Ayre QB-9 USB DAC

Dracule1,

Yes, interesting post. I tend to second guess these rave reviews about the Tranquility DAC. It has been noted repeatedly here some shills around the Tranquility: always the same few raving about the Tranquility with no further posts about anything. The link points to wdmoore51, who provides a rave review, but has had only 2 posts in audiocircle...suspiciuos to me.

Now, I'm not saying the Tranquility is not good, because I just don't know that. But what I mentioned above, coupled with dB Labs disclosing nothing about the technology behind it simply makes me second guess.

Horacio

Horacio, I understand where you're coming from. I have the Tranquility DAC, but I can't give you a meaningful comparison because I have not heard the QB-9 in my system. However, you can always audition the Tranquility in your home with money back guarantee from the manufacturer if you don't like it. Can't say the same for QB-9. As for dB Audio Labs not disclosing details on the DAC, I can see both sides of the fence. Many audiophiles are caught up on the latest DAC chip, asynchroneous USB, oversampling, high rez, etc, thinking the newer the better. I have heard the latest of the latest, but most of the time I'm disappointed with the new technologies. Many will not even consider a DAC if it doesn't have asynchoneous USB or latest DAC chip. I say let your ears be the judge and not the manufacturer's hype.

I have a Tranquility DAC and I am more than happy with it and the service provided by Eric. Spending 2 hours on a saturday helping me optimize my system is way beyond what ordinary customer service is. I've had no complaints with it whatsoever. I've heard the QB-9 several times and I wasn't blown away, maybe it was the other components in the systems that were off.

My understanding is that this DAC only plays at 16 bit resolution and downsamples 24 bit material to 16 bit. My experience with hi-res recordings is that the bit depth (24 bit) is more important than the sampling rate (48 vs 96). I also prefer balanced out since my system is balanced throughout.

Also, I don't think this is an asynchronous USB interface. Just too many technical shortcomings for me in this day and age. It would make more sense to look at a Wyred4Sound. Maybe it is the old-school sound that is appealing!