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Thread: FS Chevron Audio Paradox NDF DAC

  1. #1
    Join Date: Dec 2012

    Location: Stoke on trent

    Posts: 959
    I'm Steve.

    Default FS Chevron Audio Paradox NDF DAC

    For Sale Chevron Paradox two box NDF Dac.

    I've owned one of these for around 10 years I reckon now.
    I originally had an older model that developed a fault in 2019, it went back to Colin at Chevron and he offered to build a new one with the later spec including the matching coloured fascias and digital input display for a very reasonable price.
    The same as in this review model.

    https://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/c...paradox_e.html

    It is a very pure and uncongested sounding DAC with that midrange that comes with an NDF DAC.
    It's built like a tank and has the off board power supply and interlinking cable. Make no mistake, its a top spec DAC designed and built by a well respected audio engineer.
    Obviously difficult to value fully, I paid £500 for the old one second hand years ago. Think this is about 2 1/2 years old now and newer spec, so I guess I'll offer it up for the same.

    £500 + postage

    Located in Stoke of you'd like to hear it and collect.

    I'll move to something like a modern Rega Saturn R with a digital input. I mostly listen to CD.



    <a href="https://imgbox.com/hWKOAkWy" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/a7/f8/hWKOAkWy_o.jpg" alt="image host"/></a>



    <a href="https://imgbox.com/KxvkgRLl" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/59/d9/KxvkgRLl_o.jpg" alt="image host"/></a>



    <a href="https://imgbox.com/Q9nxulpo" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/e6/79/Q9nxulpo_o.jpg" alt="image host"/></a>

  2. #2
    Join Date: Apr 2016

    Location: Bishops Stortford

    Posts: 1,250
    I'm Chris.

    Default

    HI
    I am not familiar with NDF. I've tried reading about it but got confused. Is it another way to say no oversampling?
    Thanks Chris
    Source
    SW1X Universal Music Server UMS I Signature with Power Supply Unit PSU I Signature
    SW1X USB II
    SW1X DAC III Special
    Audiolab 6000 CDT transport
    Amps
    Pre amps -- Hi fi Collective twin mono ladder stepped attenuator, with Charcroft Z-foil and silver wired. And First Watt B1 active no gain buffer.
    Power amps -- Welborne 45 SET monoblocks 1.8W / Decware Taboo 6W / Elekit 300B TU-8600SVK plus further improved components 9W / ICE Power 1000W
    Speakers
    Highly modified Endorphin P17 open baffle speakers containing both vintage and modern alnico drivers and paper cones. All silver wired - 8" Cube Audio FC8 full range drivers and vintage 15" Altec VOTT 416 bass drivers. All sat on Townsend Audio Podium seismic isolation platforms.
    BK Electronics XLS400FF Sub.
    Cabling
    Silver mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables by SW1X
    Headphones
    HRT HeadStreamer and SennHeiser HD650 headphones

  3. #3
    Join Date: Dec 2012

    Location: Stoke on trent

    Posts: 959
    I'm Steve.

    Default

    I think so. Its no digital filtering I think.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Apr 2016

    Location: Bishops Stortford

    Posts: 1,250
    I'm Chris.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bourney View Post
    I think so. Its no digital filtering I think.
    Thanks
    Can anyone else contribute to the understanding?
    Source
    SW1X Universal Music Server UMS I Signature with Power Supply Unit PSU I Signature
    SW1X USB II
    SW1X DAC III Special
    Audiolab 6000 CDT transport
    Amps
    Pre amps -- Hi fi Collective twin mono ladder stepped attenuator, with Charcroft Z-foil and silver wired. And First Watt B1 active no gain buffer.
    Power amps -- Welborne 45 SET monoblocks 1.8W / Decware Taboo 6W / Elekit 300B TU-8600SVK plus further improved components 9W / ICE Power 1000W
    Speakers
    Highly modified Endorphin P17 open baffle speakers containing both vintage and modern alnico drivers and paper cones. All silver wired - 8" Cube Audio FC8 full range drivers and vintage 15" Altec VOTT 416 bass drivers. All sat on Townsend Audio Podium seismic isolation platforms.
    BK Electronics XLS400FF Sub.
    Cabling
    Silver mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables by SW1X
    Headphones
    HRT HeadStreamer and SennHeiser HD650 headphones

  5. #5
    Join Date: Dec 2012

    Location: Stoke on trent

    Posts: 959
    I'm Steve.

    Default

    I've just read the tnt review in the link above and it mentions no oversampling. I guess that is NOS?
    Last edited by Bourney; 09-08-2022 at 20:58.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: West Sūþsēaxe

    Posts: 2,015
    I'm Edward.

    Default

    I have one of Colin's Paradox DACs. Love it. Wide open clean sound, massive amounts of detail, totally engaging and natural sounding. Steve, if you wish I can dig up Colin's technical implementation notes and post it here.
    Current: [P20] Roon/Tidal > Custom PC> Chevron Paradox NDF16 > Phast Pre > Neuro. 686 > Tannoy Berkley (RFC tweaks)


  7. #7
    Join Date: Dec 2012

    Location: Stoke on trent

    Posts: 959
    I'm Steve.

    Default

    That would be great, thank you Edward.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: West Sūþsēaxe

    Posts: 2,015
    I'm Edward.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bourney View Post
    That would be great, thank you Edward.
    Here you go - see below.

    By the way Colin is now not building DACs but in a recent email said that if I had any problems with my DAC he would fix it. I guess the same would apply to the one you are selling Steve.

    Anyway here are the technical notes. This was for my DAC so may differ from others (e.g. mine has XLR outputs) but the general notes apply to all of Colin's DACs (before he did his DDD versions).

    ________________________


    The Paradox NDF16 DAC provides very high quality sound reproduction from a range of digital audio
    sources. Its key features are :-


     No Digital Filtering is used which would otherwise degrade the time domain (impulse)
    response. Essentially musical notes start and stop as recorded, digital filtering would soften
    the decay and sometimes the attack of musical notes.


     16 multibit DAC chips are used operating in 8 times interpolation and differential mode. This
    results in lower noise and distortion.


     Jitter on the SPDIF sources is well attenuated using a 2 stage attenuation design. This
    ensures good sound quality from a wide range of digital sources.


     A computer can be used as the digital source via USB2. An asynchronous USB decoder is
    used to ensure ultra low jitter. DAC is fully isolated from computer power supply & ground.


     The analogue stages work in Class A mode to ensure sound quality is not degraded and
    Left/Right channels have separate regulated power supplies.


     Separate DC power supply isolates the DAC from RF & AF noise caused by mains. Multiple
    transformers avoid internal ground loops and reduce electrical noise transfer between circuits.


     Maximum sample rate is 48 KHz via SPDIF inputs and 192KHz via USB2.

    NDF16 DAC Comments:-


     The DAC chips operate with a maximum of 16 bit input resolution. 24 bit music will replay
    but the 8 smallest data bits are ignored. In general I don't find HiRez music to sound better
    than Redbook.


     The use of 16 DAC chips to give 8 times interpolation & differential audio output might be
    thought to give an increase in resolution and sample rate, but this is not really the case.
    The apparent increase in resolution & sample rate makes low pass filtering of the DAC
    chips audio output easier. This filtering is done partly in the audio output stages and partly
    by listeners ears. The real gain from operating 16 DAC chips in this way, is a reduction of
    distortion & noise, in particular 2nd harmonic distortion is substantially reduced and
    ultrasonic & RF noise is substantially reduced. Although 2nd harmonic distortion is
    considered benign even desirable it does result in discordant intermodulation distortion.


     8 DAC chips receive the same data but at precisely delayed times, when mixed at the
    output one step in the audio output become 8 smaller steps which are closer to the desired
    analogue (stepless) signal. The other 8 DAC chips receive inverted data so a differential
    audio output is generated . This is buffered to the XLR outputs. It is also summed with our
    own design Opamp buitlt with discrete components and operating in class A.


     Because each DAC chip is still only receiving the inputted data (eg 16bit/44KHz) jitter
    tolerance is not degraded by the 8 times interpolation, this is in contrast to most
    oversampling or upsampling DAC’s or CD players where the digital data is multiplied up
    and then presented to one DAC chip, this then has to operate at a much higher clock
    frequency. A higher clock frequency makes the DAC chip less tolerant to jitter.


     Although jitter is well attenuated in the DAC, different sources are still likely to affect sound
    quality. This can be caused by ‘bit imperfections’ in the data most likely to be from error
    corrections made by the CD transport. A CD transport has to read CD data more or less in
    real time and not all errors in data reading are corrected exactly. By contrast ripping a CD
    to computer hard drive using a program such as ‘Exact Audio Copy’ allows the computer to
    take as long as it needs to get the correct data, re-reading sections if need be. Also after
    ripping you get a report on ripping accuracy so you know whether you have captured exact
    data. For this reason even a modest netbook pc can give surprisingly good sound quality
    via USB input on the DAC. As mentioned earlier not all USB DAC’s attenuate jitter
    adequately but the Paradox NDF16 does
    Current: [P20] Roon/Tidal > Custom PC> Chevron Paradox NDF16 > Phast Pre > Neuro. 686 > Tannoy Berkley (RFC tweaks)


  9. #9
    Join Date: Apr 2016

    Location: Bishops Stortford

    Posts: 1,250
    I'm Chris.

    Default

    Does anyone have the phone number for Colin at Chevron?
    Source
    SW1X Universal Music Server UMS I Signature with Power Supply Unit PSU I Signature
    SW1X USB II
    SW1X DAC III Special
    Audiolab 6000 CDT transport
    Amps
    Pre amps -- Hi fi Collective twin mono ladder stepped attenuator, with Charcroft Z-foil and silver wired. And First Watt B1 active no gain buffer.
    Power amps -- Welborne 45 SET monoblocks 1.8W / Decware Taboo 6W / Elekit 300B TU-8600SVK plus further improved components 9W / ICE Power 1000W
    Speakers
    Highly modified Endorphin P17 open baffle speakers containing both vintage and modern alnico drivers and paper cones. All silver wired - 8" Cube Audio FC8 full range drivers and vintage 15" Altec VOTT 416 bass drivers. All sat on Townsend Audio Podium seismic isolation platforms.
    BK Electronics XLS400FF Sub.
    Cabling
    Silver mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables by SW1X
    Headphones
    HRT HeadStreamer and SennHeiser HD650 headphones

  10. #10
    Join Date: Dec 2012

    Location: Stoke on trent

    Posts: 959
    I'm Steve.

    Default

    Think he prefers contact by email initially.

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