EMM Labs DV2 Integrated Digital-To-Analog Converter $30,000 Review
December 9, 2019 Comments Off on EMM Labs DV2 Integrated Digital-To-Analog Converter $30,000 Review
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/1219/EMM_Labs_DV2_Integrated_DAC_Review.htm
“If you are also running analog, you will need a preamp or integrated amp so this digital volume control may not have the appeal it has to me, since you will already have a volume control. You may be better off saving $5000 by buying the DA2. So, this is for digital-only guys like me. Is the volume control here as good as a top rate analog volume control? Not in terms of range – you can go both louder and softer on some preamps which incorporate a gain stage and the steps may also be finer. But in terms of quality, if the range and granularity on offer here suits you, this one is pretty much perfect. In practice, I could not differentiate between the sound coming through the EMM Labs PRE Reference Preamplifier into the Soulution 511 Power Amp and the sound of the DV2 going directly into that power amp.
There are competitors to the DV2. dCS, Chord, Esoteric, MSB, Berkeley, and others all have or are working on statement DACs, and most now offer a variable output implemented digitally. I’ve been very impressed with the new implementations I’ve heard. Some are much more expensive than the DV2, and may have optional external clocks that can raise the price significantly. But I’ve heard nothing that sounds more like the music I hear in the best performance spaces. More impressive, yes, but more realistic, no.”
Audio Note DAC 5 Special Review $43,500 Review
December 7, 2019 Comments Off on Audio Note DAC 5 Special Review $43,500 Review
https://www.audiostream.com/content/audio-note-dac-5-special-review-43500-question
“So, it’s not a DAC that can handle every file format in the known universe. If that’s the case, what is it supposed to be focused on? The goal of the DAC 5 in it’s two guises (Special, Signature), according to Qvortrup, is to wrest every last ounce of emotional, sonic engagement from 16-bit/44.1kHz (Redbook) files, and to be used as a bridge for one of the company’s CD transports, if not as a stand-alone proposition. In numerous discussions with Qvortrup and others at Audio Note UK over the years, the feeling one comes away with is that there is more than enough information to be retrieved from a CD, or Redbook file to compete sonically with any other format, if the digital-to-analog translation is handled properly. Properly, in this context, means building a technology altar where this service can be worshipped with what AN UK considers the finest D/A construction specifications possible”
PrimaLuna Evo 100 DAC Review
November 30, 2019 Comments Off on PrimaLuna Evo 100 DAC Review
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/primaluna-evo-100-dac/
“My PS Audio DirectStream DAC cost twice as much as the Tube DAC, and thanks to a built-in volume control, could directly drive a power amplifier (but not two). Unlike most DACs, it uses neither tubes nor solid-state devices in its output section; in fact, it has no output section, directly driving the output cables with the output of the digital output filter. Balanced as well as unbalanced outputs are available. PS Audio has updated the operating system several times, each time making non-subtle improvements to the DAC’s sound. The cost of the upgrades? Nada. As in free. Just download them, copy them onto an SD card, insert the card into a slot on the back of the DAC, and turn the DAC on. It upgrades the operating system, and voilà, you’ve got a new, improved DAC. Snowmass, the latest version of the operating system (the systems are named after 14,000-foot Colorado mountains), was installed on my DAC.
On “Folia Rodrigo Martinez,” the initial cascabel whacks were similar to the tube DAC, while the percussion came through with even more detail. Bass extended quite low, with excellent pitch definition. The overall sound was a bit brighter, but not even slightly etched. The music glowed with powerful energy.”
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 700I V2 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER AND 780D V2 STREAMING DAC £13,000 REVIEW
November 29, 2019 Comments Off on MOON BY SIMAUDIO 700I V2 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER AND 780D V2 STREAMING DAC £13,000 REVIEW
Mytek Liberty DAC $1000 Review
November 29, 2019 Comments Off on Mytek Liberty DAC $1000 Review
https://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-mytek-liberty-dac/
“As the Liberty will be used by many as a high‑quality headphone amplifier, Mytek have included a “reference high‑current, high‑transient headphone amp” capable of supplying up to 3W (and 300mA) of power into headphones of any impedance, including very low‑impedance designs. I tested the Liberty’s headphone amp with a wide variety of headphones, including Sony MDR7509s, AKG K701s and K812s, Sennheiser HD650 and HD25s, and in‑ear IE800s. The performance was flawless with them all: there was more than enough volume for all of the headphones I used, and the sound quality was excellent, with powerful bass, airy open high end, precise mid‑range details and inky‑black backgrounds.
The Liberty’s ability to handle a wide range of different PCM and DSD signals and files, as well as being amongst the few converters able to handle the new MQA format, certainly gives it an advantage amongst the competition. However, given its intended role in the hi‑fi market I’m surprised that Mytek haven’t either equipped it with a remote control as standard, or offered one as an optional extra. That would not only enhance the user experience, but would also help it compete against the likes of RME’s ADI‑2 DAC. Overall, though, despite some unexpected bench test results, the Liberty is an excellent converter, and its compact size and connection versatility make it an attractive option for anyone who needs a high‑quality and easily portable reference‑grade converter and headphone amp. “
dCS • Rossini 2.0 Digital Playback System $24,000 Review
November 3, 2019 Comments Off on dCS • Rossini 2.0 Digital Playback System $24,000 Review
“What this truthfulness emphatically does not mean, however, is that nothing stands out in Rossini 2.0’s intrinsic sound. It displays impressive speed, bass depth and power, midrange color and heft, and an inherently natural way with tone and transients. It’s more transparent, and less obtrusive, than any collection of digital electronics I’ve heard, other than the Vivaldi 2.0, that is. It’s just that, on the one hand, it revels in the fireworks of Keith Richards’ Main Offender [Virgin V2-86499] as readily as the gentle, lilting instruments lines of Thelonious Monk’s Plays Duke Ellington, so nailing it down to a base signature is difficult, if not impossible. Yet, the resolution is so high that discerning the differences between the JVC K2 remaster of the Monk album [Riverside RCD-201-2] and the earlier regular issue [Riverside OJCCD-024-2] is a cinch, with the remaster displaying meatier individual notes — a virtue with Monk’s playing — and a more up-front and vivid presentation.”
Elac Alchemy DDP-2 Pre-amp, DAC, streamer
October 17, 2019 Comments Off on Elac Alchemy DDP-2 Pre-amp, DAC, streamer
CHORD ELECTRONICS HUGO TT 2 DAC/M SCALER UPSCALER REVIEW
September 26, 2019 Comments Off on CHORD ELECTRONICS HUGO TT 2 DAC/M SCALER UPSCALER REVIEW
“I enjoyed similar benefits when I played the ‘Triptych (Excerpt)’ from A Company of Voices – Conspirare in Concert [Harmonia Mundi, 16/44.1]. This exuberant and syncopated piece for percussion ensemble and concert choir is not one that is easy for most DAC’s to handle, in part because of the large-scale dynamic swings involved and the perhaps slightly over-modulated choral swells that at times threaten to become ragged and strained. However, with the M Scaler assisting the Hugo TT 2, the timing and timbres of the percussion ensemble instruments improved dramatically, with more incisive transient sounds, rounder tonalities all around, and the all-important qualities of ‘swing’ and dynamic ‘jump’ in evidence. Individual choral lines also became clearer and more intelligible, while the potentially problematic vocal swells sounded better controlled and more expressive, with elements of congestion mostly (though not entirely) cleared up. In addition, the sounds of the concert venue were captured more realistically (I can say this with some conviction because I was present in the hall on one of the evenings when the recording was made) and with appropriate stage width and depth. Once again, the M Scaler/Hugo TT 2 pair made an already good recording sound a whole lot better.”
« Previous1234Next »
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.