Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/eversolo-dmp-a8

This live album contains recordings made at different locations over a two-year timespan, which gives some tracks a very different feel than others, and the precise portrayal delivered by the DMP-A8 revealed the changes. Maalouf’s ‘Beirut’ for example, which recounts his childhood story of wandering off into his war-torn hometown and witnessing something so horrible he can only relate it via music (which explains the mad Led Zeppelin-infused outro), was so pitch-perfect that I felt almost present in the Nantes hall in which it was recorded.

Maalouf has a customised trumpet with an extra valve to sometimes play shrill-sounding quarter-notes. On some playback systems this can be a bit much, but Eversolo’s DMP-A8 seemed able to steer clear of stridency. In any case, if the combination with certain loudspeakers had introduced some harshness, the DSP in the Eversolo streamer would have allowed me to slightly roll off the high frequencies, making for a more mellow representation.

I will say that the balanced output sounds significantly better than the single-ended, though that didn’t seem to be a problem with the VALI 2++, yet I feel the Mystique Y has a greater affinity to solid-state amplifiers, the soundstage was definitely larger with solid-state. (Note: Benjamin Zwickel, the designer, tells me that the single-ended output is the most direct, that the balanced output stage is after the single-ended, he posits that the improvement I hear is more on the side of the amplifiers than the DAC) There is also the question of noise floor which is the primary focus of the Mystique Y, tube amps just can’t compete with current solid-state, especially current mode amplifiers in noise floor and dynamic range though the VALI 2++ comes close being a hybrid.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0524/Nagra_Audio_HiFi_Classic_DACII_PSU_Power_Supply_VFS_Support_Review.htm

I will not pretend that the Nagra Classic DAC II is an “affordable” audio component: The list price of the Nagra Classic DAC II, Classic PSU Power supply, and VFS (Vibration-Free Support) combination is $40,900. Some might decide to forgo the PSU power supply, which lowers the price by a bit, and the two VFS bases will drop it a bit less. That means one could add the Nagra Classic DAC II to their system for $18,500.

This is still a good deal of money. But is it worth it? You bet! This Nagra digital combo is one of the best digital front ends that I have ever used in my system. It boggles the mind to think that this isn’t the best (or most expensive) in Nagra’s line of digital components. I feel that the Nagra Classic DAC II / Classic PSU / VSF package is worth every penny. But if one does purchase it, a donation to help those in need would also be nice.

The Nagra Classic DAC II, Classic PSU Power supply, and VFS bases made digital audio in my reference system sound excellent — better than it ever has in recent memory. This Nagra Classic digital front-end is highly recommended for those who can afford it!

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1224-naim-audio-nss-333-streaming-dac

The NSS 333 is based on the latest-generation NP800 streaming platform, which Naim claims to be futureproofed via software upgrades. In my experience, Naim is superb at updating its player and app software. This platform was originally developed for Naim’s second-generation Uniti models, and proved extremely dependable during my lengthy evaluation period. The only issue I noticed was that it seemed incapable of accessing the UPnP playlists I had created for my first-generation Naim NDX streamer. Tidal playlists worked fine, but those involving locally stored files were problematic. It’s an annoying limitation for users of Naim’s first-generation streaming hardware who want to upgrade to the new platform, assuming mine was not an isolated case. My recently acquired NDX2, which uses the same streaming platform, has no issues in this regard.

The DAC features Naim’s favored Burr-Brown PCM1791A chip running in external filter mode. There are two separate digital boards; the first fitted with an ARM microcontroller for system control, while the second contains SHARC digital signal processing circuits. Discrete class-A op amps are used with custom Naim filters. The circuit uses custom polystyrene ultralow-dielectric-absorption post-DAC filter components. Two fixed-frequency 44.1kHz/48kHz synchronous master clocks are employed for ultra-low jitter. The NSS 333 uses Naim’s proprietary DSP 705.6kHz/768kHz integer oversampling digital filter. Although not considered exotic, the 1791 DAC was chosen after extensive listening tests because Naim found it sounded superior to more expensive options.