This was posted today. Rs130 owners, do you find it accurate? I personally have a RS130-RD160 SFP, and find it totally sublime. Any merit to the Modwright analog? I find the price of the Modwright difficult to swallow.
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I was surprised that he couldn’t hear the difference between the digital filters.
Yeah, right ? Which filter are you using
I like to use Sharp, it sounds faster and cleaner.
Hi @Bicycle,
I watched the video. The Analog Bridge costs more than the RD160.
I am not sure if I will pay for the RD160+Analog Bridge combo, although the 10,000 US together is more or less the same as I paid for the Weiss DAC-502 Mk2 in the past.
The bridge looks like an expensive cable to me – oh right, it will need an extra pair of cable as well.
I searched some articles and some comments said that it picks devices. It sounds good only when devices matched.
Moreoever, the reviewer didn’t mention what type of connection he used in his review – usb, I2S or SFP – he didn’t say it.
Many owners here confirmed that SFP connection sounds better than other connection options. And different SFP modules and fiber optic cables or DAC cables affect (improve) sound quality as well.
In my case, I would say 10% improvements when using SFP over USB and 5% over I2S.
He didn’t say that he specifically tested his setup with SFP.
He is a good reviewer and I watched a lot his reviews too. That’s no doubt about it.
But I question if he had spent as much time as we do on improving the RS130+RD160 via SFP and DAC options. Probably he didn’t use SFP at all since he didn’t mention the difference between SFP and USB and I2S connections.
Anyway, I am a lot happier with my current RS130+RD160 than my previous RS150B+Weiss DAC-502 Mk2.
This involves actual owning and using of the compos in order to tell if they are good or not. Imagination via spec sheet won’t count. Nothing beats experience as you said.
Lastly, I am still waiting for the Melco C1 DAC cable to come soon.
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I look forward to your comments on the Melco DAC cable… Maybe a new €900 madness is in the pipeline…
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Sure, I asked a friend to purchase it in Japan, which is a little less than 600 euro.
BTW, I tried the DAC cables from Amphenol and GTek. I still prefer SFP, I am not sure if the DAC cables were burnt in enough in about a week, however.
Anyway, looking forward to the Melco cable to come in a week or two.
Will report back later.
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Thanks Tom. Yeah I thought about it and realized the analog bridge is a dumb idea. Better to just get a tube preamp. The price makes no sense especially when you have to consider good cabling.
Exactly. No need to do so.
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Thanks for your review Tom. I think we reached a new pinnacle for price point and technology in this hobby with RS130 and RD160 SFP. Even the tone of the stringed instruments is so enjoyable.
I have been using the RS130/RD160 combination for a couple of weeks now and find the synergy amazing between them. I am also using Melco C1-D20 SFP+ cable Melco S100 network switch so the background is very dark, music is such a joy to listen to, very detailed with more warmth in the presentation that I was missing with the Weiss DAC204 that I traded in, the Weiss is/was superb but now that I have heard the HiFi rose combination I feel that is giving me what I was previously missing (warmth and ‘musicality’) very happy with the purchase and like Steve Huff I couldn’t hear much discernable difference between filters despite my system being very resolving (Luxman 507z/Sonus Faber Nova 3’s and Dual Rel S510 subwoofers).
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Awesome I have Sonus faber nova 2s, such a sublime combination
Hi TomT,
Yes I have the Melco C1-D20 SFP between the RS130 and RD160 and the Amphenol cable (mentioned elsewhere on this forum) connecting the Melco S100/2 network switch to the Ethernet SFP input on the RD160 and all sounds superb.
I haven’t done extensive A/B testing of the Melco except against an Audioquest Diamond USB and things marginally better with the Melco cable (instrument separation and soundstage etc) though difference isn’t night and day though cables are fairly comparable in terms of price in Australia. The Melco is a very expensive cable though it is extremely good in use, The Ear magazine did an extensive write up on this cable, worth checking out online. It may well be that you can get something more cost effective that will do the same job though from my experience the Melco products are expensive but very effective and well implemented.
Hi Bicycle,
I’ll second that, think there are more dynamic speakers out there but the SF’s add a touch of warmth and are wonderful at conveying all the emotion and musicality within recordings, sometimes high end hifi is all about detail retrieval but then they forget about the enjoyment though definitely not with the Novas!
Thanks for the note Daniel,
There’s no Ethernet SFP port on the RD160, do you mean your Amphenol cable is connecting the Melco S100/2 Switch to the Ethernet port on the RS130 ?
Hi TomT,
Yes apologies, that should have read SFP Input on the RS130 streamer not RD160 as stated.
No problem at all. That’s what I guess.
BTW, I have the Melco S100/2 as well and I’ve ordered the Melco C1-D20 DAC cable that should come in a week or two. Hope to hear further improvements from it.
Thanks again
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After spending a bit over 2 years with the 150b I traded it in yesterday for the RS130+RD160 combo. I really thought the 150b was very good, and I was wondering if the upgrade would be noticeable. I can confirm with less than 24 hours of playtime on the 2 units that the upgrade is bigger than I could have imagined.
I was debating on keeping the 150b and pairing it with a Weiss 502, Baltic 3, T+A 200, SW1X. Well I made the decision to try the RS130+RD160 and run it through my tube pre. I think it will be staying here in my rig, oh my!
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