Guys, I have had my DS for about a week and a half. Those of you worried about returning it after 30 days because of not enough burn in time? You don't have to worry about that at all. Trust me its just not something that will come up from the first time you hear it in your own system. A pure non factor IMHO...
For me I could care less about what is said about a system in a room with all kinds of other people all squished in with an unfamiliar, complementing system and in a non treated, strange room. If we know anything we know this is less than ideal. Sure, when no other info is available then it is better than nothing but not what a decision can be based on. Al least not on this unit IMO.
When you get this DAC and plug it into your system, in your special - dear room, with your hard sought after, trial and error based years of rewarding work finding just the very right speaker cables, with beautifully matching and complimenting expensive interconnects, power cables for each and every component that purposely compliment and play off one an another, with your creamy and detailed preamp that you can't live without and most importantly your painstaking chosen and beloved speakers you will then know instantly the very first second the switch is flipped and it is turned on that it is a keeper and a special a piece.
All the marketing and hype and all that? Who cares that's the business side of things. If I was worried about the business side of things would I really be spending $60k on a stereo system. I don't think so but maybe I am wrong. This DAC was bam, right upside the head. It was for me anyways. I was like, nice.... that is what I was hoping for... Actually it may even be a little better than I had hoped for as I am already getting JADED as I tempered my expectations quite a bit. Which by the way is not a bad idea in this love/hate hobby of ours. I listened the first second, minute I turned it on. No I was not scared to do that. Why, I paid for it with my money that I worked for. Was it better 3-4 hours later? It was... Was it better after running all night and day after work the next day? It was. How about after 30 - 40 hours was it quite a bit better still? Ya I would say it was... What can I tell you? Right out of the box it wasn't laid back at all. It was thin and not real sure footed but it was still special. No idea where that laid back sound has come from. Really, this DAC? We all hear/see/like/perceive things differently so I am not to judge but I just don't hear it and I have listened for hours and hours and hours to all kinds of music. As you all know the rest of ones system has a little to say about things such as laid backness (not a word but you get the point)? Wouldn't you guys agree that the old little things like pre/amp/cables/speakers sort of can have some impact on the SQ character of a single piece in a system.
Ok, I am not going to get into describing all the HI's -Mid's- Lows, Imaging ,Transparency, PRAT, coherence etc, etc. for the reasons the rest of ones system may have on it but I will tell you what I think of this DAC? This DAC is flat out amazing and it is changing quite a bit in front of my eyes/ears. Developing, growing, extending, tightening and actually physically evolving and not in a really subtle way either. No way this DAC would be sent back after 30 days. I wouldn't have sent mine back after 30 seconds. Lets talk about the MKII that I owned before it and liked very much. I really did and I genuinely thought it was a very nice sounding DAC that I was quite happy with. Like all of us I always want better but I liked the MKII DAC quite a bit.
Is it better than the MKII? Yes it is. Is it way better than the MKII. Yes it is. Is it Absolutely in a total other league and utterly and blatantly - ridiculously better than the MKII. Yes it is IMO. I liked the MKII but to put in simple coffee drinker terms. The MKII is sweet n low and the DS is pure sugar. Not a fair comparison really. If someone really wants to return one of these then they should just stick with Vinyl because no DAC will work for them. Is this DAC better than the top flight, true hi-end vinyl rigs? No,of course not. They cost 5 times as much and I am talking about DACs here not analogue. DACs are DACs... Moreover, is It is better than the $20k - $30k DACS? I doubt it why would it be? I never heard any of those in my system so I am just guessing here but wouldn't expect it to be better than those. In this hobby not always but many times long doe by you long SQ... As far as this $6k DAC goes it is a special one and a no-brainer keeper.
