Electrocompaniet ECD-1 or Audio Logic 24MXL


I am putting together a very transparent electrostatic headphone system with tube based amplification. I am in the search for a DAC that will work well with this level of transparency.

I have found the Electrocompaniet ECD-1 and the Audio Logic 24MXL as two possibilities. Many seem to think that the ECD-1 is a very good values and does many things well - including very nice soundstage and bass slam and extension. It seems that the 24MXL is a little more highly regarded in terms of realism and liveliness.

I want a source that is very dynamic and adds life to the music. Bass performance and extension is very important. I want great detail retrieval and sense of PRaT. I find myself mostly listening to progressive rock lately and timing and sense of pace is very important to me.

Any suggestions, comparisons or comments is much appreciated!

Peter G.
peteraudio7
i really enjoyed the ecd-1 when i owned one - very musical and reasonably priced. it was displaced by the audio aero prima at 2.5 times the price with a "marginal" increase in performance.

I havent heard the the 24mxl but the ability to tube roll is really interesting ( the only reason i didnt go with the 24mxl was the need for xlr outputs)
I have had the ECD-1 in my system for approximately 2 years. My previous DAC was a Musical Fidelity A324. My initial impressions was that the Electrocompaniet was slightly more forward and detailed than the MF but the differences were not as significant as I was expecting. After switching from RCAs to XLRs, the DAC really came into its own and has been a pleasure ever since.