Auralic Vega G2 Up and Running....
Comments
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I have CenturyLink broadband with a single modem that I have set up on top of my kitchen cupboard (elevation helps a lot) I can get a WiFi signal in my garage 100 feet away. I wonder if being in close proximity with other signals in your area hinders range?Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
How’s it sound? Does it compare the the disc spinner?
Not at all on my system.
When I was down in Hotlanta and was listening to Joe's system a few years ago, it was very hard to distinguish whether or not it was physical media or the Auralic. I believe he had the G1. With that said, on my system, the differences are pretty easily distinguishable. You can immediately tell if it's the network player or physical media.
I will hook up the Tri-Vista to it just for S&Giggles and see if there is any difference. That may or may not bring me closer to physical. We'll see. It is a night and day difference between what I had though. It is a lot closer to physical media. I guess that would depend on one's system. Mine just so happens to be very revealing of the differences.
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Finally........ 😅- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Glad you are able to enjoy the G2 ! I’m sorry you had issues like I just read !!! No shoulda coulda woulda’s coming from me but just a congratulations and that old saying that I learned here on the forum, everything in and to your system makes a difference! From the dedicated 20amp runs to your rigs , upgraded outlets, cables , power conditioners, fuses it all makes a difference! I still love my G2 and it looks and sounds beautiful and problem free ! Again, congratulations!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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Tom,
What do you use to play CDs? I've been thinking of a redbook player but don't know what would be better than what I use for flac playback.Main system: Lyngdorf TDAI 2170 w/ Pioneer 42" plazma-> Polk LSiM 703 w/Tivo, Marantz tuner, BRPTT: Nothingham Spacedeck-> Pioneer PL L1000 linear arm-> Soundsmith DL 103R-> SUT->Bottlehead ErosDigital: I3 PC w/ Jriver playing flac -> Sonore Ultrarendu -> Twisted Pair Audio ESS 9028 w/ Mercury IVY Vinyl rips: ESI Juli@24/192-> i3 PC server -
Wow, I should update this thread. The Auralic no longer sounds like what I described above. I have come a long way with it since then.
BB, I have a Marantz SA-7S1. Pretty soon, it will just be a transport though.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I’ll shout out on my post! The Vega G2 is a straight up Monster and I love every moment I get to hear what magic it does to anything I throw at it from the insane Digital library that I have created! It just gets better and better all the time and it’s one smooth piece of gear that I’m thrilled to own!
Happy Listening
🎩"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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So, how about an update, eh? Y'all down wid'it?
When I say that I have come a long way? I wasn't kidding. The Auralic Vega G2 has now exceeded my expectations and honestly? I have found myself listening more to this NAP than I have physical music. Now, will it replace all of my physical music? Heck no man. That's just silly talk.
But....I will say this. (and this is all recording/bit rate dependent)
Streaming tunes does have the ability to sound better than physical music. I never thought I would say this but it's true. It isn't like I can just play anything and it sounds better....it completely depends. Now that I have had the unit for a while and have extracted all that I can out of her until more gear hits to improve it, I can say that I have done a direct A/B with the Marantz SA-7S1 with the Auralic Vega G2 and even listening to SACD's on the Marantz? Sometimes the Vega G2 surpasses the SACD layer on the Marantz. Keep in mind, this is Marantz's Reference CDP.
Not that the Marantz is the TOTL CD/SACD player out there but it does hold a rather high bar for playback capabilities and is definitely the best player I have heard in my system (after going through about 40 or so CDP's through the years/systems I have had). I thought I was done with CDP's but one of a couple of things are true....
1 - It's not as good as I thought it was
2 - I prefer the DAC better in the Auralic
3 - The Marantz is already outdated
4 - The Auralic really is that good
5 - They may be onto something with streaming technology
Whatever the reason, there have been many more occasions than "just a few" to where I have heard things I have never heard before on any format or any system. This, on tracks/albums that I am intimately familiar with.
Most of it is pleasurable but it does change the sound of some instruments/singers/sounds. It also makes mistakes in the mastering/recording more apparent. As with anything, there are attributes and deficiencies, but I will say this. The attributes far outweigh the deficiencies.
Here's a great example of a specific attribute. I have always loved wood instruments and I have always chased these types of instruments (and the reproductive effort thereof) to sound as real as possible. I want to know where the bow is. I want to know where they are strumming versus, moving their fingers to achieve particular notes. Well, one attribute of this unit is that you can easily perceive a very palpable image of a Double Bass being played and actually "hear" the reflections within the body of the instrument, as it is being played.
Now, I will NOT tout this as the latest and greatest.
A specific deficiency is that when I hear a recording while streaming, I am like, "I have heard better, there is something missing". So, I will get up, grab a CD (or SACD/XRCD or any of the other of the digital alphabet soup), put it in and hit play....doing a direct A/B at the flick of a button on the remote and the comparison becomes laughable.
So, it all boils down (in my experience so far) that streaming is HEAVILY dependent on the original rip/download or whatever it is that Tidal/Qobuz does in order to get you the music. Some of it simply and honestly sounds phenomenal. This is a pleasant surprise....and one that I didn't ever think streaming would ever offer. Some of it sounds......well, that's why I still have physical music.
I still have the Shunyata Omega Ethernet cable coming but it (unfortunately) won't arrive until around the 11th or so of January. I am still researching LPS's and then I will have to look into DC cables for in between the LPS's and the Auralic's PS input. I am also eyeing a Masterpiece Series M1 fuse for the Auralic.
So, if you do decide to get this unit? Stock....it's decent but well below the threshold of where I was at with the Marantz. With that said, with just the "accidental discovery" of a simple and cheap Ethernet cable? For the first time in my NAP journey? I heard potential. A great deal of potential too. Now that I am extracting that potential, it has paid off. Sometimes in spades, other times, not so much.
That's when I go back to physical music. Well, that, and when something I want to listen to isn't available on streaming.
Oh......one more thing. All of the trouble I had for the first year of owning the Auralic Vega G2 had NOTHING to do with the unit itself. It was all issues with my network at the house. Now that this aspect has been resolved? I haven't had so much as one "hiccup" from The Auralic Vega G2. She's been working flawlessly.
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
"I am still researching LPS's and then I will have to look into DC cables for in between the LPS's and the Auralic's PS input."
I wouldn't bother futzing with anything related to the power supply of the G2, as Auralic already put substantial effort into this section, it already has a toroidal transformer and other high quality components. -
Sorry, I misspoke. Please allow me to clarify. The LPS is for the mesh network satellite router that's hooked up to the Auralic Vega G2 via Ethernet.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Sorry, I misspoke. Please allow me to clarify. The LPS is for the mesh network satellite router that's hooked up to the Auralic Vega G2 via Ethernet.
Tom
I picked up a used Sbooster for my Mesh that is connected to the EtherRegen, then to my Innuos. It did clean up a little bit more.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's. -
Now when Tom (if he hasn’t already) upgrades the fuse in the G2 (personally went with the Ultimate Bees wax fuse) it will bring His listening experience up yet another notch! I quit all services for music as my Rips in my digital library clobber em all ! Spoiled that way 😊🎩"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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Not yet. Still researching the fuse. Currently, I am eyeing the Masterpiece Series M1fuse (Part of the Bees Wax family). I am in the middle of a very long thread elsewhere discussing that very fuse in various gear and have bookmarked about 4 or 5 more things I'd like to read before I pull the trigger on that (or another one).
I have read many comments on how this fuse tops the end result over the SR Blue/Purple fuse and have ran across a few who have used this in other Auralic gear with positive results. Will also start getting my learn on with Hi-Fi Tuning fuses as well. I haven't read anything yet about them but I have heard them in Trey's system and he seems to like them.
In my research (also keeping in mind my wallet), so far I am liking the UpTone Audio JS-2 LPS. I need a dual rail and the S-Booster only comes with one rail. I'd prefer to not have to PC's and 2 DC cables. If I can eliminate one PC, that would be nice. One more available outlet and one less PC to have to worry about.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Heck yeah Tom! That Masterpiece looks great"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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Bypass the fuse with a piece of pure silver.
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Drew’s hitting the pipe again !"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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Bypass the fuse with a piece of pure silver.
There's just a slight problem with that theory...
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
There was a company that made a solid silver fuse insert
Can't recall who but it did exist- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Might have been a legal problem in spite of whatever precautions were taken by the manufacturer.
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The bigger the risk, the greater the thrill.
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Couldn’t ask for a sweeter bedroom rig!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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Sorry, wrong topic
