• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Allo Katana DAC

OP
Talisker

Talisker

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Messages
41
Likes
17
Reviews by technologists and hobbyists are on the way, as usual, there are many interrogations around Power Supply but more interesting about filters in the new Sabre Chip ... with all these filters it will be more difficult to compare DAC together. People seems to compare Katana with the "Benchmark DAC3 HGC", but I never heard about this DAC may be is because it cost more than 2K$ ...Oups find here of course DAC3
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/314935-es9038q2m-board-212.html
 
Last edited:

johan

Active Member
Audio Company
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
Messages
225
Likes
372
Hi all ,

I represent allo.com

Just want to add my 2 cents and be here in case I am needed.

People do compare our Katana and Benchmark 3 and the clear winner is Benchmark.. They are an incredible company with talented engineers and I think Amir testing shows it clearly.

Regarding "burn in period" , I have no data to back it up. In all our testing , we found no difference in tests after the 2 weeks have passed. Still I am reporting that I hear a difference but of course, it can be a psychological .

Our Katana was tested but our expertise (and AP machine) , frankly , is not as good as Amirs.

So we will take a step back and wait for the data .
 

Wombat

Master Contributor
Joined
Nov 5, 2017
Messages
6,722
Likes
6,459
Location
Australia
Hi all ,

I represent allo.com

Just want to add my 2 cents and be here in case I am needed.

People do compare our Katana and Benchmark 3 and the clear winner is Benchmark.. They are an incredible company with talented engineers and I think Amir testing shows it clearly.

Regarding "burn in period" , I have no data to back it up. In all our testing , we found no difference in tests after the 2 weeks have passed. Still I am reporting that I hear a difference but of course, it can be a psychological .

Our Katana was tested but our expertise (and AP machine) , frankly , is not as good as Amirs.

So we will take a step back and wait for the data .


What is your test equipment?
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
56
Likes
89
Looks like an interesting product, if I reading it right they worked with Sparko Labs to design some parts of it which is nifty. Their OP amps are very highly regarded.I dont think discrete is strictly better than using OP amps, in many cases its worse if its designed badly.

Using 20 Class A op amps is quite a design, not sure anyone has ever gone quite that far before.

Looks like quite a hassle to use based on that first review though, but perhaps worth it if it really sounds that good. Be an interesting one to see Amir's review for.

I always enjoy seeing companies try to push the boundaries even if its not always successful. I am not sure that there is a lot of reason to design a standard Sabre 9038M dac anymore given how good the Topping D50 is.
 

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,376
Likes
234,555
Location
Seattle Area
I am playing mine as we speak. :) Streaming through Roon. Measurements will come next. As it came with the PI and Volumio image, it was plug and play.

The Op-amp board is something else. It is full of tiny SMD parts. It was clever of them to give Sparko Labs people their own entire board to design. That way coordination was easy.
 

rebbiputzmaker

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 28, 2018
Messages
1,099
Likes
463
I am not sure that there is a lot of reason to design a standard Sabre 9038M dac anymore given how good the Topping D50 is.
Are you suggesting that other companies should just go out of business or build something else? I would hope there is still room for other manufacturers to be successful in the DAC market. It might tend to get very boring if everyone owned the same DAC. There would be nothing to argue about, and Thomas and Amir would have nothing to do except to live in a camper in the woods growing beards looking like ZZ Top.
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
56
Likes
89
Are you suggesting that other companies should just go out of business or build something else? I would hope there is still room for other manufacturers to be successful in the DAC market. It might tend to get very boring if everyone owned the same DAC. There would be nothing to argue about, and Thomas and Amir would have nothing to do except to live in a camper in the woods growing beards looking like ZZ Top.

Well if they are just using the standard sabre dac/TI OP amps design, everyone would have the same DAC. That was my point lol.

I mean they could use the exact same design in a blue case or a red case and I am sure the blue one will be said to sound cold and the red one warm....but they would be the same DAC.

It is really only interesting to see new designs, especially if they do something excessive like slapping 20 op amps in there for instance. I am always curious to see if that sort of thing actually does anything.
 

Veri

Master Contributor
Joined
Feb 6, 2018
Messages
9,596
Likes
12,036
allo revised the katana! and i have a suspicion.....

A new version, the 1.2, is in the works and will only have a few components changed resulting in a subtle, yet necessary SQ improvement.

Please note the following:

No orders will be accepted for the next 14 days.
Already received your KATANA? A new one will be sent to you once the K1.2 is released.
Already placed an order ? You will be soon contacted by our customer support team.
Thank you for your understanding.



Odd, ideed. Some kind of screw-up?
 

Thomas savage

Grand Contributor
The Watchman
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
10,260
Likes
16,298
Location
uk, taunton
Are you suggesting that other companies should just go out of business or build something else? I would hope there is still room for other manufacturers to be successful in the DAC market. It might tend to get very boring if everyone owned the same DAC. There would be nothing to argue about, and Thomas and Amir would have nothing to do except to live in a camper in the woods growing beards looking like ZZ Top.
no no, this will never happen, Amir has a mobile steam room where we like to spend time on our away days .
shaving each other while listening to early morning bird song is a daily event.
 

Wombat

Master Contributor
Joined
Nov 5, 2017
Messages
6,722
Likes
6,459
Location
Australia
no no, this will never happen, Amir has a mobile steam room where we like to spend time on our away days .
shaving each other while listening to early morning bird song is a daily event.


s-l225.jpg


Hello birdies.
thumb.gif
 
Last edited:

skrekk

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
14
Likes
3
I am playing mine as we speak. :) Streaming through Roon. Measurements will come next.
I'm hoping you'll have time to test the Katana player's sensitivity to different power supply configurations and test the noise level or other parameters of the supplies. From a marketing standpoint that seems to be a very large black hole despite the fact that these Rpi-based players are largely intended for hobbyists with some technical expertise. Most hobbyists however will not have the ability to objectively test the supplies or whether they actually impact the sound of the Katana, nor will they have the ability to test which (if any) of the different power configurations is best.
 

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,376
Likes
234,555
Location
Seattle Area
I plan to test that although it is a bit challenging given the requirement for USB jacks and such for power. It does come with a pair of power lines but for some reason I have not been able to power it up that way.
 

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,376
Likes
234,555
Location
Seattle Area

johan

Active Member
Audio Company
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
Messages
225
Likes
372
We are making a small revision to Katana (low pass filter change from 200Khz to 100Khz)

Still we are not seeing any change in THD+N numbers with the new filter.
 
Top Bottom