Opinion on audio note kit dac 5.1 or 4.1

Hi Jjss and roxy,

Thanks for your input!

How do they compare to other dacs? Esp tube dacs or audio note dacs?

Thanks! :)

I built the 4.1x recently and it displaced my Lessloss DAC 2000 MkII in my system. The Lessloss was in my system for 13 years, so to me it was an excellent DAC using one of the best DAC chips ever and implementing it well in the circuit.

The 4.1x just adds more of what the Lessloss gave me. I don't listen to hi-res very much (maybe some 24/96 files) so 16/44.1 works fine for me. I find the 4.1x to be very smooth and natural sounding. It is extremely quiet as well for a tube DAC. I think what makes the unit special is not so much the DAC chip, but the use of transformers for the I/V conversion and the transformer coupled output. So no opamps and no capacitor coupled output.

I demo'ed a 3.1 in my system for a few days.  Nice sound... smooth and warm, but not as good as my previous DAC Luxman (DA-06) and current DAC (Audio Aero Capitol Reference).  Could be a synergy thing, as I could see the Audio Note being a good fit for a bright or thin sounding system.

I built an AN Kits 4.1LE some years back, subbing in some VH Audio Copper/Teflon caps.  It sounds much like others have described.  Decent detail, but certainly not digging in as deeply as my Lampi Pacific.  Warmer, rounder, kinder to the music - - just a pure joy to listen to in my second system.  More "analog" sounding than a lot of ss DACS.  It does respond to different tubes, to be sure, and really likes a rectifier upgrade.  I think its a pretty good DAC for the money, if your systems needs a source that is not "in your face" - - then it's a good match.

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for your input! 2 questions:
1. What source/cable were you using? CD player? Computer? Streamer? Any issues with connectivity?
2. What do you feel about the soundstage?

Thanks!