Decco from Preachtree audio

Hey Knownothing,

Awesome, thanks for the review. I've been looking a loooong time for this type of comparison. I've wanted a decco for a while now... but naturally I like to be thorough in my research and make sure it is my best option.

I think hearing this finally just put the lid on my decision... looks like I'll be buying a Decco. Now, I just need to scrape up the funds...

BTW, I was talking with one of the designers about the Decco for a while. He told me that with the torroidal power supply in the Decco provided equivalent power as Scott Nixon's $150 power upgrade. Pair this with the fact that the DAC is Scott Nixon's best (I think the one selling for $575, based on the price point equivalents I was given) and this alone just about equals the total retail of the Decco.

Thanks again-

Thanks for the info Challaday.

I've searched everywhere and asked my local dealer (Definitive Audio), and haven't been able to ascertain if the Peachtree Decco will decode a true 24/96 signal. I have some lossless 24/96 digital content that I'd like to hear :-)

Hey Ddalal-

I'm not sure if it will take accept a 24/96 signal. I bet it does... but it would still need to downconvert it to a 16/44 because its a non-oversampling DAC... 16/44 is the highest output quality your going to get.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, because a quality OS DAC that could handle a signal like 24/96 would be much more expensive to build than a quality-equivalent 16/44 non-OS DAC. So... if you primarily listen to CDs (16/44 quality) you will get a much better sound for your buck with a non-OS DAC like the one in the Decco than a more cheaply-made but equally expensive OS DAC.

For me... I have no need for a higher quality than 16/44 as most of the music I listen to is "only" available on this... and, in truth, I a long... long ways away from being able to afford the equipment that one would need to be able to distinguish between a 16/44 signal and something higher like a 24/96... but thats just me.

I have been an audiophile all of my life and was a dealer for such noteable brands as Audio Note, Goldmund and more. When I set out to find an audiophile set-up for my personal office, I started as most people, researching audio cards for my high-end computer (QX6850 Quad Core Extreme) etc.
After trying numerous cards and countless hours of research, I ended up with the ASUS Zonar D2X audio card with what most consumers would have considered very good sound through my AudioEngine speakers or Monsoon Planar's. Results for a guy who was used to S.E.T. amps was not satisfactory, especially in the midrange.

I talked with some of my industry friends who told me about the Era speakers and the Decco amp, processor and tube pre-amp all in one box. There descriptions sounded like they had been smoking something as they pretty much made it sound like it was on par with $4000 pre-amp, amp combinations with a killer DAC as a bonus. When I found out that the DAC had no filter or up-sampling I was sold, as this is the hallmark of AudioNote Dac's which I have always thought were the best sounding in the industry, bar none.

The combination arrived beautifully pakaged, I mean beautifully (AudioNote take notice). They were double boxed with protection everywhere. I was impressed already.

Let me just cut to the chase. This combination rivals equipment I have sold costing 5 times as much. Midrange, transparency, soundstage and imaging (oh that imaging) was to die for. I ordered a Siemens 6922 from Tube World to see what kind of a difference it makes and will let you know later. But at this point I have to tell you that I cannot imagine anything sounding better for the money. By the way, I opted for the D4 speakers as I need a small footprint on my desk but was blown away by the incredible soundstage and open transparent mid's and highs. I am using an Earthquake Sub crossing them over at about 70hz.

I am a happy audiophile sittting in my office with very expensive equipment out in my living room being neglected:)