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When you can't unhear !

So about two weeks ago I brought a dac home from my favourite dealer to evaluate over the holidays.

I have done this a couple of times but never been really impressed . This was different. 

The DAC is soulnote d-2 and it's not going anywhere soon !

Had it in my system for about 5 days when a friend came over and we had a listen, he thought it sounded really good and asked if I had compared it to my old? I haven't. So I plugged in the other and started the same track . It was not subtle, it was saddening how big the difference was. Switching back to the soulnote and wondering about how to unhear that, but I couldn't so I sold one kidney and one of the children and I'm much happier now 😁

Jokes aside, anybody else had that " can't unhear this " experience and what did you do about it?

My former dac was the Matrix audio X-Sabre Pro MQA. 

Have a good 2024 everyone  !

128x128iseland
j-wall's avatar
j-wall
369 posts
 

I just purchased a set of cone spike decoupling gliders from Herbie's and I can't believe the benefits it's provided being upstairs on carpeted subfloors. I should have started with speaker isolation before system upgrades and I'm sure it would have made the wow factor even bigger. But these aren't leaving my home. 

iseland's avatar
iseland OP
133 posts
 

Thanks for the input Jerry but the subject was not necessary about pricing as much as about the "wow ,this is something fantastic " experience because it does not come very often. 

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories, I love reading about it !

 

iseland's avatar
iseland OP
133 posts
 

So I couldn't keep my fingers from the cookie jar , took the clock x-3 for a spin and that is not leaving my house anytime soon... 

It's kinda hard to explain how much of a difference it makes,  in short terms it makes everything better..more..clearer..focused .

 

iseland's avatar
iseland OP
133 posts
 

Forgot to mention wider deeper sharper and more relaxed at the same time, how that's even possible beats me but still it is.

painter24's avatar
painter24
283 posts
 

I've just had a similar experience to OP

My "current" DAC is the Cen Grand DSDAC 1.0 Super Clock, which is a fine DAC, absolutely nothing wrong with it but .....

I've had an itch to re-try R2R DACs again. I had the Ares II about 2yrs ago or so but sold it, probably a little hastily and funded my REL sub with the proceeds. My system back then has no resemblance to what it is now, and I just wasn't hearing what all the fuss was about with the Ares II in my system at the time.

About 5 weeks ago I spotted a pre-loved Ares 12th-1 up for sale on the auction site, so I bid and won. 

I fell in love with this little DAC; while the Cen Grand is very good, the little Ares 12th-1 is just so engaging and enjoyable. I can't bring myself to plug the Cen Grand back in. I'm not sure now, what to do. Just like the OP, I can't unhear what I've heard, and I have a DAC that cost x3 what the little Ares cost, just sat there redundant. I'm going to sit on it for little while longer, and make a decision 

 

 

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