LAIV Harmony

@stuartk Yes, I agree with you.  In fact, in addition to the quote that you had just shared, the following quotes from the Twittering Machines review of the LAIV Harmony Dac pushed me over the top in favor for the LTA Aero Dac....

"Dialing difference and prices down a bit, the LTA Aero DAC ($3950) also sounded comparatively richer, fuller, and to my ears and tastes more involving, making music feel more life-like and less processed."

"The Harmony DAC, running in OS mode, does have a hint of processing it imparts on the sound of music, a kind of subtly overly hyped sense of resolution that can make music feel exciting but over time had me feeling a tad fatigued, as if I had to pay extra special attention to every last bit of every last converted bit of sound that went into the making of the music in play. Switching to NOS mode did smooth this overhyped sound out, moving the sonic emphasis to a richer, fatter, less etched presentation but over time NOS mode felt a bit boring, to be blunt."

" Again, I was not distracted by some sense of too much resolution until I switched to the LTA Aero DAC that immediately created a more spacious and airy sense of place, with more fully voiced piano, sax, and clarinet rounding within it."

So, it was these comparative comments about the LTA Aero Dac that were mentioned in the LAIV Harmony Dac review by the Twittering Machines review that made me feel it may be worth the uncharge in purchasing the Aero over the Harmony. The other thing that I think is of value in regards to the LTA Aero is that you can use various tubes to dial in the exact flavor of sound that you are looking for that will synergistically match the rest of your system.  

However, I will say that at  $2700, it does indeed seem as though the Harmony Dac is at the front of the pac at  it's specific price point.  

Best wishes,

Don

@no_regrets 

Thanks so much for posting the additional quotes. I recognize that, due to budgetary constraints, trade-offs are  inevitable in my case. That's OK. However, sacrificing musicality for resolution is a complete non-starter for me.

When it comes time to buy my next DAC (likely my last) the LTA will be at the top of my list to demo. 

I have compared the Harmony with the latest Denafrips Pontus 15 

on its own with its dual precision clocks and bigger dual o core transformers and now big upgraded capacitors from Japan  sonically a bit richer then the harmony 

that being said I bought the Iris DDC reclocker with the pontus using I2S 

for less then the Harmony ,and they will be running another combo sales my friend said ,using the latest Iris 12 reclocker it 100% exceeds the harmony 

we compared them 2 weeks ago with several other high profile dacs 

@audioman58   I thought you were saving for the T+A Dac 200? I know I am.

I have ve 2-3 audio systems at any given time , my wife is finally on board I go to all the events and audio clubs and let’s me buy Audio on her behalf since I have 40 years + as an Audiophile .

Being semi retired I am going to be settling down soon 

the T+A200 still the best dac under $12k !!