musician aquarius r2r dac any good?

@viethluu 

It probably needs additional hours of use. But I understand, the DAC has to satisfy you, not me.😀

Charles

@viethluu I kinda hate to bring this up because it involves spending more $$$, but just saw this review and the Musician Phoenix DDC seems to take the Aquarius (and Pegasus) to a much higher level of performance. Just fyi…

https://soundnews.net/accessories/level-up-your-dac-musician-phoenix-ddc-review/

Sorry.  I’m still planning on picking up a Singxer SU-6 for my Pegasus because that also provides nice benefits, and as much as I’d love to add the Phoenix it’s just not in the budget for me. 

@soix The DDC is my project for next year, buddy. I am pretty sure the Phoenix DDC will improve the DAC further.

Food for thought, there is “Mercury Streamer” that is about to come out, converting ethernet directly to i2s. That product has the potential to destroy all DDC competition in the market. It is made in the USA as well.

@viethluu Thanks for the heads up.  If the Mercury can provide performance closer to the Phoenix at a price closer to the SU-6 I’m all in.  Hey, it’s nice being able to look forward to adding a DDC in the future knowing you’re gonna get a significant performance boost.  Not many things in audio electronics are such a sure lock. 

there is “Mercury Streamer” that is about to come out, converting ethernet directly to i2s. That product has the potential to destroy all DDC competition in the market. 

There is already the Mano ULTRA mkIII Farad Music Streamer and it is not that cheap at $1000 (without taxes).

I highly doubt it will be easy to beat a dedicated quality DDC.

The Singxer SU-6 is already highly praised. GoldenSound wrote this:

Overall, the Gaia is a great DDC with perhaps the most comprehensive feature set of any I’ve tested.

Those wanting the absolute best performance should still look to the Singxer SU6.

Still the SU-6 was beaten by the Phoenix. In the Musician Phoenix DDC Review Sandu Vitalie wrote:

Musician Phoenix ($1699) VS Singxer SU-6 ($750)

When Phoenix replaced it, I have felt a massive intake of fresh air, like I opened windows towards my music. Micro-details hopped on board and I could better see the contour of the notes compared to the SU-6.

Leading edges appeared by a tiny bit sharper and I could easier follow their trail from inception to decay.

With Phoenix, the key word was focus, as it was moving the spotlights towards the smallest nuances and what was already impressive on SU-6, felt by a hair clearer on the Phoenix.

In my case, Phoenix changed the fate of three high-performance DACs, some were only marginally improved, while others felt like listening to higher tiered versions of themselves.

Besides repelling all types of noise and improving the pace, rhythm and timing, Musician Pegasus became highly energetic, Chord Dave a lot smoother and relaxed than ever before and Aquarius a lot clearer and 3D sounding.