audio mirror dac

Thanks for the info...
My 1st week with the D1 Signature DAC and I am very pleased.
It is a wonderful component, especially for the $$$.
Vlad's T-61 tube pre is also very nice, had that about 2 weeks now.

Clio09:

What mods does TRL offer? What are you getting done on yours?

Dennis

I have over 200 hours on my D1. Prior to the Audio Mirror, I felt that Redbook performance on my Marantz SA14 was very good. SACD was better in my opinion but not by a significant margin. My prior CDP player was a Cal Delta transport and Cal Alpha Tube DAC. I thought the Marantz was superior in every way to the Cal setup. The improvement with the Audio Mirror when added to my system using the Marantz as a transport is significant once the D1 was broken in. SACD is not superior to Redbook through the D1. In fact, I think I may prefer the sound of Redbook through the D1 than the Marantz SA14’s SACD. SACD now almost seems a bit too laid back.

The Audio Mirror D1 produces a real bottom end. Its bass presentation is not just weighted but also has definition as I can hear and feel defined bass that I really never heard before through the Marantz. A detailed treble that I thought was only possible on my best vinyl recording is now present on good CD’s. The mid range was a bit rough and harsh until the DAC was fully broken in at 100 hours plus. Once broken in, music through this DAC never sounds harsh in any way. If this DAC has a weakness in my opinion it is a minor one and could be inherent to my system but some recordings may seem a tiny bit fat or maybe a little too warm. I think I’m going to try some tweaking with difference isolation devices on my amps and transport. The soundstage is now approximately 25% larger with all instruments having greater detail and pin point imaging. Even during very complex musical passages, all instrument and vocals are distinct and well defined.

The end result is that this is the best $500 I’ve ever invested in my audio system. I’m thinking of possible replacing my SA14 with a true stand alone transport so see if I can squeeze a bit more realism out of my Thiel’s.

Islandflyfisher,

Consider talking to TRL about modding your Marantz (check out the SA14 thread here on Audiogon and contact Jes45 who has a modded SA14). Based on what I have read for their standard fee of $550 they could make your Marantz really sing. Perhaps their mods will also improve the digital stage so it makes for a better transport. I am having them modify one of my D1s. Also, I bought a CDP/CDR/HD where they modded the digital stage and I use it as a transport for my D1. The sound is fantastic. This transport replaced a 17k CEC unit in the previous onwers system.

Just a few thoughts...

Dennis,

The TRL mod is a leap of faith in some respects. They do not list their mods as they are somewhat proprietary (they also do not publish schematics for the amps they build). All I can say is my Alesis ML9600 modded by them is an amazing transport for the D1. I do know for instance that they disabled the error correction circuitry and dampened the chassis. Other than that Paul was mum (except to say their work with Intel on a non-audio related project contributed to the mods), but having dealt with him on more than one occasion I know that he is incredibly trustworthy and the TRL house sound is to my liking.

So, with that I'm going to take $550 and send it along with the D1 and see what Paul Weitzel and his team can do with it. I know one thing for sure and that is I'm going to request that the digital input be moved from under the IEC. My Flavor 4 PC pushes down on it. I don't know what Vlad was thinking there, but I'll give him that considering what a bargain this DAC is and the sound it produces.

Then on to comparing the two...