Let’s start testing
The first test use 16bit/44kHz uncompressed: my own cd’s and FLACs. We start with ‘When You Say Nothing at All’ by Allison Krauss, and it sounds somewhat sharp. Do we have a possible too high jitter which makes the sound seem harder, and more unpleasant? I’m not convinced and keep on testing. ‘When I Dream’ by Carol Kidd on the other hand sounds way better, with great but tempered heights in her voices and detail supported by guitar. Emi Fujita’s ‘Desperado’ is crystal clear. A sharp sound, but not bothersome. Next up is Eva Cassidy, with ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and ‘What a Wonderful World’. A lot of detail is present, especially with the instruments. For the first time I’m feeling this DAC, together with its amp controls the speakers in a grown up way. I use the same recording quality to listen to ‘Isn’t She Lovely’, by Livingstone Tayler, and yet again I hear this pure and convincing vocals and guitar. A great compromise between being low budget and delivering great results.
The next test is still 16bit/44kHz uncompressed, but in AIF(F), the Apple configuration. ‘Cat Walk’ by Sabine seems flat from the very beginning and ‘Die Tanzerin’ by Ulla Meineke sounds better, but still less than we heard previously. RUM’s ‘Muzette’ makes you happy though, but that’s more to do with the song than the recording, which seems a bit too sharp again.
We head back to FLAC, but compressed this time. I listen to a few songs and the number that brings out the difference with the cd the best is ‘Wheel of Fortune’ by Allen Tayler. The DAC/Brio-R combination gives a lot of detail and places the voice well, but I’m missing the stability the song needs to sound more pleasant, and more importantly, more convincing. The Eagles with the most recent version of ‘Hotel California’ sound great, perfect bass, clean guitars and in the foregrond a believable crowd. Sadly the voice lacks body and sounds less full. Gorillaz’ ‘Clint Eastwood’, Melano’s ‘Figlio Della Luna’ and Janis Joplin’s ‘Mercedes Benz’. It’s great to hear Janis’ near acapella voice. It’s as rough as it should be, a joy to listen to, and it’s surprising that this low budget setup can produce it so well. ‘Vienna by Ultravox sounds mature and room filling, with a penetrating bass that stays.
Now let’s get on to 24bit/96kHz, recorded in FLAC from 180g vinyl. The funny thing is the DAC stays on 16bit/44kHz, while I assumed it’d change to 24bit. I’m not sure whether it’s the source or the recording, but the analogue is definitely present. The first proof is ‘Private Investigators’ by Dire Straits. Marc’s modest voice complemented by the band’s instruments; this is the better stuff, and listening blindly will daze most listeners. I also put on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and again, pure enjoyment. How does this set then perform playing ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles? This time and old and familiar version. The bass sounds rounded, the guitar is part of the song and Don Henley regain his real voice. Again, credit goes to the recording, but the Rega combination deserves some as well.
A hard problem: is there much difference between 16 and 24 bit recording/registration? It’s a discussion that is still being conducted by niche magazines, but sadly I cannot be the conclusive voice in this.
The next test is a WAV copy of my own cds. I know the Chinese He Xun-Tian’s ‘Earth Drums’quite well, so I’m curious. The space is filled in perfectly, mids and high have a nice presence and the stereo effects make this song sound great. But apart from that I find the highs of the drums sounding a bit to metal-like. I redo the test later on with the cd itself and I have to say: it’s less. Not much, but there is a difference. Later on I play ‘Monks’ by the same artist, and again it’s great. The quiet parts are very silent, so another plus for the Regas. Same with Phillip Grass’ ‘Kayaanisisqatsi’, the difference between the cd and WAV is tiny.
Can mp3-recordings convince me as well? Alan Parsons Project’s ‘Genesis’ seems to flat, Dave Brubeck with ‘Take Five’ on the other hand is pleasant to listen to. In this case it’s the source making the difference. But that’s because of the Regas that bring out the best in this source.
