[dericchan1]

Yes, sad story.
In audio money != better SQ, not necessarily.

But high price tag and placebo is strong.

Exactly, I took my DSC2 (not to be mistaken with DCS 2) to my friend's place to compare with his Aqua La Scala MKii.
He was absolutely blown away and asked me how much did it cost and guessed at least $3500 being a DIY dac

 

[Chibs]

Taking the risk in the Laiv... but seems to be a notch above the Holo and more into the May territory

That’s pretty crazy if true.
Holo May is extremely well regarded.

 

[betula]

is a natural expectation... but many times not true!

I am well aware of that being in the hobby for 12+ years.
Still, it is a natural expectation at such a big price difference. I look forward to your impressions.

Edit: The Cyan 2 is by far the best sounding DAC I have heard under £2K, so that comparison might actually be quite close. I haven't heard of the Laiv Harmony until now.

 

[Sound Dragon]

Been awful quiet about this DAC. Still waiting on mine and it is still inside the expected guild window. Not sure if I will get an update from Holo/Kitsune when my order will be fulfilled.

I know the LAIV is currently sucking up all the audiophile oxygen. But I still think the Cyan with its native DSD support and trickle down tech from the May/Spring is an excellent choice and the better option for me and anyone wanting to get into a Holo Audio unit at a reasonable price point.

I do hope that I am happy with the performance and sound.

 

[LXMc]

Thought I would post some [still relatively early] impressions between the Cyan 2 and the Merason Frerot (sans POW1 power supply) as after comparing the two in my home setup I've decided to list my Frerot for sale (there's your TLDR).

Before I go further I will say that I think the Frerot is a great little DAC and if I'm just comparing the two units by themselves (with no upsampling shenanigans involved), it's a pretty close race and would come down to preferences. I hear the Frerot as slightly wider, a bit brighter and airier (comparatively). It's a nicely detailed DAC but smooth without any sort of over-sharpened or etched sound to it. The Cyan 2, in comparison, has more weight to it. Notes feel like they have a bit more impact, and while the stage does seems to narrow in just a bit, it also extends out deeper than the Frerot. To my ears it still sounds similarly detailed, so I think it would come down to the rest of your chain and what you're looking for, but personally I prefer the weight and the deeper, holographic stage brought by the Cyan 2.

The major swaying factor for me on the Cyan 2, however, is its capability with HQPlayer as a NOS DAC with huge sample rate flexibility. I don't want to make it sound like HQPlayer is a necessity here, because the Cyan 2 is awesome by itself. But HQPlayer really takes it to the next level and opens up so many options to tweak the presentation and sound of the Cyan 2 through its various upsampling filters and the ability to run either PCM or DSD. The Frerot is really limited in this department as it is PCM only up to 24/192khz, but if you have no interest in messing around with HQPlayer it's still a great no-fuss DAC.

I know the Frerot also has a discrete power supply (the POW1) which can be added to it. I've heard various reports about what it does; some people say it's negligible, some say it enlarges the stage, some say it just tightens up details. I haven't tried it, because it's a bit over $1,000CAD to do so and it's an awkward extra box to fit into my setup.

So there it is, both great DACs but I prefer the Cyan 2 and its flexibility makes it an absolute win for me.

 

[dericchan1]

Been awful quiet about this DAC. Still waiting on mine and it is still inside the expected guild window. Not sure if I will get an update from Holo/Kitsune when my order will be fulfilled.

I know the LAIV is currently sucking up all the audiophile oxygen. But I still think the Cyan with its native DSD support and trickle down tech from the May/Spring is an excellent choice and the better option for me and anyone wanting to get into a Holo Audio unit at a reasonable price point.

I do hope that I am happy with the performance and sound.

Can’t see why you would not be happy with the Cyan 2 really.

 

[dericchan1]

I admit I have not been giving the love the cyan 2 deserves lately while I am honeymooning with the dsc2, the sound of which is simply too addictive…, everytime i swapped in the cyan 2 for a brief session, it puts a smile on my face. Everything just sounds right and makes me feel guilty of not spending more time with it..

Especially with the new hqplayer dac correction settings with the cyan 2 has definitely made a pretty significant improvement to the cyan 2 - for others who might feel hqplayer is not a necessity

 

[betula]

Thought I would post some [still relatively early] impressions between the Cyan 2 and the Merason Frerot (sans POW1 power supply) as after comparing the two in my home setup I've decided to list my Frerot for sale (there's your TLDR).

Before I go further I will say that I think the Frerot is a great little DAC and if I'm just comparing the two units by themselves (with no upsampling shenanigans involved), it's a pretty close race and would come down to preferences. I hear the Frerot as slightly wider, a bit brighter and airier (comparatively). It's a nicely detailed DAC but smooth without any sort of over-sharpened or etched sound to it. The Cyan 2, in comparison, has more weight to it. Notes feel like they have a bit more impact, and while the stage does seems to narrow in just a bit, it also extends out deeper than the Frerot. To my ears it still sounds similarly detailed, so I think it would come down to the rest of your chain and what you're looking for, but personally I prefer the weight and the deeper, holographic stage brought by the Cyan 2.

The major swaying factor for me on the Cyan 2, however, is its capability with HQPlayer as a NOS DAC with huge sample rate flexibility. I don't want to make it sound like HQPlayer is a necessity here, because the Cyan 2 is awesome by itself. But HQPlayer really takes it to the next level and opens up so many options to tweak the presentation and sound of the Cyan 2 through its various upsampling filters and the ability to run either PCM or DSD. The Frerot is really limited in this department as it is PCM only up to 24/192khz, but if you have no interest in messing around with HQPlayer it's still a great no-fuss DAC.

I know the Frerot also has a discrete power supply (the POW1) which can be added to it. I've heard various reports about what it does; some people say it's negligible, some say it enlarges the stage, some say it just tightens up details. I haven't tried it, because it's a bit over $1,000CAD to do so and it's an awkward extra box to fit into my setup.

So there it is, both great DACs but I prefer the Cyan 2 and its flexibility makes it an absolute win for me.

Plus, the Cyan 2 brings excellent dynamics to those tubes.

 

[Sound Dragon]

I just wished that the Dacs were more readily available. I mean, I knew full well what the deal was. They are transparent about the process and you certainly have options to not buy it. But I am admittedly not the most patient of persons and this wait has been absolutely painful. I hope that the juice is worth the squeeze. I believe it will be.

 

[betula]

I just wished that the Dacs were more readily available. I mean, I knew full well what the deal was. They are transparent about the process and you certainly have options to not buy it. But I am admittedly not the most patient of persons and this wait has been absolutely painful. I hope that the juice is worth the squeeze. I believe it will be.

Read a few random pages in the Modhouse Tungsten thread and you will feel a lot better.

 

[Sound Dragon]

Read a few random pages in the Modhouse Tungsten thread and you will feel a lot better.

I see you use the DMP-A6 also. How do you find the pairing? That is the plan for me and my system as well.

 

[betula]

I see you use the DMP-A6 also. How do you find the pairing? That is the plan for me and my system as well.

I use the A6 as a streamer only. As a streamer it is really great, beating some standalone streamers that cost twice as much. The DAC section is just an average d/s DAC, don't expect too much on that front. Compared to the Zen Stream for example the A6 sounds a lot clearer, more spacious and more detailed.

 

[ecc35]

Hi all, just ordered a Cyan 2. The seller mentioned it is better to switch it on all the time. But this is 20W device. Is there a standby mode to reduce energy consumption?

 

[Carbon44]

Hi all, just ordered a Cyan 2. The seller mentioned it is better to switch it on all the time. But this is 20W device. Is there a standby mode to reduce energy consumption?

While I haven't tested power draw, I will note that the device stays quite cool compared to Spring or May. So Cyan 2 is hopefully a bit more efficient overall!

 

[tedacura1]

Hi all, just ordered a Cyan 2. The seller mentioned it is better to switch it on all the time. But this is 20W device. Is there a standby mode to reduce energy consumption?

There is no standby mode just an on / off switch on the rear. I leave mine on all the time.