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Opinion on audio note kit dac 5.1 or 4.1

Hi Guys

Happened to chance upon a audio note kits dac, and their dac 4.1 and 5.1 looks really interesting!
Have never heard them in person before, but their specifications look pretty good!
Have any of you heard them before, and what kind of sound characteristics do they impart? (in terms of sound stage, musicality/sweetness, smoothness, warmth/brightness etc)
What system do you play them in and how would you compare them with other dacs you have owned?

Thanks!
thegreenman
thegreenman OP
44 posts
 
Hi guys,

Thanks so much for your input! 2 questions:
1. What source/cable were you using? CD player? Computer? Streamer? Any issues with connectivity?
2. What do you feel about the soundstage?

Thanks!
thegreenman OP
44 posts
 
Hi Jbrrp

Wow you own one of my grail dacs the lampi pacific! How many % would the ANK dac 4.1 be compared to your pacific? In terms of soundstage how does it compare?

You also mentioned a rectifier upgrade. What did you use in the end that sounded good? With what tubes? Ecc99?

Thanks!


jbrrp1
423 posts
 
I find that a Bendix 5852 Redbank manufacture is the primo rectifier in the ANK DAC.  Just more of everything compared to the tube supplied with the kit.  And I run Philips JAN 5687WE's, too.

I hate to say it, but the Lampi Pacific is quite a bit better than the ANK DAC - - I don't know how to characterize these things as percentages.  I've gone up the chain of Big 7, Golden Gate, and finally Pacific, and even the Big 7 clearly offers more information while staying very musical.  The others just get better and better.  That said, I have kept the ANK for my second system, rather than move the Big 7 into it, so that says something about value for the ANK.
thegreenman OP
44 posts
 
Hi @jbrrp1 

Did you manage to listen to the dac 5.1? If you did, how does it compare to the big 7? :)

Actually am quite curious regarding the sound of the DHT tubes (eg 300B) vs the usual tubes like 12AU7. Was wondering if the sound is more open/musical/larger sound stage? Or how does it sound?

Thanks!

Regards
jbrrp1
423 posts
 
I have never heard the 5.1, so I can't comment on that.

Maybe it's the DHT tubes, but regardless, all Lampi's I have owned present a large, fairly 3D soundstage.  As I went up their range of DAC's, the stage got a little bigger, but the biggest difference is in the increase in musical information and details, which provide more of the "you are there" presentation and feel to the music reproduction.  I have the Pacific now paired with the Taiko Audio Extreme server, and the results are pretty great, as close to "live" as a system has sounded to me.
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