Dodson 218 vs. Accustic Arts Tube Dac II.

I have the original 218 (didn't even know the Palladium came out), use it every day for CD, DVD, iPod (through Wadia iTransport) and it is a superb DAC. Haven't heard the AA, but I have found nothing about the Dodson to be dissatisfied with, which is saying a lot for an obsessive audiophile. Just because the AA design may be newer does not mean it is better -- or not better.

Neal

Viper

The AA is $11k.

Tabl10s

If you're still pondering the choice between Dodson 218 and Accustic Arts DAC II, you might want to read this thread that started yesterday in the Misc Audio forum:

http://www1.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1219175000

Jeff Smith of Silversmith Audio in the San Diego area will service Dodson 217 and 218 DACs without regard to where they were bought. I know, because he did work on my 217 MKII that was bought on Audiogon from a professional re-seller. Jeff never asked where I bought it.

I posted the same link here(posted@A.A.)and didn't know the author had done the same. are you going to upgrade to the '218?

Tabl10s

I have seen at least one ad for a Dodson 217 MK II on Audiogon suggesting that a buyer could have it upgraded to a 218. According to Jeff Smith, the 217 MKII cannot be upgraded all the way to the 218 level. He does offer a software upgrade that I believe is the same software run on the 218, but there are certain parts and/or circuitry in the 218 that cannot be duplicated without substantially re-designing the 217. My unit was upgraded as much as it could be toward a 218. If you want more details as to the difference between the upgraded 217 MKII and the 218, I suggest you contact Jeff. I found him helpful and easy to deal with.