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Quote:
Originally Posted by Krisbee
I'm using the stock power-supply provided by Stan for US 120 V.
However,
These are plugged into Furman power-conditioners: 2 with state-of the art filtering plus power factor correction, 1 with the same filtering, and one basic Furman unit.
Kurt
Hello,
does anyone know if it is possible to connect an ipod via USB to the TC-7520? Does one need a special docking station?
thanks
You'll only get analogue out from the iPod. You'll need the Wadia docking station.
One question I frequently get asked is whether it is possible to adjust the volume of the TC-7520 from the PC. What I have found out is that you can adjust the volume from within MediaMonkey if you are listening to the TC-7520 via USB.
STan
The direct digital out from the iPod is locked - a licence fee has to be paid by a manufacturer to unlock and use the direct digital out.
There is open source firmware that can be loaded onto an iPod and I have heard those software coders may be working on accessing the direct digital out - it does, however mean that you would be, in effect, running a different Operation System in the iPod. Not iTunes, but something else which would work with open source codecs like FLAC and OGG.
Not a review, I got my TC-7520 today and my initial listening is very promising, even without proper burning in.
I just wanted to say thanks to Stanley and to others that's considering this DAC, "yer in for a treat", as someone told me before I bought it :)
It's 2am and I badly need sleep but this dac keeps me here for just 'one more song'
Will have some Burr Brown OPA627's shortly to replace the 5532's, will let you all know how they sound.
The OPA627 is not a direct replacement for the 5532!Quote:
Originally Posted by tizer2000uk
Try the OPA2134 or LM4562.
Stan
I would have thought Dual 627's per socket would be ok?
I have some LM4562's kicking around somewhere to test too, always thought the 5532 and the 4562 were very close in terms of quality, how did they sound to your ears Stan? Never heard the 2134 though.
The LM4562 is far better than the 5532 in performance. Higher slew rate and lower distortion. Mind you, the 5532 situated towards the right side of the PCB (looking at it from the front), is probably left well alone.Quote:
Originally Posted by tizer2000uk
Stan
Hi all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sensimilia
Anyone tried a Burson Discreet opamp on a Stan dac?? My friend has stuck one in his DacMagic and is now having multiple orgasms from the new sound. I haven't had time to pop round and have listen but from what he says he is getting unbelieveable audio now. Mind you it cost him a small fortune with buying it and paying an electrical engineer to fit it for him - and it goes against the ethos of the beresford being an affordable top Dac. But then again lobster with caviar every now and again is a necessary indulgence - and ofcourse some champagne to wash it down!! perhaps someone from here has no issue with costs and may want to try it in a Stan Dac so Stan can comment if one will fit in the Tc 7510/20. I'm personally very happy with the sound from the LM4562 . Anyway I ll keep you informed when i get round to having a listen to the Burson opamp ........
All this talk of upgrades already.
Perhaps there is room for a 7520SE with all sensible upgrades applied.
A £50 premium?
How about it Stan?
It does seem a bit premature Brian. I bet many 7520's are not burnt in yet.
I will get the better power supply first and let the modders fiddle around for a while until they area happy (if that ever happens)
Very pleased with the noises coming out of my system now.
Jerry
O yes, but good ideas take a while to mature. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Covenant
Like a fine wine.
You see why I just stick with diy :lol: temptation to fiddle is too much:ner:
Regarding those Bursons modules, I wouldn't class them as suitable in the Beresford dac, reason being is that it wants at least +/-12v (+24v) on the supply, the single +10v isn't enough, it'll increase distortion
The problem with modding is knowing when to stop :)
The way the unit has been constructed gives Stan alot of flexibility for future upgrades. I reckon having an entry level unit all the way up to high end would be the way to go.
Anywhooo, I shall try the 4562 as I suppose a large part of the final sound has a lot to do with the supporting circuity, I last heard it in a modded cd player and in my X-Fi soundcard.
So the socketed opamp to the right of the case should be left alone?
Would love to hear a Burson, have heard good things about them.
Hello there Brian . When you coming over for a chilled Keo beer??Quote:
Originally Posted by Labarum
Stan has forseen the mod fever and provided opamp rolling for the TC-7520. Most kind of him to do so!! Hey Brian for many a dragon slayer dac is more than enough. i'm more than happy with the modded TC-7510. for a small minority, they don't want to slay the dragon but tame it, sit on its back and ride off into the sunset and towards audio heaven!! :) respect to all that push the boundaries just that bit further than others........
Burson op amp below:- Bold statement that kills all competition off. :eyebrows:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Burson-Audio-S...3286.m63.l1177
I am still in Blitey, and I am glad it's raining in Cyprus - reservoirs up from 5% to 20% eh - I don't want any water rationing when I get to Nicosia. We have our own well, but we can't drink it!Quote:
Originally Posted by kalozois100
And as to Keo. Na. Never. No one has every convinced me that alcohol isn't anything but what it is - the product of rotten fruit and vegetables - yuk. It's only fit for stripping paint or cleaning the drains.
I'll stick to lemonade made from the trees in my own garden.
Whats the supply voltage to the op-amp in the TC-7520? seriously guys if you run one of those discrete op-amps with less than 24v it'll sound S**t
Spot on. I got a pair of those Bunson chips but they sound even worse than the 5532 in the TC-7520.Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
Stan
I think its Burson. Saying bunson reminds me bunson burner in A level chemistry all over again. Gulp.... 22 years ago!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sensimilia
Then its not for the TC-7510/20 series. if someone wants to spend a 100 on an opamp for their beresford dac what other options do they have?? Afterall you have provided for opamp rolling so let the rolling begin???
You see Stan i have an agenda. i ll come clean like an honest fellow should. I'm not going through again what i had to with the TC-7510. i don't have the talent to modify(but can very easily f**k up anything you like) . If I'm gonna get a TC-7520 its gonna be from you with all mod cons thrown in( with extra price ofcourse) . Brian is right when he suggests a different price range according to the modded specification... A few guys walk into a bar one wants a brunette, another wants a blonde, but in the end the best lookers cost you most in the end!!( heart and money that is!!)
Good evening all,
I went over to my friends to have a listen to his modified dacmagic with burson discreet opamps(Dual in the case of magic). Hes had about 50 hours of burn in time so far....
It was certainly an improvement to his original opamp that came with the dac. He was using B&W 601s and an arcam A70 amp. The sound seemed at first similar to what i'm getting out of the modded TC-7510. After much listening with various types of music, classical, jazz, progressive rock etc i was unable to have a direct comparison to my beresford as i did not take it with me but i did have the feeling that i wished i was back home listening to my dac but couldn't quite put my finger on the reason. When i did get home and put same music on i found it to be more inviting/ involving than the magic but having similar clarity , soundstage and fidelity . This means that the modded TC-7510 IMH(personal)O outranked this modded magic. This for me is one hell of an achievement from a financial point of view . My TC-7510 with mods cost me 140(inc. black gate caps!!) pounds vs modded dacmagic at 350 pounds.( I left out the costs for the electrical engineer as mine was done for free but my friend had to pay for his mods by a professional uping his costs further from 350 ). The National semiconductor opamp I am now using in the TC-7510 is unbelievable value and performance and i now disagree with burson statements that it kills off the competition. Perhaps it is a different in the case when equipment used is in the thousands price bracket range but it was not the case in this class of equipment used. Another variable i neglected to mention is I now use a maplin p/s whereas my friend uses the p/s that came with his magic.
I think I now finally understand discussions I have read in past on various sites on the topics upsampling processing vs non upsampling processing. Here is the only other area i can put my finger on what may explain why i prefer my Dac to the magic. If it was better I'd say it. And the magic did sound better when my TC-7510 was a 6/3 version. Its alot easier to understand in practice when it is heard rather than trying to make sense of it in theory from written articles. And yet again it comes down to personal taste as my friend probably totally disagrees with my comments above. Such is the beauty of democracy!!
You mean oversampling versus upsampling...Quote:
Originally Posted by kalozois100
On the Norwegian forum hifisentralen quite few people have tried the DM against the TC-7520. Sales to Norway have been very rewarding of late;).
Stan
:Ah yes, over vs up.......Quote:
Originally Posted by Sensimilia
Stan if there was a forum on the remotest part of the planet I do believe that you'd find it:lol:
Clever lot the Norwegians must be all that omega 3 in the fish they're eating. :eyebrows:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Labarum
Hey Brian,
Long time no post by me. Glad to hear of another non-drinking audiophile. I'm sure that there are many of us out there. We're a tought lot to please, I think, as sober I find I'm much more discerning in my listening to kit.
I finally have my main system up to warp-speed, now that I've added the Martin Logan Descent subwoofer. This unit transformed the sound of my multi-channel system. I'm often listening to Apple Lossless tracks though the Beresford 7520 then converted via DSP to Neural THX 5.1 multichannel using my Onkyo PR SC-885 preamp/processor.
Have a fine weekend!
Kurt
Hey, gin is probably quite good for degreasing CDs - but since they never come out of their cases these days . . .Quote:
Originally Posted by kbuech
LOL!!:lol::lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Labarum
Hi Brian!Quote:
Originally Posted by Labarum
You inadvertently provided me with a Eureka-Moment when you described yours.
Some years ago (I was still living in Canada, having moved there from Germany at 19), I owned a very simple and elegant system: A Revox B226 going through Counterpoint hybrids into a pair of the special reinforced QUAD Freds.
I had known that this was "my" sound during the first few bars of Julian Lloyd Webber's rendition of Elgar's Cello Concerto! Goose bumbs. I had never heard recorded music sound so compelling. The speakers literally disappeared.
Now I live in Berlin with my teenage daughter (whom I had given a cello at 3 - yes, you can laugh! - but who finally decided on the saxophone instead. Nice, too...) ;)
Instead of in a house, we now live in an apartment, with neighbours, who wouldn't appreciate having to share my lust for Ludwig at 2am. So, I have been looking for something, which comes close to the QUADs ... and I have found it: A pair of STAX 404 electrostatic headphones with the small amplifier. (My music server is a MacBookPro.)
I had recently tried a Corda Aria DAC/Amp with AKG 701 phones. Not quite there yet. The AGKs are transparent, allright, but they also seem to have a hole in the middle - spacially! - which especially with concertos tends to push the soloist too far back.
Enter the STAX, which I found used (but still with a year of warranty) for €450.
Much better.
What brought me here was the belief that the transducers (be they speakers or phones) account for perhaps the biggest bang for the buck.
At the other end of the chain, the source represents the next challenge, and so I was looking for a reasonably priced DAC, in order to move the conversion off the MacBookPro.
Enter the 7520, which (after a few mails with Stan) I purchased today from the inofficial distributor in Germany, who is somehow related to the manufacturer. Anyway, I drove the 40km from Berlin, picked it up .... and then spent 2 hours re-exploring my music library.
Right out of the box, this little item really sounds fabulous. Wide open, soloists and vocalists clearly positioned, tight enough bass for classical music, and completely in accord with the STAX' innate transparency and musicality.
I admit to not having listened to any of the recent €1000 units. Back in Canada, I had auditioned a Cyrus, but the Revox seemed just fine. And now, my priorities have changed.
But perhaps the trick is to just find components which augment each other, which the STAX and the 7520 do.
I have found sonic bliss for €650.There is still the opportunity of uograding those OpAmps, and of course, the lure of a STAX Tube-Amp in the skies..... ;)
But I know what good sound is, and that I have found.
So, Brian, your comments kind of made me register here, communicate with Stan and become a customer... all in 2 days.
Thanks!
By the way, I really like the tone among members here!
Regards from Berlin!
What a nice post from Prenzlberger-hope its the first of many.
Upgrading the op-amps in the 7520 is a MUST! A significant improvement for next to nothing. If you only listen to headphones you only need to buy one. There is lots of information here and people to help if you get stuck.
I have been deprived recently.
Been in Cyprus to sort out the house I will retire to in the autumn.
We had hoped to install and ADSL connection in the house very quickly, but it didn't happen. Bureaucracy!!
I took with me a laptop and a Squeezebox boom hoping for my favourite UK and European radio stations and the ability to play my FLACs.
But I was reduced to silence and a tranny!
Ah well back to my Quart Speakers, Quad Amp and Standac. I can breath again.
I have been wondering about some decent headphones, and looked longing at the Stax for years, but they are awfully expensive.
Are they really that much better?
I'm not sure they are these days to be honest. Stax is now a "name" with a great reputation and cachet, but IMO that's where it ends unless you can get some "earspeakers" used at a good price. The UA7 tonearm was a goodie though as I recall, although little else of theirs ever came over to the UK IIRC.
Where would you be looking for headphones, Dave?
Yes, they are in the same manner that the QUADs back then captured you. And we both know that many people would consider the QUADs gutless .... depends on the kind of music one listens to.Quote:
Originally Posted by Labarum
I don't know if you ever had a chance to observe electrostats "at work". That sheet of sandwich wrap just kind of trembles .... just wonderful! Ripples instead of a piston pushing and pouncing.
The STAX offer the same and because it happens (or doesn't) so close to your ear-drums, the effect it very gentle.
I am 62 and have my own permanent sound-track called tinitus. (Too many miles with the open sunroof buffeting.)
With dynamic headphones - even something as transparent as the 701s - the pressure was quite uncomfortable. None of that with the STAX. Just music. Unfortunately, the German health plan doesn't cover them as therapeutic devices. ;)
Clearly, they don't have that bottom end grunt that lovers of rock may desire.
But for anything with recognizable instruments and spaces (including the opera stage), the STAX are in a class by themselves.
The AKGs have an initially impressive holographic quality, until you come to feel that the orchestra seems to wrap around your head.
The STAX place the sound a tad further forward, almost out of and in front of your head.
You can get good used Lamda Pros (or 303) phones on the Bay for little more than €150 and the amps start at about the same level. Really, that's not unreasonable for something, which absolutely places you into the top end of things. (Try that with speakers!)
Takes a while to understand how the system works, with all the various models. My amp is the small SRD-XPro, which can also be used as a mobile with batteries. I just hook it up to the fixed output of the 7520 and regulate the volume from the STAX amp. Works like a charm.
If the QUADs with Cello still rank so highly with you, just try some STAX out somewhere.
Well, that reputation had to be and was earned.Quote:
Originally Posted by DSJR
I understand that they didn't have as much success in the UK as on the Continents (either side of the Pond), which may make the used market somewhat smaller in the UK. But we live in a global economy.
When I look at the pricing of Grados or the rumoured Sennheiser 800, I find even the new STAX not out of line.
You can get a complete 3030 Set (consisting of the new Lamda 303 phones and a very decent amp) for around €650 from Japan, with full warranty. You'd pay that much for the top models from anyone else, as long as you count in a good headphome amp.
Sure, if you opt for the full-bore Omega2/TubeAmp combo, you're in small-car territory, but that's the case with several top-end audio products, isn't it?
For classical and un-plugged music, there's nothing quite like electrostatics.
But I don't want to gush ... ;)
To get back on topic, I just thought I'd pop by and add my name to the list of users more than happy with the TC-7520.
This is my first external DAC so I haven't compared it with any others. The only comparison I have is with the built-in DACs in my Marantz PM6000OSE CD player and my DAB radio. The TC-7520 wins comfortably in both cases. Bass has more clarity, there is more width to the sound and (particularly in the case of the DAB radio) voices sound fuller and richer.
The DAC is connected to my CDP with a Mark Grant Belden digital coax cable and to my DAB radio via a QED optical cable. I also tried connecting the CDP to the DAC with the optical cable but didn't notice any difference.
I also have it connected up to my PC but haven't really used it much in that configuration - not enough to comment on. I have just ordered some new PC components which will hopefully give me a significant upgrade and also quieten my PC down a bit so that the noise of the PC doesn't obscure all the detail in the music so perhaps I'll give it a proper test after upgrading. I also plan to try it in my home studio at some point in the near-future when the pressure's off a little at work.
I joined this forum to get some advice on a completely unrelated matter and ended up reading so much about the Beresford DACs that I decided to give one a try. I'm very happy I spent the money.
Simon.
First let me say how informative the forum is from a newbie to this - but not to Hi-Fi. I've just ordered Stan's latest goodie which should be on it's way to China as i write.
My question is how to rig up with Airport express?
I'll be using Dell laptop running i-tunes and want to stream to 7520 which will then feed into Ming Da valve pre and power amps.
Can anybody explain best way?
Stan's been very helpful and suggested I post in here to sound out the collective wisdom!
Thanks in advance
You'll need a miniTOS to Toslink cable for a start.
The rest is just a case of setting up the AE. With a mac it's straightforward, with Windows it's a bit more challenging using the AE utility.
I use a Squeezebox for the same purpose.
Isn't it just a matter of taking the optical out from the Airport Express to the 7520?
If you do not need to switch between the 7520's analogue output and other analogue sources, you may want to experiment with leaving the valve pre-amp out of circuit - drive the valve power amp directly from the variable output of the 7520 - and run with the iTunes and Windows volume controls set to maximum.
You could go one stage further and drive the power amp from the fixed output of the 7520, but you would be need to be very sure your software digital volume controls in iTunes and in Windows were not likely to mis-behave and deliver a dangerous pulse to your amp and speakers.
The output of the Airport Express would need to be well matched to the input sensitivity of the amp so that you did not need to use more than (say) 20% attenuation or you might hear some degradation in sound.
It would be safer to leave an analogue volume control in circuit - either the one in the pre-amp or that in the 7520.
If I re-rig and drive my Quad Amp from the fixed out of my 7510 relying on the Squeezebox digital volume control, the sound is marginally cleaner, but I lose the ability to control the volume of other digital sources. And, of course, the 7520 is reputed to have better analogue outputs than the 7510, so the difference should be even less that the very marginal difference I hear.
Sorry if that is too much detail - just plug in and enjoy!
China Goove: This set-up is very easy, you will need the "monster cable" set for the airport express ($30), of which you will use the toslink connector and the optionally the power cord extension. Then you will have to set-up the airport express using the CD on your MAC as a client for your wireless network. I-Tunes recognizes the airport express automatically.
At home, I have a similar set-up using a PC, for those that may be interested, which is simple, cheap, has bit-perfect sound quality, and avoids being an Apple slave: I use MediaMonkey or WinAmp as the sound server. You will need a plug-in called "Remote Speakers Output" by Eric Miles ( you can find on WinAmp site for 30$) to connect WinAmp to the Airport Express. The rest is as above.
Alex Dodis
A very good post, but I'd like to add my 2 cents: This just isn't worth the risk of something happening (on a reboot or crash) to the software volume setting, if matched with a superloud passage, damaging your speakers (as your amp will now be "turned up to 11"). And I think it's generally acknowledged that there's "some" degradation of quality, perhaps tiny, with the software volume use.Quote:
Originally Posted by Labarum
Thanks to the replies - very hepful. I plan to leave the Ming Da pre-amp in the circuit, as i have spent a considerable time tube rolling it to get the sound I like, so will slot the 7520 in and link to the AE to play the PC based music and don't want to mess up what I have! I also have a Shanling TD 100 valve output selected played again tube rolled, but will experiment in feeding that into the 7520 to see what sonic advantages there are.
Stan tells me the unit is on the way and I'll burn it in when set up and post in a week or so.
Just to leap back to the original thread for a mo, I've spent the whole day listening to my new 7520 which Susy bought me as a B'day present (yes, she really understands me) and it's definitely brought a significant improvement over using the analogue outputs from my Apple TV.
As ATV doesn't claim any great audio credentials in the way Squeezebox does, I was expecting that bypassing the analogue section would be worthwhile but it's still nice when it actually turns out that way...
Much improved soundstage, imaging and generally just a lot more musical. :-)
Stan's little marvel arrived in China in good order and record time and has been wired in to Shanling CD 100 via co-ax to give it a go. First impressions on the CD are a wider maybe brighter soundstage, with more detail and a very engaging sound - this is straight out of the box.
PC based music (apple loss less) via Aiport express has had a very quick listen, but very impressive. BUT problems with a windows based PC talking to AE have postponed further listening for the moment - if anyone has any fixes woudl be glad to hear them!
On an intial listen it looks like the 7520 will become a favourite piece of kit and great service from Stan!!!
Dont know if this has been posted elsewhere but there is a review of the 7520 in June's Affordable Audio. The reviewer comments that its the best DAC he has heard under $1000 and mentions that it needs time to break in which is fair enough.
He put this comment in:
'Because the op-amps are socketed in the 7250 (like the 7150), they are easy to swap out, just as long as you don’t mind voiding your warranty in the process. While there are some very enthusiastic success stories about these modifications in the forums, I think the unit is outstanding in its stock condition. If any of my home renovation projects have taught me anything, it is that sometimes things are best left alone.'
So he has had a bad experience and tries to put others off doing what was intended in the original design-I dont agree and think Stan should fire a letter back about the design philosophy and correct the socket comment about the 7510.
For a review of the Beresford TC-7520, please see the June 2009 issue at:
http://www.affordableaudio.org/
According to the reviewer, Lorin Elias:
"In terms of sound quality, it is the best DAC I have heard under $1000.
... a very easy recommendation."
The 7520 has now been burnt in for around 30 hours and so I'd add my impressions to those that have appeared elsewhere in this forum.
Firstly I'd like to give Stan a big thanks for being so helpful and responsive and for great shipping and service. The unit arrived here in Shanghai within three days and was pressed into service right away.
I have the 7520 wired into a Shanling CD100 via coax and optically into an airport express that is driven by a Dell PC containing my 800+ loss less burnt CD collection. The 7520 feeds into my Ming Da extensively tube rolled pre-amp which in turn drives Ming Da Valve monoblocks into Dynaudio Focus 220 floorstanders.
I have burnt the 7520 in for around 30 hours and conducted extensive listening on a variety of musical tastes with an emphasis on Jazz and Rock.
I was previously very happy with the Shanling sound - very laid back and melodic and thus the sternest test was to switch between the Shanling DAC and the 7520 fed unit.
On Van Morrison Philosophers Stone the 7520 really shines with a level of detail and top that is not there via the Shanling - this is apparent on other reference tracks I use with extended bass and sweet treble, precise instrument positioning and soundstage and a very engaging musical and non-tiring sound.
Computer fed source via the AE is equally good and I'm hard pressed to notice which is playing. Given the added convenience of controlling the music library via i-pod I now have audiophile quality PC generated music which is what it is all about.
So in short 7520 - very, very good!!
I have mentioned on my site and in various topics that the TC-75xx was given added design consideration for PC based music reproduction. Quite a few people have questioned that any such thing was possible, but I suspect that is because no other DAC has managed to make PC music finally come to life in the way that the TC-75xx does.Quote:
Originally Posted by China Groove
Stan
Stan I could not agree more!
My latest attempt to ditch the silly Beresford DAC cheapo toy has failed.
A £1.9k Perpetual Technology 3-box DAC combo has bitten the dust and I have gratefully returned to a Beresford 7520.
When will I learn that the Beresford DAC just hits that spot for me? :)
Previous failed attempts have included a £3.5k Audio Synthesis DAX Decade and a £1.5k Musical Fidelity TriVista 21, among many others. Stan's finest beats the lot as far as I am concerned!
Honestly, how embarassing it is to have £6k speakers a £4k power amp a £2k pre-amp and a £200 DAC. :scratch: :mental: