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Reference DACS: An overall perspective

There has been many threads the last few months regarding the sonic signature of some of the highest regarded reference DACS (Dcs,Meitner,Ensemble,Audio Note,Zanden,Reimyo,Accustic Arts) here on the GON. I have been very fortunate to audtion many of these wonderful pieces in my home or friend's systems. I wanted to share, in a systematic way, my impressions/opinions with you GON members for a two reasons: 1)That my experiences might be helpful to fellow members interested in audtioning these DACS. 2)Starting an interesting discussion regarding the different "sonic flavors" of these reference digital front ends. I totally agree with the statement, "if you have not heard it you don't have an opinion". Therefore, I have no comments regarding DACS from Weiss,Goldmund,Audio Aero and Burmester because I have never had the pleasure of audtioning them. I would love to hear from members who have and share their experiences with us. My overall impression is that these DACS(Dcs,Meitner,Ensemble,Audio Note,Zanden,Reimyo,Accustic Arts) can be grouped into two molar categories regarding their overall sonic signature. By the way, all of them can throw a large/deep soundstage with excellent layering in the acoustic space with "air" around individual players on that stage. However, than they start to part company into two major categories. Category #1) These DACS "flavors" revolve around pristine clarity, fine sharp details,speed,very extended top/bottom frequencies,and great PRAT. These DACS never sound "etched" or "in your face" but are more "upfront" then "layed back" in their presentation. The DACS, to my ear's, that go into this bracket are Dcs,Ensemble,Meitner. My personnal favorite in this group is the Ensemble, which I owned for two years. These DACS remind me of the sonic signature of speakers such as Wilson,Thiel,Dynaudio, Focal/JM Labs. Category #2) These DACS "flavors" revolve around a "musical/organic" sense, natural timbres,and an easy flowing liquidity. Their "less forward" presentation my give the impression of less detail, but I think in this case its an illusion fostered by their more relaxed/organic manner. The DACS, to my ear's, that go into this bracket are Audio Note,Zanden,Reimyo,Accustic Arts. I did find that the tube DACS did not have the top/bottom frequency extenstion and PRAT of the SS DACS in this bracket. For me, the Accustic Arts DAC1-MK3 gave me the best of both categories, therefore it is now the resident DAC in my system. These DACS remind me of the sonic signature of speakers such as Magnepan,Von Schweikert,Sonus Faber. Well, it's all just my opinion regarding these digital pieces, but I hope this post was at least informative/somewhat interesting and would lend itself to other GON members sharing their impressions, not about what DAC is the "BEST" in the world, but your personnal taste and synergy with your system.
teajay
branimir
236 posts
 
George, not heard X-01Limited yet but, both X-01 and UX-3 sounds very best via balanced connection.
Here is some quote from Marc Michelson review at Soundstage:"One note about using the X-01 Limited to its utmost capabilities: While every sonic point I've made in this review applies to the player balanced or single ended, the X-01 Limited's audio circuit is heavily weighted toward balanced use because of its four-chip-per-channel configuration, and this is how the player sounds its very best. The greater clarity and smoothness along with improved delineation of instruments are obvious. By no means does the X-01 Limited sound bad single ended, but it is unquestionably at its best through its balanced outputs."
Complete review is here: http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/esoteric_x01_limited_followup.htm
So, yes all Esoteric digital gear is designed to sound better via its balanced connection and they will sound very best when used with gear that also preferes balanced connection(Audio Research,Boulder,Krell,Pass etc.). But, you may use it also with normal RCAs... Of course, you will not get the best possible sound.
muratc
58 posts
 
Branimir, thanks for the suggestions. I know that I can't go wrong with the Esoteric combo. But while they are one of the top 3-4 brands for digital. They are also being critisized for being "digital" and sometimes found as too "sterile". Since my setup is all solid state and not exactly with very analog or musical sound, I've thought I might compensate this with some more "analog" sounding front gear. Kalista has been reviewed as the closest digital gear to SOTA turntables. Plus, it's a beauty to look at.
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Sychdeli, are you sure your APL-modified UX-1 is truly a NWO-2 with 20 DACs per channel, and not a NWO-1 with 10 DAC chips per channel? I have read on the APL forums that Alex Peychev from APL intends to show an NWO-2 at CES 2007, but I was not aware he had even built one prototype of this machine as yet. Even in the case of NWO-1, you may be one of the very first people to take delivery of the unit. Please do let us know more about its sound as it breaks in and how it differentiates from your other players.
sychdeli
11 posts
 
Guidocorona,
Yes it is a NWO-2 , I forgot to mention this is an experimental prototype built only after I "cornered " Alex Peychev by paying in advance double the amount of the normal NWO-1. (which itself is fully upgradeable , cost to be determined later this year I understood).
Pride of ownership does not ranks high in my place, so the reason for my post is that simply I believe this is to date the best of the two worlds Teajay mentioned when he started the thread.
I'm an avid listener for the past 20 years and never had heard so "real" sound before , I believe they are so many excellent players out there, I own some of the best, but the difference between the NWO-2 and the rest is clear , you don't need hours of trained listening.
After 10 days , the initial impression stands.
tmhaudio
122 posts
 
Muratc, as the North American distributor of Metronome, the Kalista is very analog sounding as you indicated. I wanted also mention the matching C2-A DAC uses a tube output. One can fine tune the sound with some tube rolling. It is really an amazing product with breathtaking aesthetics!

btw, Metronome has a new turntable, the Gaia, that shares similar Kalista styling, too!
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