Comparing Settings / Filters on the N70
I decided to play a bit with various options and settings on the Pioneer to establish whether I could get better sound quality. The YG’s are so revealing of upstream components and I could hear that the Pioneer was a bit smooth for my liking.
The Pioneer has 3 basic settings, HI-BIT 32 which essentially converts to 32 bits, Up Sampling or Direct. The Direct setting bypasses DSP.
Furthermore a SLOW, FAST and SHORT digital filter is available separately for both DSD and PCM.
If that is not enough there are 7 DAC lock range settings, 7 being the safest in terms of jitter rejection, but at the expense of sound quality.
The Pioneers default setting is Direct + Slow filter + level 7 on DAC lock range.
Filter comparison
Slow provided the fattest Bass, with a lot more overhang than the other filters, but very smooth in the midrange and tops. This is the setting that I have been using since I bought the Pioneer
Fast had a very thin, anaemic and dull balance, and sounded worse in every way than the slow filter
Short provided very tight, punchy and rhythmic bass, and completely opened up the midrange with a far more upfront and transparent sound. The soundstage grew in all directions and especially in terms of depth perspective. Micro details were more apparent as well. This put a huge grin on my face as my system on this setting performed at an entirely new level and solved the overly smooth balance that prompted me to start dreaming of upgrading to a Lumin S1.
DAC Lock Range
I immediately went for the most extreme setting, which is setting 1. Pioneer labelled setting 1 to 3 “expert" settings. The very first song started to skip. I found the magic on setting 2, which has been playing for 2 days without skipping a beat.
Comparing HI-BIT 32 vs. Up Sampling vs. Direct
My default setting has been HI-BIT 32.
I simply did not like music Up Sampled on the Pioneer as it did not sound natural.
Comparing Direct to HI-BIT 32; The Direct setting had better-defined bass than H-BIT 32 and a much wider soundstage. The tonal balance was also slightly more open and transparent.
Final settings
DIRECT + SHORT FILTER + LEVEL 2 on DAC lock range.
My system now performs at an entirely new level and the issues that I had were addressed by finding the correct settings for my system. I am afraid I will be hanging on to the Pioneer for some time still!
This is also a testament to the incredible accuracy and transparency of YG speakers. It was very easy to hear differences between the different options.