Essence HDACC in the house

halo · April 2016

Arrived today (Thursday) and I ordered it on Tuesday (I selected the free shipping option).

Got an email from Bob on Tuesday saying that they received my order and that it should be shipping out that same day.

Got another email later that day with the tracking info and a "helpful hints" link for optimally setting up the HDACC.

Not only is this a DAC, but it can act as a preamp as well! HDMI input & output allows for playback of Blu-ray audio discs and DVD-Audio discs in hi-resolution. SACD has to be played back via the analog outs (IIRC). Balanced outputs as well. Feels solid - it's got some weight to it.

Anyway, it's a neat looking piece of equipment with a lot of functionality and versatility.

I will try to plug it into the set up tomorrow. I may even give it a go as a preamp just for the fun of it. Thanks again @DSkip for the recommendation!

It arrived double boxed. Plain brown box on the outside with some packing peanuts and a plain white box on the inside.

msg · April 2016

With what little testing I've done with mine so far, I have to agree, it's the sweetest DAC I've heard so far in my limited experience and casual listening tests.

I know these aren't great DACs, but for comparison reference, the HDACC seems to beat the P5's onboard, Cambridge DAC Magic, and Parasound D/AC-800, as well as a couple of other older, "higher end" processors' DACs.

For sound, features, and connectivity, I find it to be a great little piece.
I just wish I could dim/turn off the screen?

EndersShadow · April 2016

msg wrote: »

With what little frys.com/product/6717915?source=google&gclid=COWyqI79oswCFYclgQodu9QGVwtesting I've done with mine so far, I have to agree, it's the sweetest DAC I've heard so far in my limited experience and casual listening tests.

I know these aren't great DACs, but for comparison reference, the HDACC seems to beat the P5's onboard, Cambridge DAC Magic, and Parasound D/AC-800, as well as a couple of other older, "higher end" processors' DACs.

For sound, features, and connectivity, I find it to be a great little piece.
I just wish I could dim/turn off the screen?

Here ya go

mrbiron · April 2016

EndersShadow wrote: »

Here ya go

These look better than the piece of blue painters tape i currently have over my damn xbox one controllers.....gawd i hate that light!!!!

EndersShadow · April 2016

mrbiron wrote: »

EndersShadow wrote: »

Here ya go

These look better than the piece of blue painters tape i currently have over my damn xbox one controllers.....gawd i hate that light!!!!

Yup, we bought both the buttons and the self cut version. Works great.

msg · April 2016

That's my Plan B!
Dan, yeah, I was going to +1 a recommendation I saw you make for those on another post. These things are fantastic, and you can double them up in cases where they don't dim down as much as you'd like. I've got this ridiculous modem at home that lights up the room like Police strobes!
Lightdims are available in a few different colors, shapes and sizes. You can buy these direct from the family that manufactures them, I think, through their Amazon storefront? At least that's what the little know inside says. Who knows whether it's real. Always a good option for nuisance lighting. With the HDACC I'd prefer and on/off and dimmer levels since I wouldn't always want it dim.

halo · May 2016

The first HDACC died on me. Bob at essence sent a replacement right away and I sent back the defective unit.

There must have been something else wrong with it because the replacement HDACC sounds AMAZING right out of the box (not even close to what the first one I had was like in terms of sound quality).

Great guy who stands behind the product and made sure I got my replacement ASAP.

He doesn't offer returns or refunds on new items. But, he's willing to troubleshoot issues until it's working correctly. If the original unit didn't die on me, I would have been stuck with an HDACC that wasn't a true representation of this DAC. Seems like it worked out in my favor and I'm very grateful for that

halo · May 2016

DSkip wrote: »

Awesome man! I was disappointed and confused when you reached out to me about your dissatisfaction. I'm glad it worked out for you.

Thanks Skip! I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly. Ya, it's all good today

The Peachtree DAC iTx was sent away. lol.

Eventually, I will still need to address my music media filing issue. I'd prefer not to re-rip my entire library. I've been using foobar2000 (play back with no issues), iTunes (play back with no issues), and JRiver 21 (all my files are out of order and difficult to locate for playback).

tonyb · May 2016

halo wrote: »

DSkip wrote: »

Awesome man! I was disappointed and confused when you reached out to me about your dissatisfaction. I'm glad it worked out for you.

Thanks Skip! I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly. Ya, it's all good today The Peachtree DAC iTx was sent away. lol.

Eventually, I will still need to address my music media filing issue. I'd prefer not to re-rip my entire library. I've been using foobar2000 (play back with no issues), iTunes (play back with no issues), and JRiver 21 (all my files are out of order and difficult to locate for playback).

If none of your files are over cd quality, get a Sonos and it will take all your music from all those sources and make one library, all organized for you. Easy peezy.

Can't help but wonder why you have files between all those though.

footwedge · May 2016

halo wrote: »

The first HDACC died on me.

He doesn't offer returns or refunds on new items. But, he's willing to troubleshoot issues until it's working correctly.

So no refunds nor returns on a defective new unit? I would scared to order one. Guess he made an exception in your case. Or did I read this wrong?

halo · May 2016

footwedge wrote: »

So no refunds nor returns on a defective new unit? I would scared to order one. Guess he made an exception in your case. Or did I read this wrong?

No refunds on new purchases. You cannot return a new item purchased from essence if you don't like it.

Essence will replace a defective unit. Usually you have until the first 3 days to send in a defective unit (unless that's a typo on the website and it's supposed to be 30 days). After that, defective merchandise must be sent back to the manufacturer.

Funny. Isn't essence is the manufacturer?

Check the web page for yourself. It's under the "about us" tab on the top of the page. In fact, here is their sales policy:

"We guarantee that products you buy from Essence are brand new with full manufacturers warranty. Once your order is shipped, it cannot be canceled because you changed your mind.

We are audiophiles ourselves. We understand that audiophiles are fickle and in a constant search for the Holy Grail. This we cannot guarantee, however. The Internet has changed the way high-end products are sold. We spend a long time with each one of our customers to help them make the correct choices for their systems. Please do your research before making a purchase decision. We cannot guarantee that a product’s sonic characteristics will fit every customer’s taste. If a product arrives and you do not like its sonics, it is your responsibility to resell it, not ours to buy it back.

We do not offer any trials or money-back guarantees. When you make a buying decision, it is a buy-to-keep, not buy-to-try decision. Due to our low prices and inability to handle returns, we cannot and do not offer in-home trials.

If a new stock product suffers freight damage or fails within the first 3 business days, it will typically be replaced. If we cannot replace it with an identical unit, we offer a full refund. After 3 days, defective stock units must be repaired under the manufacturer’s warranty."

halo · May 2016

tonyb wrote: »

If none of your files are over cd quality, get a Sonos and it will take all your music from all those sources and make one library, all organized for you. Easy peezy.

Can't help but wonder why you have files between all those though.

A Sonos player? Software?

Trying the three different types to see what I like best for audio playback.

ITunes is easy to control from my iPhone.

JRiver should be an all-in-one for music and movies.

I like the sound quality in foobar2000 and it plays back my files in the proper order as they are organized on the original source CD.

halo · May 2016

DSkip wrote: »

The only thing I can and will recommend with Essence is the HDACC.

I remember you saying this before

EndersShadow · May 2016

Wow, the no returns policy is harsh. Given its not a brand you can audition anywhere that kinda pigeon hole's him sales wise.

I realize returns can be a pain and you have people that may/will abuse that policy, but I would be VERY HESITANT to buy a product if I couldn't hear it, or return it if I didnt like it (because I couldn't hear it beforehand).

tonyb · May 2016

halo wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

If none of your files are over cd quality, get a Sonos and it will take all your music from all those sources and make one library, all organized for you. Easy peezy.

Can't help but wonder why you have files between all those though.

A Sonos player? Software?

Trying the three different types to see what I like best for audio playback.

ITunes is easy to control from my iPhone.

JRiver should be an all-in-one for music and movies.

I like the sound quality in foobar2000 and it plays back my files in the proper order as they are organized on the original source CD.

So why not stick to one then ? It would take me all of 3 minutes to decide which I liked better. I can tell pretty much off the bat , sound quality wise, if something is going to cut the mustard or not. If not, I wouldn't waste my time storing files on a program I didn't care for the SQ with.

If you like using your Iphone, use ITunes then. Lossless format, cd quality, stay away from the MP3 versions imho.

halo · May 2016

tonyb wrote: »

So why not stick to one then ? It would take me all of 3 minutes to decide which I liked better. I can tell pretty much off the bat , sound quality wise, if something is going to cut the mustard or not. If not, I wouldn't waste my time storing files on a program I didn't care for the SQ with.

If you like using your Iphone, use ITunes then. Lossless format, cd quality, stay away from the MP3 versions imho.

Most of my music files are FLAC.

I have some stuff on iTunes that I would need to burn to CD and then rip into the HDD that I use to store my media files.

I got JRiver because I was hoping it would be a convenient all-in-one for music and movies but the library is all wonky.

So, is SONOS an entire system for playback, including the speakers, or is the software available separately?

tonyb · May 2016

No, the Sonos software isn't available on it's own, comes with their players. What it will do though, is take everything from your computer in ITunes, Jriver, Foobar, or any connected external hard drives and make one library from it all. The Sonos software is really top notch and their claim to fame. The only thing they won't do is hi-rez, but if everything you got is in cd quality, flac, apple lossless, no problem.

halo · May 2016

EndersShadow wrote: »

Wow, the no returns policy is harsh. Given its not a brand you can audition anywhere that kinda pigeon hole's him sales wise.

I realize returns can be a pain and you have people that may/will abuse that policy, but I would be VERY HESITANT to buy a product if I couldn't hear it, or return it if I didn't like it (because I couldn't hear it beforehand).

The policy isn't harsh, it's ridiculous. I had no idea this was the case when I purchased the HDACC. It isn't part of the check out procedure in that you have to agree to "terms and conditions' before placing your order. I think it's a little shady and what does it say about his product line? Is Bob thinking, "Well my products suck and now that you've purchased it, you're stuck with it. Haha!" I think that Bob assumes that you've read the sales policy before placing an order. In all fairness, we all know "buyer beware" and all that jazz. I do realize that it's my fault for not reading and investigating every aspect of the essence website before making my purchase. I was not an informed consumer, or, not as informed as I should have been.

As I said before, if the first HDACC hadn't self destructed, I would've been stuck with a piece of equipment that was not nocking my socks off and reselling the thing would be a big lo$$.

I'm glad that things worked the way that they did because I now have the HDACC that I read about/heard about. I definitely got lucky with this one.

halo · May 2016

tonyb wrote: »

No, the Sonos software isn't available on it's own, comes with their players. What it will do though, is take everything from your computer in ITunes, Jriver, Foobar, or any connected external hard drives and make one library from it all. The Sonos software is really top notch and their claim to fame. The only thing they won't do is hi-rez, but if everything you got is in cd quality, flac, apple lossless, no problem.

So, I'd be getting rid of my preamplifier, amplifier, DAC, speakers, etc. and replacing all of it with a SONOS system? Is a SONOS system that good?

msg · May 2016

Though it's probably capable of more, I looked at Sonos a while back as a replacement for the Logitech Squeezebox Touch, since I was having trouble getting them synced at first.

Sonos, for me, looked to be a great way to have synchronized music services available on multiple systems throughout the home. Local music as well as streaming services, with smartphone, tablet, or web browser control. It's a network music player. I think for lifestyle use, you can use it as an endpoint system with their speakers, or any powered speakers. For more serious listening, you just connect it to an existing system, like adding any other source.

halo · May 2016

msg wrote: »

Though it's probably capable of more, I looked at Sonos a while back as a replacement for the Logitech Squeezebox Touch, since I was having trouble getting them synced at first.

Sonos, for me, looked to be a great way to have synchronized music services available on multiple systems throughout the home. Local music as well as streaming services, with smartphone, tablet, or web browser control. It's a network music player. I think for lifestyle use, you can use it as an endpoint system with their speakers, or any powered speakers. For more serious listening, you just connect it to an existing system, like adding any other source.

all I saw on their web page is a speaker that can be purchased individually or in pairs or a home theater set up.

So, if I bought a SONOS one, it would act as a music server but can I mute that speaker and connect the Sonos one to my DAC or preamp?

msg · May 2016

I think you want the Sonos Connect, which is just the Sonos, no speaker.

IIRC, it creates its own network mesh, and the first unit needs an ethernet connection, so you either need ethernet near your audio gear for this, or you need the Sonos bridge connected at your network gear. (I think the Boost now replaces the Bridge)

@txcoastal1 can hop in here and offer up some expertise. I think Ron has some extensive experience working with the product.

Also, ref http://www.sonos.com/sonos-explained

msg · May 2016

That looks to have some robust connectivity options, too, Skip.
https://usa.denon.com/us/heos-link

If we're talking now about moving to a dedicated streamer, there are lots of fun options to consider, even some neat DIY if you wanted to mess around. @crashb4 just did a nice one with a Raspberry Pi and touchscreen using Runeaudio. You can build this and output it to your new HDACC for system integration. Pretty easy to set this stuff up.
http://www.runeaudio.com/about/
http://www.runeaudio.com/certified-devices/

I'll probably mess around at some point with various RPi based streamers, next one being the RPi3 running Rune with the HiFiBerry digital out board to the HDACC.
https://www.hifiberry.com/ | https://www.hifiberry.com/digiplus

Back to the HDACC, it's the best one I've heard so far, granted my experience with DACs is limited. I think the HDACC is smoother and sweeter and a bit fuller sounding than the Cambridge DacMagic and Parasound D/AC-800 I've used, as well as several other processors' built in DACs. The HDACC is the only one I can say I noticed a difference with. I'm also only streaming mostly with Spotify and DI Radio/Radiotunes, and an old iTunes collection which is mostly mediocre quality .mp3 I've collected over the years. I haven't tried FLAC yet, but have been meaning to rip my favorite albums in high res to see how much better it can be.

That purchase/no-returns policy wouldn't sit well with me either as a prospective buyer, however I do understand things from the owner's perspective as well, not wanting to deal with taking a beating on a bunch of "used" returns, especially if it's a smaller business that can't absorb that kind of hit.

If his product is really that good - and I think it's pretty good - he might be well served to sacrifice a few units to demo program, to get them out there. Understanding would be that customers pay up front, demo, and can be refunded refunded as long as the demo unit is returned in unmolested working order in a specified time frame, say 30-90 days.

halo · May 2016

I understand. Thanks for the clarification

indyhawg · May 2016

halo wrote: »

EndersShadow wrote: »

Wow, the no returns policy is harsh. Given its not a brand you can audition anywhere that kinda pigeon hole's him sales wise.

I realize returns can be a pain and you have people that may/will abuse that policy, but I would be VERY HESITANT to buy a product if I couldn't hear it, or return it if I didn't like it (because I couldn't hear it beforehand).

The policy isn't harsh, it's ridiculous. I had no idea this was the case when I purchased the HDACC. It isn't part of the check out procedure in that you have to agree to "terms and conditions' before placing your order. I think it's a little shady and what does it say about his product line? Is Bob thinking, "Well my products suck and now that you've purchased it, you're stuck with it. Haha!" I think that Bob assumes that you've read the sales policy before placing an order. In all fairness, we all know "buyer beware" and all that jazz. I do realize that it's my fault for not reading and investigating every aspect of the essence website before making my purchase. I was not an informed consumer, or, not as informed as I should have been.

As I said before, if the first HDACC hadn't self destructed, I would've been stuck with a piece of equipment that was not nocking my socks off and reselling the thing would be a big lo$$.

I'm glad that things worked the way that they did because I now have the HDACC that I read about/heard about. I definitely got lucky with this one.

I do not like that policy at all. I was considering an essence until I read this thread. I think I will look into something else.

halo · May 2016

msg wrote: »

That looks to have some robust connectivity options, too, Skip.
https://usa.denon.com/us/heos-link

If we're talking now about moving to a dedicated streamer, there are lots of fun options to consider, even some neat DIY if you wanted to mess around. @crashb4 just did a nice one with a Raspberry Pi and touchscreen using Runeaudio. You can build this and output it to your new HDACC for system integration. Pretty easy to set this stuff up.
http://www.runeaudio.com/about/
http://www.runeaudio.com/certified-devices/

I'll probably mess around at some point with various RPi based streamers, next one being the RPi3 running Rune with the HiFiBerry digital out board to the HDACC.
https://www.hifiberry.com/ | https://www.hifiberry.com/digiplus

Back to the HDACC, it's the best one I've heard so far, granted my experience with DACs is limited. I think the HDACC is smoother and sweeter and a bit fuller sounding than the Cambridge DacMagic and Parasound D/AC-800 I've used, as well as several other processors' built in DACs. The HDACC is the only one I can say I noticed a difference with. I'm also only streaming with Spotify and DI Radio/Radiotunes, and haven't tried FLAC yet, but have been meaning to rip my favorite albums in high res to see how much better it can be.

That purchase/no-returns policy wouldn't sit well with me either as a prospective buyer, however I do understand things from the owner's perspective as well, not wanting to deal with taking a beating on a bunch of "used" returns, especially if it's a smaller business that can't absorb that kind of hit.

If his product is really that good - and I think it's pretty good - he might be well served to sacrifice a few units to demo program, to get them out there. Understanding would be that customers pay up front, demo, and can be refunded refunded as long as the demo unit is returned in unmolested working order in a specified time frame, say 30-90 days.

I'm not really a DIY guy. It'd make things a lot easier if I had the knowledge and skill to put things like that together. Also, not tech savvy enough to manipulate a RPi (LINUX based is it?).

I think that Bob would be better off with a stiff restocking fee to discourage people who want him to process willy-nilly returns.

msg · May 2016

halo wrote: »

I'm not really a DIY guy. It'd make things a lot easier if I had the knowledge and skill to put things like that together. Also, not tech savvy enough to manipulate a RPi (LINUX based is it?)

I was a little overwhelmed at first, too, but these packages are relatively turn-key; you don't need to know anything about linux for this. They won't be as clean to install and run as with the Sonos, the Denon, or an old Squeezebox, so I'd definitely recommend one of those other devices first. Definitely doable, though. The following are all that is required to build something like this:

Small screwdriver
Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty
Working knowlege of a card reader and ability to copy files from one folder to another
Click buttons in a web browser

Are you still planning to use your HDACC with whichever streamer you go with?

halo · May 2016

msg wrote: »

I was a little overwhelmed at first, too, but these packages are relatively turn-key; you don't need to know anything about linux for this. They won't be as clean to install and run as with the Sonos, the Denon, or an old Squeezebox, so I'd definitely recommend one of those other devices first. Definitely doable, though. The following are all that is required to build something like this:
Small screwdriver

Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty

Working knowlege of a card reader and ability to copy files from one folder to another

Click buttons in a web browser

Are you still planning to use your HDACC with whichever streamer you go with?

Well, that list definitely isn't intimidating at all. However, I would like a really clean and intuitive set up.

Yes, I am going to use the HDACC with a music streamer.

I'm interested in the high resolution audio on blu-ray and DVD as well.

tonyb · May 2016

halo wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

No, the Sonos software isn't available on it's own, comes with their players. What it will do though, is take everything from your computer in ITunes, Jriver, Foobar, or any connected external hard drives and make one library from it all. The Sonos software is really top notch and their claim to fame. The only thing they won't do is hi-rez, but if everything you got is in cd quality, flac, apple lossless, no problem.

So, I'd be getting rid of my preamplifier, amplifier, DAC, speakers, etc. and replacing all of it with a SONOS system? Is a SONOS system that good?

No...lol.

It organizes and plays all your digital then sends it to your dac and onward. Just Google it and read up. Pretty simple and nifty device.

halo · May 2016

@msg - would the raspberry pi be used instead of the Sonos? Also, would it replace my PC (laptop) too? Two birds, one stone (so to speak).

I read a lot of reviews on the Raspberry Pi and people seem to be very pleased with them.

msg · May 2016

Yes, instead of the Sonos, in a manner of speaking. Depending on which software you load, it can provide some/most of the functionality of the Sonos, but again, something like the Sonos is going to be clean, refined, plug and play, easy to network with other players, etc. In the case of RuneAudio, for example, they're not yet offering integration with streaming services like Pandora or Spotify, so if you use those heavily, like I do, you won't have that. You can do this with piCorePlayer, though, but it will take a bit more work to get it up and running.

Re: the computer, it depends on how you mean. Do you mean for storage of music, as a control interface, or some other way?

If you wanted to add an external drive for all your music, I think I remember reading that you'd need to use a powered USB hub for this, since the Pi is pretty low power, and couldn't run an external HD. Though, if you're not using a bus powered external - typically only 2.5" disks can do this - I'm not sure it would be an issue since you'd be using the external PS on the external HD anyway. IIRC, @crashb4 may be using network attached storage for all his music?, so that's another option.

Yeah, it's a fun little project if you wanted dive into a little DIY. The more I look at it though, I like that Denon that Skip mentions. Again, Sonos and the Denon will be your best bets for cleanest install, and turnkey use. By the time you get done with all the Pi stuff, I think you may be sitting at around $150 - $200, before factoring in your music/storage, but you'll need that with any player you choose.

I've been meaning to post up some details on my first project, which was the Pi3 running piCorePlayer to sync with LMS and the other Squeezeboxii I have in the house, and I'm using it with a JBL Charge2+ as a sort of portable player. I really took my time tinkering and messing with a bunch of settings when I first got it, but really, you could have one of these up and running in less than an hour, and now it can operate as a Logitech Media Server, so you can install the Squeezebox Plugins as well, to have access to Pandora, Spotify, and others. I also bought the Orange Squeeze app to use as a controller on Android smartphones/tablets; $5.

As mentioned, I'm going to try Rune next because I'm curious to see how clean it is and how well it works. I just got a second micro SD card yesterday, so I'm gonna play around with it. You really don't need multiple cards for various experiments; you could just copy the contents back and forth to/from a computer each time you want to try something else on the Pi, but micro SD is cheap now, and I look at it like a game cartridge - you just setup your distribution on a card by copying files to it, and swap it out whenever you want to play with something else. This way, you can come back to the previous one just by swapping the card and not having to go through the setup again. With piCorePlayer, at least, you can back up the settings to a thumb drive if you want to. Restore is as easy as copying the base files to a card, inserting the card, inserting the thumbdrive, and piCorePlayer sees this on boot, knows you want to restore, and automatically restores your settings, and you're back up and running. This is just one example of a Pi based project. Lots of options.

It sounds complicated, and it definitely does take a bit more work to get up and running than would the Sonos or Denon, but it's not that bad. To summaries, if I were you, I'd only be looking into RPi if I were cost limited or simply just curious about the DIY aspects/rewards. If it's more just about the music and ease of deployment, back to Sonos or Denon or some other out of the box streamer. If all you want is local music and not interested in streaming services yet, then Rune on RPi seems to be a nice option, and can be done very affordably as far as streamers are concerned.

I'm sure there are other operating systems out there you can use with RPi. I've only looked into these two so far.

Essence HDACC in the house

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