I wanted to share the journey I recently took in search of
something which was missing from my sound. Earlier in 2018 I had purchased a
replacement amp + preamp (SST Thoebe II and Son of Ampzilla 2) and yet felt
there was a thinness remaining that bothered me. My speakers (Philharmonic
Audio Phil 3 are full range and very flat to around 25 Hz) and are not known to
be described as “thin” anywhere in the mid bass regions.
Disclaimer:
I have often wondered about the many debates regarding
cables, whether amplifiers sound different/same, etc. So when I write about an
experience it truly is applicable only to me and I am never in any way saying
another person’s experiences are not valid for them. I figure we all see colors
differently and we all smell scents differently, we taste the same foods
differently, so it stands to reason we probably hear the same sounds
differently. Just trying to say I am not seeking a debate about cables, etc.
I changed most of my cables (ICs and speaker cables) and for
me this resulted in a noticeable improvement. Yet…… something was still
missing. And I am truly NOT the type who “squints” his ears trying to find
every little bitty nuance I can find. I enjoy listening to music and falling
into the sound. So the missing whatever was very easy to sense.
I listen primarily through a music player/streamer (Atoll
MS-100) and FLAC files stored on locally attached media. I had a CD player (Esoteric
K-07) and it also showed the same “thinness”. I was using the esoteric DAC for
my Atoll but also listened using the Atoll DAC and the DAC built into the
ThoebeII. While each DAC sounded uniquely different the thinness remained.
One day I read about the Denafrips Terminator DAC and I got
really interested in discovering more about it. It seemed to be well regarded
leading me to wonder if perhaps I should try a different DAC. The Terminator
had no options for me to hear it without full purchase and given the price tag
I did not feel the risk was worth it. But this was where I first saw the
acronym “NOS”.
At some point in my reading I saw some posts made by Ron aka
Wig about a NOS DAC he had bought and the very favorable experiences he had . I’ll
spare all the details but his posts led me to emailing him followed by me
emailing Dr Slawa Roschkow (http://sw1xad.co.uk/products/)
. He responded quickly to my emails and explained things very well. I still
remember vividly one of his early responses when I mentioned a competitor’s
model and he asked succinctly “why would you want a DAC with filtering when you
could listen to one without oversampling and filtering “ (not a direct quote.
Dr Slawa offers a generous in-home trial period without risk
and his many emails along with corresponding with Ron helped me to wrap my
brain around what Slawa was saying and what he was building. And I certainly am
not going to suggest other DACs are not good, not great, superb, etc. But I was
very curious about someone building a DAC using new but old parts, keeping
things 16 bit and non-oversampled/filtered, It sounds crazy on the surface.
But I also had experience in the past when In created
oversampled FLAC files via software and really disliked the sound that resulted.
I wanted an accurate reproduction of what was actually recorded. Most of what I
listen to is live recordings. While the various DACs I owned played clearly
with great detail, etc. they never gave me the sense of being “Live!”. The
Esoteric I had owned was the best DAC of my lot but I had sold it.
I decided to purchase an SW!X DAC III Std, the same model
Ron had purchased. All of its technical details are on Dr Slawa’s website. Production
of mine took about 8 weeks and it arrived late in the day on Christmas Eve.
That night I connected things and powered it up, wanting to let it burn in for
a few hours before listening. Which I did on Christmas morning.
There are times I read reviews from people and sense perhaps
they are somewhat over the top regarding how huge the sound stage has become, etc.
etc. So, I try to buffer my adjectives to ensure the words are accurate and
that I stay within some degree of reality.
The first notes I heard were simply unreal. It was not
lacking in detail in any sense of the word but the detail was not grainy,
bright, or boring. I want to hear music, not notes. With my previous DACs
background music tended to be very detailed yet more or less like a mono wall.
Guitars, pianos, etc. were all there but most played at the same volume. With
the DAC III each instrument was present but played as it had originally been
played. Decay sounds were incredible. Live music sounded live, as if I were there
in the place it was recorded. The sound structure of the music now had many layers,
each blending while remaining distinct. And this was at the very beginning.
Over the next 3 weeks I noticed “step changes”. One night I
was very focused on my main hobby (digital photography), totally engrossed in
editing a photo in photoshop and I suddenly stopped what I was doing. My ears
said WOW. I had to stop and listen. A song I had heard 90,000 times before
suddenly caught my attention.
I am playing a live guitar solo by Patty Larkin as I am
typing this and thinking how wonderful it sounds. Is funny hearing a 16 bit Redbook
recording sounding so real. The sounds are without words to be honest. It just
sounds live as it should sound. And the thinness? What thinness? Everything
plays full these days.
It honestly took me a while to wrap my mind around the
concept of NOS and being filterless and that it could actually sound this good.
And I am not saying those who enjoy DSD, MQX, etc. should do anything
differently. If it works, enjoy it. But for anyone wanting digital to sound a
bit more like a really good turntable, or perhaps they feel their music is
missing something I would very much suggest reading about NOS DACs and what
they can do. Slawa has DACs priced at multiple price points to fit many
budgets, and with his 14 day in home trial period the risk is low.
I do know I am enjoying music as I never have before. And I
am not using phrases such as huge soundstage and so on. It goes beyond that.
Even though the detail is very very high I am now simply immersed in the music
and not “squinting” to hear if something sounds different. Music now sounds
like music and is a joy to listen to. I would type even more but this Patty Larkin
recording is begging me to sit back, close my eyes, and join the crowd. John
DR Slawa has a lot of information regarding his work on his web site.
