Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Musicmann1 - I have heard the Evidence Platinum. I didn't love it. That's why I was skeptical about the Consequence but I was wrong; the CU had everything the Evidence lacked. Interestingly, the Evidence Platinum is advertised as their flagship speaker but it costs ten grand LESS then the Consequence Ultimate. They market the Consequence Ultimate a different way since its been in essentially constant production since 1984. I think the CU is their finest product.

I need to clarify that the shout I am hearing has not been heard in any other room I listened to it in (and I heard it in 2 very different rooms at the store) nor has it been identified by an other reviewer. I am convinced it is a byproduct of my room or breakin. We shall see.

Agear - thanks. That's good to know.

Thanks Paul - that's VERY helpful and I think that's my issue. The shout is not all the time and it's not on every track. It's almost exclusively vocals (not all vocals, only sometimes) although I get it on occasion on clarinet or oboe. It almost sounds like clipping or dynamic compression which would go along with what you said. I'm going to pull out my trusty LP's and do a little experiment....

Abe - I haven't tried the DX enough to compare it honestly. I am thinking on first listen, that surprisingly my low frequencies are a bit tighter and better controlled with my Mac mini. The soundstage seams more open with the DX and there is a layer of detail and complexity that I think the DX is revealing. But that's with like 45 minutes of listening time. And thanks for the heads up on running time. I'll leave it on 24/7.

The DX is intriguing. Let's see how it compares with more time.

The Tenor's are pretty see through so I would be surprised if this was a source issue. Furthermore, Steve Nugent uses a modded mini and am swears by it. His dac has a built reclocket so that is another ripple...

The DX should come around nicely. It, along with the Totaldac Server, are the only 2 that I have heard where it doesn't matter if you play Flac or WAV.. It all sounds the same. EXCELLENT! This is processing power at its finest. There is a warm up (for a day or so) involved with this stuff, so I believe tomorrow will be a new day with the DX.

You should also try the Antipodes Reference Cabling. That is what I use here, and I haven't beat it yet. Mr Jenkins has some good ears man.

Paul

Matt, one last point about DX. It has 2 USB ports for audio: one is with 5v on and another one is with 5v off. Some DACs do not need power signal to be fed through USB and in this case you can use the 5v off port, which should sound better. You need to experiment.