES players only have optical out which limits their performance as a transport.

Are you using optical, and what brand/model is the cable?

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