Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

08-22-15: Jh901

I'm really hoping Matt will be able to home demo. I'm extremely skeptical. Seventy grand will buy quite an impressive traditional component system.

Me too Josh. This whole thread started in the name of digital, and we all know the lengths that Steve Nugent, Lucas and others go to make it sound palatable. The idea that you can equal or better that with a Swiss version of Bang & Olufsen on steroids is magical thinking and an example of the advertising hyperbole that Lucas was alluding to from his Munich blog. This magical Logos system has not floored people at shows. Why not?

Here is some Audiofederation feedback (he can be fairly blunt):

Hi SMajor,

Yeah, I guess we do end up with a lot of large and elaborate setups. Not always but… yeah… :-)

Hmmmmm… ‘better sound’ …. hmmmmm…. Goldmund has what we call a sophisticated sound. We like this flavor of sound, Neli especially so. High resolution, good micro-dynamics, both across the frequency spectrum. Quick and dexterous.

If you like this kind of sound then this system does a reasonably good job at it [I have no idea what the price here is, so if is $1M, do not buy it. If it is $10K, order it up NOW].

If you do not know what sound you like – get yourself to a show and do some listening. But if you just want to get SOMETHING, and you are liking what you read about Goldmund, then by all means…

If you do not know what we mean by ‘sophisticated sound’ then this sound here is kind of like a planer speaker, for example if you have heard decent solid-state on Magnepan, but more detail in the lower frequencies and not quite as much microdynamics [but more than most other box speaker systems].

If there is any complaint with the sound here it is the slight amount of sterility. But, as you may know, I say that about just about all 100% solid-state systems. The Goldmund system actually does a decent job at being musical compared to most solid-state, including lots of outrageously priced things out there.

I’m sure Goldmund also makes separates and they will sound better if they cost more and sound not as good if they cost less. That is just the way manufacturers setup their product lines. But we also see the appeal in simple clean-looking setups. Really. We do. :-)

Hope this helps!

Take care,
-Mike

SMajor October 16, 2014 http://audiofederation.com/blog/2014/10/13/goldmund-rmaf-2014

Matt, any updates? You have been a little quiet....

Wisnon, I listened for a long time to the Goldmunds and found them very good. But I would never buy them as they leave me cold. They are easy to use, attractive, and have great frequency extension. But they are only good music; one never gets involved with them or feels the emotion of the music or taps ones toes. They are flat out boring. I do often read while listening and love it when the music grabs me and forces me to put down my book. They are perfectly suited for streaming elevator music.

Tbg,
A friend of mine and who's opinion I've found very trustworthy over many years and listening encounters said the same concerning Goldmund. He finds them precise in an analytical/clinical manner. No organic character, soul or emotion stimulating ability at all, just cold. I have no personal experience with them at all. Tastes do differ amongst us and some will find their sonic attributes and character ideal for their preferences. They have obviously remained a successful business.
Charles,

Wisnon, I listened for a long time to the Goldmunds and found them very good. But I would never buy them as they leave me cold. They are easy to use, attractive, and have great frequency extension. But they are only good music; one never gets involved with them or feels the emotion of the music or taps ones toes. They are flat out boring. I do often read while listening and love it when the music grabs me and forces me to put down my book. They are perfectly suited for streaming elevator music.

Hi all. Sorry, was up in Tanglewood yesterday seeing the yearly Movie Soundtrck concert. John Williams was supposed to conduct but he developed back problems. It was amazing.

I went Friday and hear the Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate and the Avalon Isis. CU for the second time in a better room and with much better gear, Avalon Isis for the first time and setup in a private dedicated room with all top tear Spectral gear.

The CU pushed every button just right. The base was limitless, taught, clean, accurate, dynamic and with proper decay. Quite bluntly the best base I have heard, ever. The mids were magical, engaging and proper with a sense of texture and layering that only the Tenors have shown me. Complexity and subtlety at the same time. The highs are correct, extended, with no sense of harshness or shout. The soundstage was huge and very deep and imaging was accurate and it all Added up to a 3 dimensional experience. I really really liked them. They were accurate, without being hifi and musical without being warm or colored.

The Isis were, quite simply, too big for the room they were in and for my room as well. The Time would have been a much better model choice for my needs and for the room size. But what I heard impressed me in many ways and taught me much at the same time. I thought the 60" pulled the image too high and it felt awkward and unnatural, especially hearing the piano floating 3' above the floor. The tone was proper enjoyable but the 1" diamond tweeter struggled to extend without losing its magic and the twin massive woofers overwhelmed the room and were a bit tubby and lacked a sense of pace and rhythm. I think that was both room and equipment related though. The image was a bit far back for my tastes. I was frequently impressed by its scale and specific attributes I heard, but not once truly engaged and lost in the moment. I have heard the Time is a tad more revealing then the Isis, and I truly wish I had heard those as well. But extrapolating the Isis to the Time, with a similar driver complement but smaller in scale, I can get a pretty good idea of what they are all about.

The Avalon and Coltrane Tenor use similar drivers in a similar configuration and, to my ears, represent similar goals and styles. I preferred why the Coltranes do.

I will speak with Bob this coming week to get my ears on the Goldmund to give you guys and myself an opinion.
I also am trying to arrange an in home audition for the T&F Isis and maybe the PMC as well.

I was practically mesmerized by the Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate though. And it has catapulted to #1 by a pretty nice margin.