Yamamoto YDA 01 DAC

thanks for that elaborate reply Charles. Really helpful. So, do you have the YDA01 (SS version) or the YDA01b (tube version) ? Which transport are you using ? Have you heard other NOS dacs like Audio Note, BOW Technologies etc ?

I tried the ACK Dac awhile back that did not use any over sampling or digital filters and did not like it. I heard the Zanden dac as well. To me these dacs are good in the mids but a little rolled off on the top, not my cup of tea.

Hi,
Pani, I have the SS version
and use the PS Audio PWT as transport(ASI Liveline digital cable) this combo has been wonderful.

Srajan used the Yamamoto as his reference for quite a while.Given his very high praise of the Metrum Octave this certainly got my attention. We must hear things very similar as his strong recomendations have so far been 100% accurate based on my own personal listening followups.

Best of Luck,

Pani, the only NOS DAC I heard was the Audio Note DAC 5 at CES 2010. It was for about 20 minutes(show conditions) I could`nt form a solid conclusion, but it did`nt really impress under those circumstances.

The Metrum Octave is quite a different approach i.e. much simpler design(good!)non audio chip(ultra high speed industrial, rather than old Phillips chip). It eliminates seperate I/V conversion and output stages(industrial chip intergrates these functions again very simple-fewer parts) also much effort into the power supply. Based on the differences it`s said to be a better-modern design than previous NOS DACs. We shall see.

Hi Charles, I just went through the review of Metrum DAC. It definitely is intriguing and for the price is just surprising. One thing though, Srajan did not at anytime talk about the Metrum Vs Yamamoto in his review (sonically). He spoke about other players but not Yamamoto. Now that has got me thinking. Did you talk to Srajan personally on this DAC and ask his views about this vs Yamamoto ?

One thing I know without even listening that Burr Brown DACs generally get the tone and timbre very correct. Considering that the YDA01 has been made by a hardcore Vinyl guy I cant think of it as sounding typically digital. Even Srajan had said in his YDA01 review that it just doesnt sound like digital is being processed. Both these factors together gives an amount of confidence on the Yamamoto which can lead me to go with a blind buy without hesitation.

But still, since you are getting a Metrum, I will wait for you to comment on it before taking the next step. How much did you pay for the YDA01 ? Is it switchable between 110V and 220V ?