My $50 DAC

[LPD]

I have the 245.2 number cruncher - it does 24/96 though I'm not certain what this means in it's case - I don't have the manual. It doesn not pass SACD.
It is a big improvement over my other CD / DVD / plalyers direct outputs.

Been thinking I might push the envelope further with an old CAL alpha tube DAC or the Tjoeb 4000. - anyone heard either of these in comparison to their number cruncher ?

I have a California Audio System 1 dac which I very happy with. It has a Mash IV module inside and an Indus 20 bit module. Three inputs and uploads at 32/44.1 and 48khz depending on the source. Its very good sounding on a passive preamp which I can't say for my McIntosh MCD7007. I'm going to wire it up to an active one this week, but I'm sure it will sound just as good. The thing I like about this dac is that I can have a couple transports, and switch from Mash IV to 20 bit with the flick of a switch. The Mash seems warmer on a passive preamp, as the 20 bit is little more sterile. I did an a/b test to my buddies 24 bit unit and neither or us heard a difference between the 20 bit and 24 bit.

 

[doctorbongo]

Burn in? continuous?

Based on the overwhelming input on AK, got my Entech 203.2 cruncher about two weeks ago. Finally figured out the vagaries of hooking it up (yeah, I know, high tech) ( 0 ;
Now, does the unit, to anthropomorphize here, "care" whether the burn in is in consecutive hours, or are one-to-whatever cd increments fine?
:scratch2:

thanx,
dennis

bytheby, it's playing now and sounds "grainy" as others would attest. Thru two tracks of the first CD...

I just received an NOS Entech Number Cruncher 203.2 Digital-to-Analog Converter, purchased as a "Buy It Now" item off the bay at $34.99 + shipping. For a grand total of just over $50, I finally have the chance to experiment in an area that I hope will allow me to enjoy my digital music collection

Once I have the unit set up and burned in, I will add a posting to this thread as to its actual performance. In the interim, I had to post a quotation from the owners manual.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Your Number Cruncher requires a "burn-in" period during which it's recommended that the unit be played continuously (approximately 24-48 hours initially. Total break-in time is approximately one month of fairly regular usage.) Since this is not often feasible, you can expect the tonal qualities of your Number Cruncher DAC to change slightly as the unit "settles in" during its first 24 hours of use. As with any high performance component, speakers or cables, the time it takes to acclimate your Number Cruncher to the ebb and flow of the electron tide will be well worth it."

Will advise as to the status of the tidal flow...... :scratch2:
(Attached picture is a stock photo)

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Now, does the unit, to anthropomorphize here, "care" whether the burn in is in consecutive hours, or are one-to-whatever cd increments fine?

As long as those hours aren't years apart, no.

 

[doctorbongo]

My stereo tends to be on when I'm here, so I'll hit the 48 hours in a coupla days. The problem was that my multidisk player doesn't have an optical output.

(imagine lewis black delivering this line):

of course this would be a great use for the 60-disk technics changer that never worked for crap, in essence not changing, which may have been a criterion for its purchase in the first place.

Thanks for the info, gents. I could have read the 1600 pages that Alleykat hath spawned, but I'm setting up my bedroom stereo...

 

[doctorbongo]

I am SO FLIPPIN analog

Then there's that equally high-tech "repeat" function.
Cripes.
"Early Adopter" I ain't...

 

[trueview]

my unit arrived today and im looking forward to a trial...
I dont have any optical cables...can i use an RCA type cable on my digital outs?...or do i need a special 'digital' cable for that?

 

[Dusty Chalk]

You should use a special digital cable -- not just any RCA-terminated cable will do. It needs the right bandwidth.

 

[pmsummer]

OK. I ordered one. This better work, and not be like that bottle of rocks and portable clock I bought because of that other thread. :nono:

 

[jaymanaa]

OK. I ordered one. This better work, and not be like that bottle of rocks and portable clock I bought because of that other thread. :nono:

Thanks, I really needed that.:thmbsp:

 

[winters860]

OK - so I like my little Entechs. Maybe they're not the quantum leap I was hoping for (insert Scott Bacula joke here), but they're a definite improvement for both the Panasonic CV-51 DVD player and the Chaintech AV-710 soundcard.

I was horrified earlier tonight when I played a DVD and all I got was a blast of digital noise. Do these DACs not work with DVD audio? I quickly switched discs to a CD and everything was fine.

I'm hoping this is an easy fix and not a feature of the Entech. I blew $150 on two of these and two optical cables from Wal-Mart. I'm not sure that, at my pay rate, the upgrade was worth it. I've bought ridiculous gear since getting into this hobby and paid a hell of a lot less for it.

Perhaps that's the problem. Maybe if my sources were really the weak link in my system, I'd notice a more dramatic improvement. Hmm.

 

[doctorbongo]

The Royal Scam

OK. I ordered one. This better work, and not be like that bottle of rocks and portable clock I bought because of that other thread. :nono:

I really need a bottle of rocks and a portable clock, too!

As for the DAC, it's up to about 20 hours now on the burn in.
I'm not worrying about it not working.
If I got bamboozled, it's a pretty substantial conspiracy.
A whole bunch of people, or one soulless geek sitting in a room with multiple aliases had to come on here to gin up all of the excitement.
Then he had to hire a bunch of people willing to pose as acoustic engineers and the like to precisely package this Entech unit and pose for glamor shots for the manual.

I'm not much of a joiner, and wouldn't belong to any organization that would have me as a member, but I am confident in the discernment of this group.

Unfortunately, in the Land of the Hype, we are cynical.
(Or fortunately, if you like survival).
But everything isn't a ripoff and I've come across WAY
more outrageously great deals lately than scams ...

I'm impressed on what I have heard so far. My rule of thumb in evaluating new equipment: Play music you are familiar with, and if you hear elements you didn't hear before, it's working. That seems to be the case thus far.

 

[RichPA]

I was horrified earlier tonight when I played a DVD and all I got was a blast of digital noise. Do these DACs not work with DVD audio? I quickly switched discs to a CD and everything was fine.

I'm afraid the answer to this question is "yes" (that is, they don't work with DVD audio). Different bitstream, different digital standards.

 

[dracoss]

I custom Cut all my cables now. liberty has some nice wire. I never thought I would start doing that. But being able to cut them exactly the length you need look awesome.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I was horrified earlier tonight when I played a DVD and all I got was a blast of digital noise. Do these DACs not work with DVD audio? I quickly switched discs to a CD and everything was fine.

Depends on which audio layer of the DVD you played. If it was DTS, then yes, it's going to sound like noise on a regular PCM DAC. DTS and the like require decoding, which is a separate step. There are some layers on DVD that will play on your Entech provided (a) it's within their resolution and (b) it's compatible with a 2 channel stream (such as the PCM layer which is a 2 channel stream, or any Pro Logic decodable 2 channel stream).

 

[pmsummer]

In anticipation of my DAC arriving next week, I ordered a NGX digital coax cable from Radio Shack for $3, with free delivery to my local RatShack.

 

[rmunson]

hey guys -
I'm intrigued with this device --
could someone post a picture of the back of the entech so I could get an idea of how the inputs/outputs are laid out?
Thanks!
R

 

[AlleyKat]

Diagram (from owner's manual) of rear of Entech Number Cruncher 203.2
:tresbon:

 

[0luke1]

I bought one because the analog out from my Sonos does not sound very good (and my MX110 and Fischer 500c does not have a digital in).

The Sonos is pulling from my iTunes inported AIFF files - through the ENTECH it sounds quite good. It was a substantial improvement in all ways possible - dynamic range, soundstange and overall sound. In fact, I'd say it made the Sonos listenable.

 

[Mike Gibson]

Yesterday I got the Entech 203 hooked up to my Sony 222ES and even from the first I noticed a marked improvement in the detail and realism of the sound. Instruments sound like they do in live music and the soundstage has improved. I was thinking it would be a small difference if any.....wrong!

I'm fairly skeptical when it comes to burn in, cables etc. Slowly I have been forced to admit there are differences in sound through various things. Not always for the better but differences none the less. I think it was a good thing my mind has become more open I'm not rushing out to buy a jar of pebbles but I will build my own cables now after reading the excellent post by Phidauex.

 

[Bogie]

No picture, but there's plenty of room. It's got an optical, a coax, a hole for the power adapter, and plenty of room between channel R and L...

That said, I must be weird. I bought one, and I don't like it... Part of it may be that I have a Sony SACD player that is already 24/96... The SACD is a definite _will not party_ with the DAC, so that was one strike... I also have tried feeding it into the tube buffer that I just got, and both didn't really like the sound, and I noticed some buzz-type artifacts between disks. Happened both optical and coaxial. So it's outta here.

Also tried it by itself, and I like the tube buffer hooked up to the SACD r/l outputs best...