Any opinions on the AMR Digital Processor 777 Dac?

Sabai,

I am considering one of these two DACs - NAD M51 or AMR DP-777. What do you think does the NAD better than the AMR? And vice versa?
Both seem to be highly praised. But their prices are so far off each other that I have a hard time believing the NAD being same or even better than the AMR...

Thanks, Karmakuma

Karmakuma,

What does the NAD M51 do better? Everything. It is a sleeper -- and a steal. IMO.

I have tried a bunch of separate USB/SPDIF converters before the AMR DP-777, including really expensive ones from Off-ramp with all possible options and modifications. Each sounds different but none presented a significant upgrade to running USB directly into AMR. That holds true until one day I inserted the Z-system RDP-1 before my USB/SPDIF dongle and AMR, it has brought the performance up to a new level, I would say night and day. Now I can never go back to the USB port running direct. Too bad I have to turn one four boxes (MacBookPro, USB/SPDIF dongle, Z-system RDP1, and AMR DP-777) before the AMR locks onto any signal, but it's worth it.

To all AMR DP-777 owners: If you don't have something like Z-system RDP-1 before your DAC, you don't know how your AMR is all about. It doesn't matter whether you are using PC, Mac, or CEC belt-driven transport. It doesn't matter whether you are using AQ Diamond or WW Platinum Starlight USB cable, they make 5-10% difference, but if you have the money, buy a good re-clocking device like the RDP-1 and sit in amazement! It's like transforming your $5K DAC to $10K, or from DP777 to CD77.

Karmakuma, I will personally choose AMR DP777 over NAD M51. To me the NAD makes more Hi-Fi sense, the AMR makes more musical sense.

More specifically, if you love big bass the NAD will do better. But the AMR's naturalness and delicacy in midrange is really something special.

Any saying like "sleeper", "world beater", "everything" is just misleading. Nothing is the best and it all depends on your priority. It's easy to buy HiFi-ish DAC for around $1~2K, but very hard to buy musically involving DAC even if you spend $10~20K. The AMR is not a perfect DAC, but at least in a few aspects it enters the cost-no-object category.

Yingtonggao,

You stated "But the AMR's naturalness and delicacy in midrange is really something special." This is exactly what I found with the NAD M51. I would classify it as very musical -- more musical that the AMR in my system. And the NAD M51 has no design issues. Regarding musicality, much is system dependent, IMO.