[FredA]

Well it's been 4 months since I've had the r2r-11mk2 and thought I'd post some more thoughts.

I am still very much enjoying it. I am finding that I really appreciate the dynamics in this thing, while maintaining a very smooth and pleasant tonality to everything. I still stick to my initial assessment that details and staging are just a little bit lacking, but will note that playing with inputs (and oversampling) seem to help a little bit in those regards. Unlike some other DACs I've had, I've yet to notice anything that sounds colored, flavored, weird, off, unpleasant, uncanny, etc. It just sounds good to me ears and don't find myself as curious about other DACs.

But as for negatives, I don't like the USB input on this thing, even with the upgraded USB option I purchased. I have instead been using an inexpensive "DDC" (Douk U2 Pro ~$50) and I much prefer the sound out of this setup. Using of the r2r-11mk2's USB input, the imaging feels more "smeared" and "fatter" while stage seems to flatten out. While this does seem to get a little better using cleaner source gear (computer vs. Pi4b+LPS+Volumio), different USB ports (USB2 vs. USB30), and playing trying certain USB cables, I don't find myself preferring it over the DDC. Using the Douk U2 Pro (especially via optical), things seem to open up just a little bit, breathe better, and sounds a little bit better defined. I'm not finding much loss in the dynamics or change in tonality with either case, either.

For what it's worth, I snapped some pictures of the clocks on the USB board and underneath it to help you better determine if it's worth the upgrade:


These are the clocks that came with my upgraded USB r2r-11mk2 but couldn't really figure out what clocks those are. If I could buy it over again, I would forego the USB upgrade (~$70) and just use the Douk U2 Pro (~$60 IIRC) instead for a USB connection from my sources. Of course, you lose ability to upsample up to 384khz as optical is limited to 24/96 and coax is limited to 24/192 (and can't do 176khz for some reason). I personally don't find myself strongly preferring upsampled stuff to regular NOS.

I also have a WiiM Pro on the way and excited to test that.

One other note: on one occassion, while I was playing around with other amps and whatnot, I had changed the volume on the r2r-11mk2, and about a second or two later heard a loud grinding noise as the volume relays were clicking very quickly and volume shot up to 100. This has happened only once, and I suspect it's because the knob was "straddling" the stepped positions on the knob and possibly shorting or something, causing rapid increase in volume. I was fortunate enough to have been playing a quiet song at the time and didn't damage anything. I have since been more mindful of the volume knob and making sure it's resting in a solid position instead of "in between the steps," and I've not experienced any such issues since.

Finally, I do occasionally want for a little more open and spacious sounding amp. While the amp section on the r2r-11mk2 sounds very full, lush, and smooth, it does feel a little cramped. Compared to Soloist 3xp, Magni Piety, and El Amp II, the stage feels smaller and imaging/separation suffers a little bit. Things have a little more "pushed up against you" feeling off of the r2r-11mk2. On the LCD-X 2021 w/ leather pads, it can feel a little "stuffy" out of this amp, but having swapped to vegan leather pads (which sounds more "neutral"--less warmth and less veiled), it does sound more agreeable to my ears. However, I prefer the HD660s (and DT770s) off of this amp than the aforementioned ones.

So despite all of this, I'm still liking the r2r-11mk2 very much. Now I'm curious what their higher end gear sounds like and find myself wishing I'd gotten an R28 or R1+another amp.

Using an even better ddc, the r2r 11 mkii gives a real taste of high-end. I own the top of the line r7he mkii so i can make the comparison.

To feed my own r2r11 mkii through usb, i use the usbridge. And a good usb cable. This really helps i feel. Today, i was reflecting on how well cymbals sounded. I was quite impressed.

The upgraded clocks are from Crystek. Using exclusively usb, they are worth the expense.

As for your volume issue, the encoder can easily be replaced if needed. Any qualified technician can do this within 0.5h or less. Your can get the part from Kingwa. I have some spare myself if you want one. I had to replace one on my he9.

 

[Pharmaboy]

FWIW, I've primarily used my R2R 11 MKII with either a SPDIF converter (Musical Fidelity V-Link 24/192); or DDC (Matrix X-SPDIF 2). Both sound slightly better than USB straight in (Lush Phasure cable v1), and the DDC sounds best.

It's this way with my main DAC, too (MHDT Labs Orchid) ... there are 2 separate systems on this desktop.

 

[ku1185]

Using an even better ddc, the r2r 11 mkii gives a real taste of high-end. I own the top of the line r7he mkii so i can make the comparison.

To feed my own r2r11 mkii through usb, i use the usbridge. And a good usb cable. This really helps i feel. Today, i was reflecting on how well cymbals sounded. I was quite impressed.

The upgraded clocks are from Crystek. Using exclusively usb, they are worth the expense.

As for your volume issue, the encoder can easily be replaced if needed. Any qualified technician can do this within 0.5h or less. Your can get the part from Kingwa. I have some spare myself if you want one. I had to replace one on my he9.

I'm hoping that the WiiM streamer will yield some good results. Thereafter, I will probably consider something like DI-20HE, SU6, or Holo Red sometime down the road.

On the Ares II, I actually preferred it's USB connection instead of using the Douk U2 Pro, whereas on the D1se, I slightly preferred the Douk U2 Pro over D1se's own USB connection. But with the r2r-11mk2, I have a more clear preference for the Douk U2 PRo than its own USB, so I'm a little bit disappointed by it.

I was wondering if that's just how Amanero's USB sounds. I think Geshelli J2 uses an Amanero UBS as well, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[FredA]

I'm hoping that the WiiM streamer will yield some good results. Thereafter, I will probably consider something like DI-20HE, SU6, or Holo Red sometime down the road.

On the Ares II, I actually preferred it's USB connection instead of using the Douk U2 Pro, whereas on the D1se, I slightly preferred the Douk U2 Pro over D1se's own USB connection. But with the r2r-11mk2, I have a more clear preference for the Douk U2 PRo than its own USB, so I'm a little bit disappointed by it.

I was wondering if that's just how Amanero's USB sounds. I think Geshelli J2 uses an Amanero UBS as well, if I'm not mistaken.

Depends on how noisy you pc is, the usb cable you use and so on. If not already the case, put a decent power cable on it too. I will help. No need to spend a fortune. Using a 14awg cord or bigger is always indicated with audio-gd.

 

[ku1185]

Depends on how noisy you pc is, the usb cable you use and so on. If not already the case, put a decent power cable on it too. I will help. No need to spend a fortune. Using a 14awg cord or bigger is always indicated with audio-gd.

The PC is rather noisy. I've tried using some galvanic isolators and such in the past, but find a good (and short) USB cable to yield good enough results. I have a Pangea 14awg cable and Furmann PST16 conditioner; nothing fancy but figured a decent place to start.

I have wondered about some of those fancier looking cables from Aliexpress or something, but haven't really looked much into it.

 

[FredA]

Some are good. I like the Furutech clone on my r2r 11 mkii. It is cheaper now than it used to be. I paid 120 for it. Now, assuming it is the same, it can be bought for around 70$.

 

[FredA]

Somehing like this

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005003058216441.html

 

[sajunky]

The upgraded clocks are from Crystek. Using exclusively usb, they are worth the expense.

It could be Crystek brand, but I couldn't find matching model number from the current Crystek product range. Audio GD website say nothing for the ultra-low phase model. It sounds reasonable, as isolator is feed-forward (not a feed-back as in R-8 model and above), adding some jitter, similar to other brands. It would be a wrong place for CCHD-575 model.

So I tried a selection for: SMD, 5x7mm, 3.3V, HCMOS

It returns only one - C33 model, but 'CC' marking do not match for P/N and a date code 'Q20MG' neither. It should be a four letter denoting YYWW (year + week). A photo look diferent too. I am not familiar with the old Crystek range and gave up searching.

@ku1185 raised a question whether isolator option is worth $70, it depends. It is a good option for trouble free experience. A DAC will perform on USB port consistently across all platforms, but it will not deliver a maximum performance.

I agree that for those who know how to tune a system and protect USB port from a noise, a basic model is better, as it can deliver better preformance when it is done correctly and can be upgraded with CCHD-575. In the wrong hands it can be a disaster. I know one professional reviewer who fall in this category. In result a bad PR, it is why there is such option.

 

[FredA]

It could be Crystek brand, but I couldn't find matching model number from the current Crystek product range. Audio GD website say nothing for the ultra-low phase model. It sounds reasonable, as isolator is feed-forward (not a feed-back as in R-8 model and above), adding some jitter, similar to other brands. It would be a wrong place for CCHD-575 model.

So I tried a selection for: SMD, 5x7mm, 3.3V, HCMOS

It returns only one - C33 model, but 'CC' marking do not match for P/N and a date code 'Q20MG' neither. It should be a four letter denoting YYWW (year + week). A photo look diferent too. I am not familiar with the old Crystek range and gave up searching.

@ku1185 raised a question whether isolator option is worth $70, it depends. It is a good option for trouble free experience. A DAC will perform on USB port consistently across all platforms, but it will not deliver a maximum performance.

I agree that for those who know how to tune a system and protect USB port from a noise, a basic model is better, as it can deliver better preformance when it is done correctly and can be upgraded with CCHD-575. In the wrong hands it can be a disaster. I know one professional reviewer who fall in this category. In result a bad PR, it is why there is such option.

Kingwa states they are Crystek.

 

[ku1185]

It could be Crystek brand, but I couldn't find matching model number from the current Crystek product range. Audio GD website say nothing for the ultra-low phase model. It sounds reasonable, as isolator is feed-forward (not a feed-back as in R-8 model and above), adding some jitter, similar to other brands. It would be a wrong place for CCHD-575 model.

So I tried a selection for: SMD, 5x7mm, 3.3V, HCMOS

It returns only one - C33 model, but 'CC' marking do not match for P/N and a date code 'Q20MG' neither. It should be a four letter denoting YYWW (year + week). A photo look diferent too. I am not familiar with the old Crystek range and gave up searching.

@ku1185 raised a question whether isolator option is worth $70, it depends. It is a good option for trouble free experience. A DAC will perform on USB port consistently across all platforms, but it will not deliver a maximum performance.

I agree that for those who know how to tune a system and protect USB port from a noise, a basic model is better, as it can deliver better preformance when it is done correctly and can be upgraded with CCHD-575. In the wrong hands it can be a disaster. I know one professional reviewer who fall in this category. In result a bad PR, it is why there is such option.

I also spent some time going through a lot of the Crystek spec sheets to figure out which model this was, but alas I could not. I also can not make out what the markings are on the 24mhz clock.

I'm curious though, how difficult would it be to change out the two clocks myself? Is it just a matter of finding clocks with the same frequencies and soldering them on?

 

[FredA]

I also spent some time going through a lot of the Crystek spec sheets to figure out which model this was, but alas I could not. I also can not make out what the markings are on the 24mhz clock.

I'm curious though, how difficult would it be to change out the two clocks myself? Is it just a matter of finding clocks with the same frequencies and soldering them on?

Kingwa possibly orders batches directly from Crystek. Couldbe a custom order.

It is surface mount so it's small and you need the right technic and tools. You have to check if the power draw is not too much, which is normally not an issue and check that the replacement is pin-comaptible. Normally not an issue either. The size of the replacemenr has to be be a match too.

Not sure it's worth doing.
I
was able to compare the standard xos to the upgraded one and the upgrade is clearly a improvement.

From there, the best upgrade path is using a ddc. If you don't have 500h done, the burn-in is not completed yet. I don't where you're at.

 

[FredA]

I also spent some time going through a lot of the Crystek spec sheets to figure out which model this was, but alas I could not. I also can not make out what the markings are on the 24mhz clock.

I'm curious though, how difficult would it be to change out the two clocks myself? Is it just a matter of finding clocks with the same frequencies and soldering them on?

Kingwa possibly orders batches directly from Crystek. Could be a custom order.

It is surface mount so it's small and you need the right technic and tools. You have to check if the power draw is not too much, which is normally not an issue and check that the replacement is pin-comaptible. Normally not an issue either. The size of the replacement has to be be a match too. And freq of course.

Not sure it's worth doing.

was able to compare the standard xos to the upgraded ones and the upgrade is clearly an improvement.

From there, the best upgrade path is using a ddc. If you don't have 500h done, the burn-in is not completed yet. I don't where you're at.

 

[sajunky]

I also spent some time going through a lot of the Crystek spec sheets to figure out which model this was, but alas I could not. I also can not make out what the markings are on the 24mhz clock.

I'm curious though, how difficult would it be to change out the two clocks myself? Is it just a matter of finding clocks with the same frequencies and soldering them on?

Four hands and two soldering irons. Done it with help of our gardener.

Or two hands and one SMD hot air rework station. Many cellular workshops have such device, can do it at a small fee. 5 minutes job.

Crystek CCHD-575 are compatible with Amanero and available from two large retailers ~$7 each, Mouser and Digikey. I had to wait weeks for a stock, now I think can be shipped instantly.

However ultra-low jitter will be destroyed on the galvanic isolator. That's a big problem. You will have to ask Kingwa how to bypass galvanic isolator chip on the main board.

 

[Pharmaboy]

If you don't have 500h done, the burn-in is not completed yet.

I'm on my 3rd Audio GD DAC (NOS 19; DAC 19; R2R-11 MKII) and that's true of all of three. I remember reading that in one of the Audio GD threads and thinking, "That's crazy!" It wasn't crazy at all...

 

[ku1185]

I got it in August so I think I hit the 500 hour mark. =P. Playing music 24/7 for the first month, then used almost daily since.

But yeah, maybe the clock upgrade is too difficult for me to figure out at this point.