LAiV HARMONY vs T+A DAC 200 - Feedback After 2 Months Of Use
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- LAiV HARMONY vs T+A DAC 200 - Feedback After 2 Months Of Use
I have now spent over 2 months with both T+A DAC 200 and LAiV Harmony and I enjoy bot of them very much. I bought the T+A DAC 200 about 2 weeks before receiving the LAiV Harmony so I now spent very similar time with both DACs. Let me tell you listening to both of them is truly amazing. Both are way out of their league and can play the music in a very engaging immersive way. Both have some very strong sides and well are keepers. Which one is for you that only depends on your sound signature expectations.
Both DACS were feed the DSD 512 format via USB. Even though the LAiV does not have dedicated DSD DAC and internally resample the sound to PCM for some reason the DSD richess and magic is still audible in the sound character and I prefer it over the PCM 705.6
SYSTEM IN THE VIDEO:
SPEAKERS: QUALIO IQ - www.qualioaudio.com
AMP: NORMA AUDIO REVO IPA 140 - normaudio.com/en/
STREAMER: PC with HQ PLAYER for Upsampling to DSD512 on the fly Using Tidal and Roon
DAC: LAiV HARMONY & T+A DAC 200
CABLES: Audiomica Excellence USB, VirtualHiFi interconnects and speaker cables
FOOTERS: VirtualHiFi Vibron
Join this channel to get access to 32-bit uncompressed sound quality 4k video :
/ @virtualhifi
00:00 - Introduction LAiV HARMONY vs T+A DAC 200
01:09 - That's How You Know That You're in Love - Loving Caliber
02:39 - Purple Beach - Giants’ nest
04:09 - The One - Ritchie Everett
05:39 - Love You For It All - Daniel Gunnarsson
07:09 - Wood & Skin - Hara Node
08:39 - The Blues This Morning - The Tap Room
10:08 - I Am Better Off (Jazz version) - Wildson
11:37 - Erase My Truth - Deaf Election
13:06 - Folium - Bladverk Band
14:36 - LAiV HARMONY vs T+A DAC 200 Both are great options but ... - Věda a technologie
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For anyone lucky enough to experience ultra high end gear at their local store demo room you will recognise what high end equipments bring to the table. Clear front to back instrument separation and ultra high clarity. Pitch black background to reveal those tiny tiny detail like a faint instrument playing at the bottom left corner of the room. Vocals seem to come out of thin air with 3D presence. The T+A delivers in this regard and to me it is truly next level. Paired with Focal Sopra 2, Parasound A21+ and matching REL subwoofer for anyone interested.
The LAIV is simply the far better DAC for the money, no question about that!
I am glad you compared these two dac's to each other. I was wanting the T+A yet now am far mor inclined to get the LAiV since I have two nice preamplifiers already.
Interesting. B is the more organic ands musical experience. A is very good too, but has that typical cleanness that sometimes goes on my nerves in long listening sessions. B to my ears is more beautiful in mid and low end and high frequencies sound a tad more natural. A was very good with Jazz, suddenly sounding better than before. But the rock guitar had more bite with B. Thanks for this excellent sound comparison.
Both DAC's are great, but it's the speakers that are amazing me!!!
I thought B, was more holographic than A, so we disagree on that. I thought A, was more clear in the vocals, but was lacking in bass. EXCELLENT REVIEW!
Thank you for sharing
DAC A was better up top, B (the Laiv) was better in the midrange. For most tracks I prefered the LAIV. You just can't have it all. Trade in some air and stage for organic sound an save a lot of money. With careful pairing you can improve the soundstage width and airyness up top a bit.
You can have it all. It just costs.
I completely agree!
Thanks so much for your great reviews and honest opinion. Much needed indeed!!!
Biggest difference for me was in the bass.
DAC A displayed more grip, dug deeper and had more resolution and detail in the bass, especially the lower bass tones, overall had a more convincing bass performance.
I do have a very good DAC myself and very good headphones that dig deep, so perhaps its easier to miss this on other set ups.
Did anyone else notice this?
Thank you for the honest and sincere review. Keep them coming.
DAC B, I would put everything for a good vocal range :) I am already ordered one, wait time is long.
Another great comparison thanks. The LAiV certainly punches well above its weight doesn’t it. I noted the differences you described but also a bit more grip and resolution of the DAC200 in the lower bass.
Excellent test. I went back and forth depending on the track.
Great comparison as always, thank you. I own a Weiss 204 and would be happy to hear your take between Laiv Harmony and Weiss 204.
Thank you for the video. These are 2 DACs I am looking at at the moment. Thinking of selling my Gustard R26 to upgrade. 2 units of T+A DAC 200 just popped up in the used market and the Laiv Harmony is cheaper and sold by local company.
I prefered DAC B which is great as it costs half the price as the T+A. I'll take the rich natural sound over the airy holographic and slightly more present upper treble. Thumbs up for another fantastic useful video.😁
Hey, I came across these speakers in Munich, they sounded great with the Tektron amplifiers 🎶🎷🎹🎻
i kept hoping while listening to Tracks that B was LAiV . indeed it turned out to be.. it's good for my ears and pocket. so there it is my choice.
GREAT Demo. thank you so much for your work, efforts , and help..
thank you for your comment. it means a lot and gives me more power to keep forward ;)
Good review and listen. However, the T+A DAC sounds much better with DSD than with PCM since it has two DACs inside. If you have mostly PCM I would go for the LAiV.
Didn't realize how good that T+A DAC is. I'm surprised you haven't reviewed the Ferrum Wandla yet considering they're a fellow Polish manufacturer. That would be a good comparison.
Both sound very good and different, and it is very easy to tell when it is one or the other. It is a matter of the rest of the team, the music you listen to and personal taste. And money.
Whoever does not appreciate the differences has a problem with their audio system
sound identical to me and my gear is pretty good for playback .. no wrong or bad answer here, both performed very well imo .. very slight, edge to B on sax
Another excellent review! To my ears, LAiV has better bass texture and vocal texture, less sibilant top end, but less distinct transient attack and a more closed in soundstage,
You nailed it. Very well done.
Thank you for your sharing your findings and comparing all of the dacs you are trying out. It really is helpful to folks considering which dac to purchase. I have a couple of questions if you don't mind answering. First, you liked the LAiV dac ($2700) better than the Holo May KTE (now $5600 in U.S., so roughly double the LAiV). Could you compare the soundstage width and depth of those two dacs? Secondly, you have said that you are employing upsampling through Audirvana having found that to be preferable. My question is: do you need an especially fast CPU and lots of RAM to accomplish that upsampling? What kind of Intel chip, size of SSD etc. are you using to accomplish that? I think many of us are intrigued by using upsampling through Audirvana, but we lack information on the hardware required. Thanks if you can get to this.
Maybe you are not able anymore but I would love you to revisit the Kinki Studio EXM1 with op amps swapping. I have one unit and find that 2 Burson classic singles make a nice difference. The cold nature of the Kinki went away. Would you love to hear some amp variations on your speakers with the Kinki.
Anyway thanks for your videos !
Yes heard the difference. My harmony has been on order and shipping this week, The rich full sound of the harmony is what I am looking for!!
Wonderful! I'm sure you will enjoy it very much 😉
Those are some great speakers!
To me, dac A reaches for the sweetness, while B seems to clip off before getting there and has a darker feel.
Thanks for the review and sound demo. I wish you have tried LAIV Harmony in NOS mode pcm and Hqplayer at 760k.
I will do a Laiv no upsampling vs pcm 705.6 vs DSD 512 comparison. Thanks for the idea ;)
@@VirtualHiFi The most interesting comparison would be DAC 200 + HQPlayer DSD512 vs Laiv + HQPlayer PCM705.6 (since Laiv converts input DSD into PCM internally)
@@VirtualHiFi as @critic86 mentioned, Harmony does not support native DSD. So please compare it with dsd512 on t+a using pcm 768 on Harmony
Wood & Skin .. the drum kick better with DAC B, deeper and darker but clean with DAC A. Up to your reference & taste mates
nice review, the Laiv is not anymore that cheap after a few good reviews and following good sales.
I think a T+A on the used market is the better choice now.
I was hoping to see the Weiss 204 in some comparison
Initially A sounded thinner in the mids but cleaner up top and more dynamic and tight down low. Listening again, A sounds more natural, B sounded a tad too thick. Bear in mind I’m using an $8k tube pre into $10k parallel 300B monos.
Hi,
Nice vid !
My current config is:
- Holo Audio Serene
- Keces S300
- Eversolo A8
And I own a Holo Audio Cyan 2 and a Merason Frerot.
I pre-ordered a Laiv Harmony on Audiophonics here in France to remplace them.
I also can buy a T+A Dac 200 on the second hand market at 3100€...
So I'm hesitating a lot 😄
In that system, Serene already provides the clarity so I would match it with the better bass and mid texture of LAiV.
Try to compare the Dac's but can only enjoy the sound of this amazing speakers😂 love them totally if i save the money i try to test them in GER or PL.
Any chance you could test Aqua La Scala Optologic MK II dac? Very curious how it compares against the likes of T+A 200, Holo Audio May or even Laiv Harmony.
Last month I heard the Qualio speaker at the High End Munich show and I didn‘t like the midrange. It seemed to me a little bit forward in the midrange and not cohesive sounding speakers. I would love to hear a DAC comparison with different speakers.
Diving into your videos with my thinking hat on. Could you line up a comparison between a KT88 pushpull and a 300B Single ended? From a logistical standpoint by the time the 300B has been rolled to perfection is it close to the output of a pushpull? Major money difference between the two but where does the sound sit?
Would also love to get your opinion on the PS audio Directstream Dac Mk2
I preferred A, the T+A. Seemed richer and more involving to me on my headphones, but might have been different if I had been in the room with them. Certainly, at twice the price -- if it is better -- it ought to be! Still, personally, I find the price differential hard to justify.
Thing is, whilst I very much enjoy your videos, things at these levels of price are more than I am prepared to pay and so the comparison is somewhat academic. Whilst you've delved into (very) economical power amps, I don't remember you comparing a few DACs in lower price ranges with those in higher ones. Ranges might be a good example from €1000 or less, €2000 or less, €3000 or less and so on (including VAT). I must declare an interest here, because I have the Gustard R26 R2R DAC in the second price range and would love to hear it compared to the LAiV in the third range in one of your incomparable sound demos. Certainly, Tarun from the British Audiophile channel (who isn't given to exaggeration) rates the R26 as possibly above the Holo Spring 3 -- but he doesn't do sound demos unfortunately. 🙂
This is the first time I can't hear any difference. So the individual price/feature/looks preferences have to decide.
How do these dacs compare to weismann dac204?
A sounds more live and detaild in seperation. Stereo image is telling a better story imho. I think people will prefer B for more (distorted?) bass.
It would be great to hear demos of different qualio speakers side by side. :) Do you know if there is a store where i can demo them in Gdańsk, Sopot or Gdynia?
I thought DAC A had better low bass and DAC B had better Mid's. On Vocals I liked DAC B better. On the instrumental segments it was harder to tell which one I liked better they each had things I liked but I am sticking with B! B is my final answer especialy on vocals! Both sound great though! I would not feel short changed with either.
I think you might be mistaken on LAiv including all taxes, shipping and vat in there £2700 price. When I did a pre order on there website over £500 was added to the £2700 as tax. They do handle customs clearance, shipping vat etc, but as I understand it, you do have to pay all duties,. Please correct me if im wrong on this as I cancelled the order because of it.
Hi,
that is my mistake I checked yesterday and need to correct it asap
@@VirtualHiFi Ive just checked in my country (uk) and Harmony DAC is now available as a pre order at £2,599 all inc, excellent !!!
@VirtualHiFi What is the LAiV HARMONY settings for this video? Is it OS or NOS? What digital input used?
Please make the comparation of the Wiim Pro Vs Wiim Pro Plus
In my system, DAC A had a little more forward vocals, clearer separation and edges and soundstage width a little more narrow - seems the opposite of your impression. With DAC B, I find it a little more neutral and natural sounding - sound stage width was not so contained as with DAC A, its seemed to be more enveloping and expansive, yet more subtle. less stuff popped out. Kinda hard to distinguish between the two blind I think. We had visual cues when A and B switched in the video, not sure I would notice so much if I didn't have those. I suppose for the price, the harmony is a great value considering the sound quality is so close.
Listened to this a few times now and I think I get it now...Initially the clarity, edge and separation of A commanded my attention more, but it's a little artificial. Kind of like on cameras with lenses that are ultra sharp digital in nature. Initial wow factor but hyper-realistic. This is why people like vintage lenses, or put a black mist filter to take off the digital edge. I can see how for longer listening sessions the naturalness and analog nature of B is really appealing.
It would be curious to hear the difference between these 2 when fed with PCM instead of DSD.
DAC A is the one for me. Better all around, but B sounded real good.
thanks for sharing ;)
Dac A is a bit harsh but somehow more direct and a bit closed in. Dac B is not harsh at all and is more open and, the soundstage is larger. I have also heard a small distortion on the left channel with DAC B, on low frequencies. Oh my god, on the 3rd song, I could not stand the harshness of medium frequencies with DAC A. With DACA the low frequencies are more controlled and again I have herd in the left channel some distortions on low frequencies (bass-drums) on DACB.
What digital streamer are you using?
Harganya berapa tuch?
No question for me, it was B (Laiv). I would find DAC A too fatiguing after a short time, even though it checks a lot of boxes.
They are pretty close, but T+A D200 was better to me. As you said, it's more natural, open and transparent. That Laiv sounded a tiny bit squash to me and definitely not as transparent, but for what it costs, it would be hard to complain about it.
Thank you for sharing your opinion 😊
Through my headphones, DAC B has that same sound I hear when an amplifier is really good at controlling bass, but I am not in the room.
A for vocals and symbols, B for everything else
Thanks for your vote 😀
T+A is the next level up, but is worth twice the price? If you can afford it!
DAC A is more transparent and more true to source. DAC B is more controlled and can make any transport sounding okay.
DAC A superior. Tonally, both similar. Where DAC A (T&A) really outshone the Harmony was in the way it organized the musical presentation. DAC A was more organized with yhe center image surrounded by space/ air. The Harmony presented what I perceived to be more of homogenized 'wall of sound' , with the left right sides of soundstage bleeding into the center. Yes, DAC B, the Harmony, sounded tonally similar but in my opinion the T&A was significantly superior. The presentation sounded more believable to me.
Think I prefer the clarity and dynamics of DAC A... Before you revealed which DAC is T+A. Though... they're very close...
thank you for sharing your opinion ;)
The TA 200 is a nice dac with volume adjustment. Forget the Laiv hype. Just buy a FX Glass Dac or Cyan 2 dac or Teac 505. Or try the NewOntech or a Sugden Dac 4 or the AAdac with volume adjustment 🤔
I see again, I even was saying that even before I listened this second comparison, A is so much less artificial even with artificial music instruments and now listening via my floorstanders but yet, even though all those hassle with dacs, it is not even vinyl or even mastertape analog quality. You can buy a nice MM or MC element for less than 1000 🤔
Any chance you can review Fezz Equinox? 😊
Import taxes are added in the last ordering step of the laiv. So it comes on top
Thank you I'll try to update the video with some text correction
Thank you for share
Not true about VAT - it’s not included in Europe. Real price in Europe is 2999 EUR from Audiophonics, 150 EUR more expensive if you buy direct from Asia.
DAC A FOR ME THX
could you please something a little more demanding, like Yuja Wang Prokofiev, this is just too easy for the the system, thanks.
DAC A is hollow and somewhat fatiguing.....B is a beautiful, full sounding DAC.>>> IMHO...Especially in the vocals and soundstage.
They sound the same but the Laiv
is $4000 less!
The FX Glass dac or Cyan 2 is even cheaper and better. Even better the Arcam A5 or higher up has a dac and comes as well with amp function and multiple inputs 🤔
OK - I am going to open a "can of worms" so to speak. The T+A is delta/sigma. My experience with DS is that the treble is pushed forward/airy but the soundstage is not as dense or filled in. Whereas, the R2R soundstage is natural and filled in. R2R the treble is more natural. I own the Adcom GDA 600 DAC which is R2R and 30 years old. 99% of my listening is to classical piano music. The Adcom R2R provides a rock solid piano image which DS does not provide. I am not saying one is better than the other but my preference is R2R. The DS open airy pushed forward sound ruins the treble response of a piano CD recording. So, I am going to buy the Holo Cyan2 and Laiv Dac and do some extensive listening. I might also buy the Holo May.
T+A is delta-sigma (8x BB1795) only for PCM-signal. In this case it was fed with DSD512, which T+A handles through a dedicated design. You could say there's two completely different DACs inside DAC200. I own DAC200 nowadays and upgraded to it from Holo Spring 3 lvl 2, which DAC200 outperformed. Clearly better dynamics and bass punch, more airy and 3D soundstage. Holo sounded thicker and denser, but smaller and flatter also. I also use HQPlayer to upsample everything I play to DSD256.
No no no, tax and VAT is not included for Europe. Please check your with supplier 🙏 i´m 100% sure
hi, I just checked and you are right. I did misunderstood since only in the last step in the basket it added a 600$ tak to the order. so yes you are right thank you
@@VirtualHiFi 🫡😊
@@VirtualHiFi €2999,- at Audiophonics
@@VirtualHiFi In Europe you. can buy it from Audiophonics for 2999€ with VAT included.
Here in France the Laiv is sold 2999€.
Well, when there’s a price difference of 3:1, the expensive equipment had better be reproduceably identifiable as way better. And it just wasn’t.
It"s not true about the €2700 you have to pay €500 vat in europe, so it's €3200!!!
Some of the audience here doesn’t live in Europe- for instance me
@@kineahora8736 But in the the video you mention specifically that there is no vat or anything even for Europe, you just pay 2700. Which is not true for Europe!!!
@@C0wb0yh3nk I didn’t mention anything in the video-I am not in the video🤣
Europeans pay a VAT. I just bought something at Audiophonics and the listed price included a VAT, until i entered my shipping address in the US, and then the VAT was removed from my price…
DAC B away better
T+A is better
We are splitting hairs here, barely any difference.
this is splitting hair.... dac A better on instrumentation and dac B better on vocals