Thanks Bill for the detailed post. I look forward to hearing a formal report of the shootout down under. I share your sentiments about digital music reproduction. A recent Audioshark review of the Lumin transport put it best:
Digital sucks. There, I said it. To be honest, I really dont want to dislike my digital because it is so convenient, but vinyl has always sounded better in my system. Those close to me know I have been on a DAC merry-go-round for several years now. I have cycled through so many DACs that Ive lost count and too embarrassed to say, but it is somewhere around 20. In that time, I have had the pleasure of owning or trying some wonderful sounding DACs, but in the end, they always drove me back to vinyl as my preferred source.
To me, computer audio has always produced this edge, this hyper resolving presentation which often creates listener fatigue. Sonic characteristics which have always sent me running for my turntable.
In addition, with computer audio you have the added frustration and expense of dealing with a Windows PC or Mac. As someone who works on a computer all day, the last thing I want to be bothered with in my listening room is virus scans, fighting adware, phishing attacks or worrying about the latest software update or new version of the operating systems. I just want to listen.
Digital does indeed suck. There is always something ever so slightly askew. I don't own a vinyl rig, but in those escapist moments, my subconscious mind dreams of some big brass platter. A lot of the "solutions" for sale seem to fall short and somehow desecrate the music. Not just absence of fatigue but lifelike dynamics and energy. That is a razor's edge. Many NOS or tube dacs fails in that department. Reclockers fail. Upsampling fails. Hi rez and DSD fails.
Your observations about transports are also spot on. I have told people (and myself) that the transport game is as hard as the dac element. I am interested to see where that all goes in the next 2-3 years with the entrance of Sony back into the game, Lumin, etc.
It does seem like there are a lot of promising pieces coming down the pike. The Trinity dac is making waves over at Audioexotics: (http://www.audioexotics.hk/index.php?option=com_simplestforum&view=postlist&forumId=1&parentId=10845&topic=true&Itemid=53) where it panned a dcd stack.
Phasure is starting to get more traction and formal exposure in the US is growing (http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f10-music-servers/whos-tried-phasure-nos1-digital-analogue-converter-18457/). We have a shootout planned with the Lampizator in Atlanta in late Jan/early Feb. There is also a gentleman in Hong Kong who now owns Phasure, a Lampi L5 with DSD, and a DCS stack. A formal shootout is still pending.
The Lampizator L7 is making waves in Hong Kong (http://www.review33.com/m/forum_msg.php?db=1&tstart=0&s=&topic=47121019144020&start=20&sort=&number=59) and has been competitive with big dollar tables. We are still waiting for a comparison with the Trinity.
Finally, your description of the Killer dac sounds.....killer. I am a fan of that chip. DDDAC, a DIY outfit from German (http://www.dddac.de), made quite a splash with their kit based on that chip (and more recently on the 1794). People have traded in big dollar rigs for those cheap kits. The report is that it sounds like music and NOT digital. I look forward to hearing how this whole things shapes up.
