Set-up and music
Contents
The Alpha reference set has been used
- Pass Labs XP-12
- Pass Labs X150.8
- Grimm TPM cabling
- Isotek Titan (Pass X150.8)
- YETI Power cables
- Van den Hul Nova
The Rivo is connected to the SMSL SU-10 DAC with a Grimm TPM AES/EBU cable.
Settings
The SMSL DAC has several filters. We listened to the options and chose the ‘Fast hybrid’ filter for this test. The choice is driven mainly because it improves transients, allowing more detail to be heard and also because instrument tonality is improved. This choice is at the expense of the amount of reverb heard, the ESS filters chosen by SMSL seem to mostly trade off detail and reverberation against each other.
In the Volumio software, WiFi and Bluetooth reception were disabled on both devices. All settings have been checked and made equal.
Music
The music used is
- Nits – Nescio
- Rone – Et le jour commence
Nescio has proven itself in a previous test to be a track that makes placement and layering in the soundstage clearly audible. Rone’s track is difficult for streamers and DACs to reproduce properly.