Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Matt,
Please, call me Aziz, which is actually my name :))
I have not made a detailed comparison between my DS Reference and the mac mini. I just put in the DS and was so happy with the sound that It never came up to my mind to try the mini again. Also, at that time I was so fed up with the various usability issues I had with iTunes and Audirvana, I was glad to get rid of the Mac mini and never use again. The DS was so much easier to use. Sound wise, I remember more bass extension and better soundstage. Also, it seemed at the time the DS was more revealing and I simply heard more music with the server.
Aziz

Isn't $15-$20K still DCS money these days?

If so, DCS is the only thing I have heard that I thought maybe dropping that much on if I could. And even that is a big "might". I've heard a lot of good digital on very good systems since I last sampled DCS a few years back.

I've been quite happy since for several years with mhdt DACs. I suggest anyone looking to drop big bucks on a DAC try those first. I've never a/b compared the two but both are top notch in regards to musical satisfaction based on what I have heard to-date.

Matt, I think my last post came off wrong. If so, I totally apologize. I fully understand what you are looking for. I do wish you were able to get every one of the speakers you have heard into your room to really see how they'd do. You have done so much research that by now you know what designs will be best for your situation. I admire the heck out of what you are doing to build your system. On a side note, I have had a DX in my system vs my mac mini with Steve's power supply and tweaks with all high rez cuts that are properly recorded and my mini won out in nearly all areas. The sound stage may not have been quite as big, but it's was THIS close. The bass digs deeper and tighter with the mini and the dynamics are better. I also feel the leading and trailing edges are better with the mini.

I think things are so close that it's just hard to chose and that's why I have passed for now. I'm sure soon that servers will get better and better and when they do, I'll be ready to make a switch. Thanks for doing what you are doing. it's fun to try and keep up.

No worries CT. I don't offended easily nor was I with your last post. I understood.

Thanks Aziz. Got it.

Mapman - yes $20K will get DCS but not top level DCS. And DCS is one of the few brands that I have heard (although not in my room) and liked, but don't want to go there because of the massive amount of space they need and extra cabling, power cords, etc. with the other top stuff out there I feel comfortable looking past DCS.

Agear, CTSooner, Wisnon, Guido and the rest - I have decided that you guys are all as crazy as I am. Its bad enough I've gone on this insane fools errand. But you guys just came to watch me go on the errand. Which makes you fools as well…. LOL. Grins. HEHE and all that. My pathology appreciates your pathologies! Thanks for the company guys, and for all who have read, contributed to and followed along for well over a year now!

HUGE UPDATE - THE ONE YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR:

I'm pregnant… LOL
ok, I'm not…

First off, I have made the official decision that for now, the Consequence Ultimate is my end point. With the adjustments in the room and the placement fine tuning, the speakers work flawlessly with no direct room interaction, no shout, no boom and just clean music. They do everything superbly and nothing, to my ears, is missing or flawed. They are a window to everything upstream. yes, they need more placement adjustments but I feel that they give me everything I want and with more effort, love and attention they will just keep giving me more. I like them better then the Isis and as much as the Tenors which did the same things but in a slightly different way… I will still admit that if I gad been able to make a deal for the Tenor's, I would have stopped there. They were that good and anyone considering spending that kind of money with a smaller room would be crazy not to listen to them!

The Isis have been purchased by my neighbor and we are, together, building a great system around them including the Aurender N10 and Berkeley Reference DAC (if it doesn't take 9 months to come in) which will give me access to some fun stuff to borrow as well. Win Win… Plus I can go over and hear the Isis whenever I like…

Now for some DAC news. Some BIG DAC news!!!!

First are impressions of the Allnic D5000 DAC. If I were comparing this DAC to anything else I have heard and reported on I would not say what I am about to say. Comparing the D5000 to my loyal, truth worthy giant killer ODSE and the crazily well reviewed and respected Emm Labs DAC2X is really not fair. The D5000 is actually closer to the DAC2X then the ODSE from a price point. The D5000 sounded soft compared to the other 2, which makes sense since its all about tubes. It sounded very soft to me. The base was thin in comparison and the upper mid registers were just not there. Standing on its own or compared to most other DAC's I have reported on over the many pages, it would favor rather well and I would suggest anyone interested in a tubed DAC start their search here and with the soon to be evaluated Aesthetix Romulus Signature. But to be blunt, it was easily outclassed by both the less expensive but giant killing ODSE and the more expensive DAC2X. I'll leave it at that…

Now…..

Wait for it…..

Cuz Here it comes….

After 51 pages of raves and more comparisons then I can even count anymore I can, for the first time, say that "The Kind is dead. Long Live The King!"

For the first time since I started this journey I went back and forth between my ODSE and the competition and ended up preferring the competition. The Emm Labs DAC2X has dethroned my ODSE and brought me closer to the music and audiologica Obsessiva bliss.

And it wasn't a small win. It does it with gusto! It does EVERYTHING better. Highs are more accurately reproduced, proper and extended without the faintest chirp of brightness, shrillness, shriek, or wince. The mids are natural and flat out real in a way the ODSE touches but just can't do the way the DAC2X does. Vocals are in the room with dimensionality, depth, realism and complexity. Base is lightning fast, clean, clear, extended and natural. Double Bass is reproduced like nothing I have heard before. Tympany has depth, impact, layering and scale. The soundstage expands in every direction while creating a more natural aura around each performer and placing them in their proper location in the X, Y and Z access. Its uncanny. I can understand, for the first time, when reviewers say their digital sounds like analog.

What can I say…. The DAC2X is over twice the cost of the ODSE but its worth every penny. The ODSE is a miraculous DAC and kills everything else close to it, but their is clearly a level about and the DAC2X is solidly in that upper tier.

I am going to listen to the Aesthetix Romulus Signature in a few weeks because I desperately want to and need to be able to advise those who ask where it stands in the pecking order (especially with its tubed nature). I am very curious to hear how it compares to the ODSE and I will let you all know…

On the Monday I get back from RMAF, a pretty nicely loaded MSB Dac and its matching MSB surge suppressor will be sent my way. With the crazy performance of the Emm DAC2X, I am truly exploding to hear the MSB in my system and compare the 2. The Emmlabs dealer, Larry from northern Jersey, is a great guy and has generously offered to let me keep the DAC2X until the MSB arrives so I can compare the two directly.

I also think I have secured a CAD and Rockna DAC audition but it looks like they will not be for quite some time based on my very resent conversation with their importer. LIke December potentially.

In regards to the Antipodes DX comparison I will again report some surprising findings….

After comparing the DX to my purpose modified Mac Mini over about 2 hours, I can say with certainty that I prefer the music generated by my Modded Mac Mini. I had left the DX on for 3 days with signal running through it to really prep it. It linked right up with the computer and to all DAC's without an issue and the iPhone App iPeng8 was great. I wanted to like it…. I REALLY wanted to like it better!!!! The Tidal controls on the Mac Mini sorta suck form my iPhone to be honest, and the DX has a great built in ripper which is SO convenient… I wanted to like it better.

I ripped several store bought CD's directly onto the DX as well as my SongList CD that I bring to stores with me for my auditions. In all cases, I just preferred the Mac Mini more. My friend was 100% dead on (as is CTSooner). Base response on the DX is limited compared to the Mac Mini, and its not that the Mac is overemphasizing them. The DX affects leading and trailing edges in a definable way and although it, at first, appears to have a wider soundstage it really doesn't. Its just very slightly smeared with a "wider" soundstage but less accuracy in imagine and placement.

Its very convenient but I will not be replacing my Mac Mini just yet. I will try the Aurender when I can get my hands on it, and hope to try the CAD and Rockna servers when they become available to me in December along with their DAC's.
I also have a dealer friend who is a Lumen dealer and he has an A1 to try out (although the Lumen really relies on their own internal DAC and only has I2S digital outputs). I need to check to see if the DAC2X has I2S inputs, and I would certainly try the A1 with its internal DAC as well…

I'm trying guys. Its a LOT of work and time to do all of this and I have obviously gotten SO much out of the effort this far. Please remember that my opinions are based on my ears, my room and my system and your experience with different gear may/will vary dramatically from mine. Always hear anything before you buy it and never buy anything purely on reviews and web opinions!

For right now, I'm done with my speaker search. Officially. I have a few dealers and reps who still want me to try some stuff as it becomes available and I will be happy to do so. But my goal, other then to continue my insane DAC search, is to fine tune placement of my speakers and treatments to get the most I can from my room. And then start helping my neighbor to do the same in his room. Its way more fun spending other peoples money though!!!!!

Cheers! and sorry for the typos. Hopefully you still got the gist...