I own this DAC and it’s a breath of fresh air in a world of thin sounding, analytical digital audio. It’s warm, full bodied and weighty on the bottom end. Never bright or glaring on the top end. It gets really close to my analog rig, which is the ultimate compliment.
Great review, probably the only reviewer I've seen digging a bit with high-rate external oversampling. The May is a different beast with NOS DSD1024/DSD512 via Holo Red + HQPlayer vs standalone, and once you put some effort into your front-end source, oversampling machine & optical interconnect, the ceiling is just mind-blowing. IMO there is nothing to beat May NOS via HQPlayer DSD1024/DSD512 under $20K, the only DAC I would upgrade to is Ultra-End Tube DACs like Lampizator Horizon360.
And for punch and slam in the sub base, the Benchmark AHB2 is a winning combo with the Holo May. I own three of them - I have two AHB2s that I use as mono blocks for my speakers and a third I use for my desktop headphone rig with Hifiman Susvaras. You can the make Susvaras punch and slam with Tool with the AHB2, and soundtracks from Hanz Zimmer get all the house shaking sub bass you can handle (like on the Bladerunner soundtrack for example). I actually played the Tool track you mentioned on one of my in room demos on my channel. So while the Holo May will never emphasize sub bass or throw it in your face, you can still get loads of it with the right setup rig.
yay i'm kinda worried now man, i ordered the kte set of may and bliss, and about in another 2weeks they gonna ship it. exactly how thin we r talking here? and the dynamics? jeez.... uh.... what cable do you use may i ask?
Hi WaveTheory, Thank you for your detailed review and all the effort you put into it. Your equipment is undeniably hi-fi, but I noticed that your source might be holding it back a bit (laptop/Audirvana & the UltraRendu + DDC). Have you considered trying a higher-end streamer? In my own experience, upgrading the streamer made a significant difference in sound quality. The Innuos Zenith MK3, for example, is one option that can often be found at a reasonable price on the used market.
owner of the "holo spring 3" married to a "violectric HPA V550" all powering a "HE 1000" headphones, I can only appreciate this video. Listening to headphones is a lot of pleasure, but each component plays an important role (I still haven't finalized the choice of cable between the dac and the amp)😅👌👍...Merci
Cyan 2 is some INSANE value in the Audio world IMHO. Owned the Wandla GSE before, found the Cyan 2 to be more realistic sounding in the sense that it hasn't got that Delta Sigma glare in the treble most of the DACs have. Compared the Cyan 2 to my friends May Level 2 and the Cyan 2 really could keep up suprisingly well, although the May is a clear upgrade.
Its closer to Spring 2 but still a mile away from May. Great value though if you are ok with mid range hifi gear. Much better than unholy piece of s... Wandla.
Hi there. What did you prefer about the Cyan 2 over the Wandla GSE? I'm looking for forward female vocal presentation and open/airy high end. Thanks in advance!
Nice review! This DAC needs at least one week of 24/7 playback to be properly broken in so that the harshness and “tiziness” goes away. Ditto for the lean-ness or thin ness to the sound. That all has to do with capacitor aging/settling (or lack there of). If your distributor gave you a brand new KTE version and not a well used demo unit, this is the case, as the capacitors take that amount of time to settle. So break in on this DAC is a very real thing and the older the DAC gets the more refined it sounds and its harshness goes away (in NOS mode of course). There is absolutely zero “tiziness” to my 2 year plus old Holo May. :)
@@roa5359 About the break in period? No, it’s a real thing with this DAC. The electrolyte in the capacitors need time to settle in properly, and the sound radically changes as that is happening.
I have the Spring 3 am not 100% sure of the burning effect maybe it's there but bit difficult to pin point as it was a long time, but I do think my Spring 3 + V550 has a warmup time of around 30 mins, at first it sounds bit less dynamic, fuzzy and congested then after the warmup time everything tightens up, the clearity improves and the sound just becomes more dynamic and soundstage improves as well.
May i ask please,the very high analog output (rca:2,9v - xlr:5,8v) of this dac create any problems? I mean,does it need careful the maching with the preamp? thank you John
hi Wave theory, may i ask if you are comfortable to let us know what's the other DAC which have better resolution more detail retrieval in a complex orchestra symphony that let us here more faint notes ignoring the pricing that you heard before? Thanks much for sharing any info! regards, phil
Can u please review some more Denafrips dacs and how they compete as R2R dacs. Like the new Pontus 15 th or even the older Venus 12th. Also your comments about whether long burn in time required for R2R dacs would help.
For bit rates up to 192khz I lean the Sonore + Singxer direction. I think the direct usb worked better for oversampled files in my use case, but this probably has more to do with the Singxer maxing out at 384khz.
@@wavetheorysound Allright that is surprising that the pc direct can compete! But I guess the special usb input of the may kte does a really good job. I have the cyan 2 and a pc connected to usb sounds good but less than a dedicated streaming transport.
He lists a hundred issues while still saying he likes it. First time I’ve seen this guy but I will be back seems genuine. Had the May for a year. Not getting the leanness certainly not in comparison to the TT2 I had previously. When I first fired it up there was so much meat on the bone I didn’t eat for two days after. I do have the Chord M Scaler running into the May. Def makes a difference, the Chord makes it easy to A-B
Theory: content creators that praised this DAC and put it at the top of their lists, as well as the Bliss, are all ZMF loving/warm tuned preferring, vocal centric types. Maybe with that preference and chain synergy, the May and Bliss's shortcomings are so evident.
@@nolly485 only few, yet the demo unit in Hong Kong has the problem. You think maybe the dealer would double QC what they sell? Or it’s an inherent problem that can’t be fixed? I’ve tried the v222 and the us5pro and both had the same problem.
I have this DAC but use it in a two channel loudspeaker system and that is where it is at its best. I agree with much of what you say when listening with headphones but these criticisms become invalid when adding the effect of a room.
I'm sure this is great kit and I appreciate hearing about it. But, I think I'm nearing a minimalist stage in my life. Perhaps owing to my station in life, these DACs seem superfluous. Big Legs, Tight Skirt by John Lee Hooker. I gotta represent.
love the review but , this is really me being out of my place here but , uhhh, is it a bit cruel to let the boy know that he's the reason ... you know ...
Great review!
Will you review the Holo Cyan 2?
I own this DAC and it’s a breath of fresh air in a world of thin sounding, analytical digital audio. It’s warm, full bodied and weighty on the bottom end. Never bright or glaring on the top end. It gets really close to my analog rig, which is the ultimate compliment.
great review 🙌 You should try the Cyan 2.
Agree with other comments. Need you to do a Cyan 2 review and compare it. It is on my shortlist to possibly pair with the V281
Great review, probably the only reviewer I've seen digging a bit with high-rate external oversampling. The May is a different beast with NOS DSD1024/DSD512 via Holo Red + HQPlayer vs standalone, and once you put some effort into your front-end source, oversampling machine & optical interconnect, the ceiling is just mind-blowing. IMO there is nothing to beat May NOS via HQPlayer DSD1024/DSD512 under $20K, the only DAC I would upgrade to is Ultra-End Tube DACs like Lampizator Horizon360.
is red a must? i'm running out of sockets
Wow what a thorough review
And for punch and slam in the sub base, the Benchmark AHB2 is a winning combo with the Holo May. I own three of them - I have two AHB2s that I use as mono blocks for my speakers and a third I use for my desktop headphone rig with Hifiman Susvaras. You can the make Susvaras punch and slam with Tool with the AHB2, and soundtracks from Hanz Zimmer get all the house shaking sub bass you can handle (like on the Bladerunner soundtrack for example). I actually played the Tool track you mentioned on one of my in room demos on my channel. So while the Holo May will never emphasize sub bass or throw it in your face, you can still get loads of it with the right setup rig.
yay i'm kinda worried now man, i ordered the kte set of may and bliss, and about in another 2weeks they gonna ship it. exactly how thin we r talking here? and the dynamics? jeez.... uh.... what cable do you use may i ask?
@ Relax bro! It ain’t thin at all. It just needs a minimum of 1 week to 10 days of 24/7 playback to break in properly.
Hi WaveTheory,
Thank you for your detailed review and all the effort you put into it.
Your equipment is undeniably hi-fi, but I noticed that your source might be holding it back a bit (laptop/Audirvana & the UltraRendu + DDC).
Have you considered trying a higher-end streamer? In my own experience, upgrading the streamer made a significant difference in sound quality. The Innuos Zenith MK3, for example, is one option that can often be found at a reasonable price on the used market.
owner of the "holo spring 3" married to a "violectric HPA V550" all powering a "HE 1000" headphones, I can only appreciate this video. Listening to headphones is a lot of pleasure, but each component plays an important role (I still haven't finalized the choice of cable between the dac and the amp)😅👌👍...Merci
Cyan 2 is some INSANE value in the Audio world IMHO. Owned the Wandla GSE before, found the Cyan 2 to be more realistic sounding in the sense that it hasn't got that Delta Sigma glare in the treble most of the DACs have. Compared the Cyan 2 to my friends May Level 2 and the Cyan 2 really could keep up suprisingly well, although the May is a clear upgrade.
Its closer to Spring 2 but still a mile away from May. Great value though if you are ok with mid range hifi gear. Much better than unholy piece of s... Wandla.
Hi there. What did you prefer about the Cyan 2 over the Wandla GSE?
I'm looking for forward female vocal presentation and open/airy high end. Thanks in advance!
Nice review! This DAC needs at least one week of 24/7 playback to be properly broken in so that the harshness and “tiziness” goes away. Ditto for the lean-ness or thin ness to the sound. That all has to do with capacitor aging/settling (or lack there of). If your distributor gave you a brand new KTE version and not a well used demo unit, this is the case, as the capacitors take that amount of time to settle. So break in on this DAC is a very real thing and the older the DAC gets the more refined it sounds and its harshness goes away (in NOS mode of course). There is absolutely zero “tiziness” to my 2 year plus old Holo May. :)
🥱 you are kidding right …
@@roa5359 About the break in period? No, it’s a real thing with this DAC. The electrolyte in the capacitors need time to settle in properly, and the sound radically changes as that is happening.
What is the purpose of a comment like this? Even if you don't agree, you could probably learn some humility.@@roa5359
I also have heard this DAC and I've never heard any tizziness.
I have the Spring 3 am not 100% sure of the burning effect maybe it's there but bit difficult to pin point as it was a long time, but I do think my Spring 3 + V550 has a warmup time of around 30 mins, at first it sounds bit less dynamic, fuzzy and congested then after the warmup time everything tightens up, the clearity improves and the sound just becomes more dynamic and soundstage improves as well.
I really hope that you'd get your hands on the Immanis one day coz i trust you'll be doing a thorough unbiased review of it!
As a metalhead and current Denafrips Pontus II 12th owner, I appreciate your perspective on the Holo.
what albums do you listen?
May i ask please,the very high analog output (rca:2,9v - xlr:5,8v) of this dac create any problems?
I mean,does it need careful the maching with the preamp?
thank you
John
hi Wave theory, may i ask if you are comfortable to let us know what's the other DAC which have better resolution more detail retrieval in a complex orchestra symphony that let us here more faint notes ignoring the pricing that you heard before? Thanks much for sharing any info!
regards, phil
Try DSD512/1024 via HQP
Can u please review some more Denafrips dacs and how they compete as R2R dacs. Like the new Pontus 15 th or even the older Venus 12th. Also your comments about whether long burn in time required for R2R dacs would help.
Would you say your laptop direct to usb input sounded as good as your Sonore-Singxer rig with the May? Thank you
For bit rates up to 192khz I lean the Sonore + Singxer direction. I think the direct usb worked better for oversampled files in my use case, but this probably has more to do with the Singxer maxing out at 384khz.
@@wavetheorysound Allright that is surprising that the pc direct can compete! But I guess the special usb input of the may kte does a really good job. I have the cyan 2 and a pc connected to usb sounds good but less than a dedicated streaming transport.
He lists a hundred issues while still saying he likes it. First time I’ve seen this guy but I will be back seems genuine.
Had the May for a year. Not getting the leanness certainly not in comparison to the TT2 I had previously. When I first fired it up there was so much meat on the bone I didn’t eat for two days after.
I do have the Chord M Scaler running into the May. Def makes a difference, the Chord makes it easy to A-B
Theory: content creators that praised this DAC and put it at the top of their lists, as well as the Bliss, are all ZMF loving/warm tuned preferring, vocal centric types. Maybe with that preference and chain synergy, the May and Bliss's shortcomings are so evident.
Shishy, Shushy, now I'm wanting sushi - Sorry had to do it. Thanks for the great review.
You're sorry? Color me skeptical 😝😆
42:56 Yea… but the volume pod crackles shouldn’t happen at that price point.
Only a few have been reported with this problem so I would not worry.
@@nolly485 only few, yet the demo unit in Hong Kong has the problem. You think maybe the dealer would double QC what they sell? Or it’s an inherent problem that can’t be fixed? I’ve tried the v222 and the us5pro and both had the same problem.
Curious of a pimped-out Geshelli J2s vs this dac.
Professor, thank you for another wonderful DAC review! 👌
Reverend Dr. Thomas,
✝️ The Vegan Vicar 🌱
Come for the hair splitting, stay for the shushy
Trivial.. but I'd like to see this in silver.
I have this DAC but use it in a two channel loudspeaker system and that is where it is at its best. I agree with much of what you say when listening with headphones but these criticisms become invalid when adding the effect of a room.
Or your speakers or amp made up for it.
I'm sure this is great kit and I appreciate hearing about it. But, I think I'm nearing a minimalist stage in my life. Perhaps owing to my station in life, these DACs seem superfluous.
Big Legs, Tight Skirt by John Lee Hooker.
I gotta represent.
👍🌟👍
typo in the title!
fixed!
love the review but , this is really me being out of my place here but , uhhh, is it a bit cruel to let the boy know that he's the reason ... you know ...
You know it was joke right?
1536 for PCM via USB
The plural of prowess is prowess. Save for some very specific circumstances where it would be prowesses, but those do not apply here.
Useless verbiage clutters whatever he has to say.