Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

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,

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.

I am not surprised Matt. The Esotar is my favorite tweeter and that speaker is time and phase aligned which always makes music. Are you sure its not too much speaker for your room? It extends down the 17Hz and is big....?