Retirement System Finally Completed: Impression of the Mola Mola Tambaqui

Congrats on retirement! Wishing you much listening pleasure from your excellent system.

Heartily agree on your observations of the Tambaqui. All these years after its debut (an eternity by digital standards) I am not sure I would pick anything over it at even twice the price. 

Incidentally, which dCS did you audition? I heard the Lina with clock at a dealer and thought it was quite good, but couldn't say how it compared directly to my Tambaqui. Without the clock I am fairly certain it was not as good - it lost a lot of depth and detail. With the clock, likely competitive, but that is a lot more money. You could get a Makua with DAC module (identical to Tambaqui, both electronically and sonically) for less and I am confident that would be easily superior to the Lina without a preamp, and likely even with a $10k preamp. 

What source are you using for the Tambaqui? Not to upset the peaceful bliss of your retirement, but... I finally and very reluctantly upgraded to an "audiophile" network switch (like $900, not something insane) for my Grimm MU1 feeding the Tambaqui, and I admit... it makes a difference. Comparable to, maybe even greater than, adding the external clock to the dCS Lina. I haven't tried it with the Tambaqui's ethernet port yet but I have to imagine it would have a similar effect there.

Congratulations on your system and retirement. I hope you enjoy them both very much for a very long time.  It seems we have reached a point where DACs like the Tambaqui, and others at similar price points, have reached a pinnacle of sound quality that is hard to beat incrementally without having to spend "crazy money".  The question for myself and others with less money to devote to audio is whether and when such qualities will continue to move down the food chain and into lesser priced DACs? It isn't like there is some "super great, new-fangled" technology out there that will blow these $10K to $20K DACs out of the water anytime soon. 

It's kind of like photography. Some lenses made decades ago are just as sharp as anything made today. Of course, the lenses made today that are just as sharp might not be as costly thanks to modern manufacturing techniques. 

@smodking1

+1 I agree with all.

In particular +1 on your partner should not be an impediment to your hobby. I like to joke about it with my partner… addiction, audio dollars vs regular dollars… I give her a huge gift prior to a large audio purchase, but in the end we are just teasing each other. She has always helped me achieve my goals (and I hers) and desires… because, well, that is what a healthy relationship relationship is about. I always feel bad about folks that say, “the boss says no”… cuz, quite honestly, that would be a deal breaker for me and she would be moving on. Only healthy supportive relationships here.

@ghdprentice and @smodking1 

I have an additional perspective but heartily agree with you.  In addition, as partners we challenge all significant spends we make, and reach agreement.  I believe joint decision making in this regard critical I considered this a significant spend and considering with 18 months I improved amplification and the streamer/server as well as the DAC.  So I can state I get support for this hobby but as the angel on my shoulder financially, I respect her position. 

+1 @smodking1 and ​​​​@ghdprentice