Ok - a few clarifications seems to be needed.
The Killer is a hand built DAC made in minuscule quantities to a customers requirements and in fact 'tuned' to their system. The price varies depending on options but mine cost $5.5k.
It's built around the legendary Phillips Double Crown chips, but the single crowns are also used if they are deemed better than the double crowns available - mine is a single crown.
Mine accepts I2S only and so can only be used with a I2S source like the Off-Ramp or an I2S Transport. Normally the Off-Ramp clobbers any transport but I have heard a very highly upgraded battery powered transport that sounded better - to my ears anyway - but it was the only one and the difference wasn't enough to entice me away from the Off-Ramp - in fact in some areas like bass extension and detail retrieval it was better anyway - where the transport was better was in harmonic richness and layering.
Everyone wants to compare it to the Lampi. If someone wants to send one over to our group on the Gold Coast feel free, but comparisons I have heard of with the Lampi doesn't want to make me go out and get one - eg in one comparison I read an AMR was considered better, so for me the AMR comparison is a bit more interesting and that will happen at a blind GTG on the 15th March along with the Phasure, Killer, and new PDX.
The Phasure at the GTG I posted about was not set up optimally (it used a Mac Mini with Audirvana and not their preferred XXHighend) as I have been totally blasted for over on Computer Audiophile, as well as using crap speakers, being deaf, and all sorts of other rubbish for simply having the temerity of, horror of horrors, suggesting to everyone's ears in some systems the Phasure may not be the god of all gods.
Amazing. I know some gear engenders a very loyal following, and I have been caught up in that sort of thing before and have learnt to tone it down a bit, but some Phasure guys do seem a bit over the top.
Thanks
Bill
The Killer is a hand built DAC made in minuscule quantities to a customers requirements and in fact 'tuned' to their system. The price varies depending on options but mine cost $5.5k.
It's built around the legendary Phillips Double Crown chips, but the single crowns are also used if they are deemed better than the double crowns available - mine is a single crown.
Mine accepts I2S only and so can only be used with a I2S source like the Off-Ramp or an I2S Transport. Normally the Off-Ramp clobbers any transport but I have heard a very highly upgraded battery powered transport that sounded better - to my ears anyway - but it was the only one and the difference wasn't enough to entice me away from the Off-Ramp - in fact in some areas like bass extension and detail retrieval it was better anyway - where the transport was better was in harmonic richness and layering.
Everyone wants to compare it to the Lampi. If someone wants to send one over to our group on the Gold Coast feel free, but comparisons I have heard of with the Lampi doesn't want to make me go out and get one - eg in one comparison I read an AMR was considered better, so for me the AMR comparison is a bit more interesting and that will happen at a blind GTG on the 15th March along with the Phasure, Killer, and new PDX.
The Phasure at the GTG I posted about was not set up optimally (it used a Mac Mini with Audirvana and not their preferred XXHighend) as I have been totally blasted for over on Computer Audiophile, as well as using crap speakers, being deaf, and all sorts of other rubbish for simply having the temerity of, horror of horrors, suggesting to everyone's ears in some systems the Phasure may not be the god of all gods.
Amazing. I know some gear engenders a very loyal following, and I have been caught up in that sort of thing before and have learnt to tone it down a bit, but some Phasure guys do seem a bit over the top.
Thanks
Bill