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Kora Hermes or EVS Millenium or Audio Note DAC One.1x?

My search for a new DAC has come down to about 3 choices:

Kora Hermes 24/192
EVS Millenium II
Audio Note DAC One.1x (or perhaps the 1.2 kit)

Has anyone heard all three, any of them side by side? Any opions of suggestions regarding them? It is going to be impossible for me to audition them all, much less in a direct comparision.

The Audio Note DAC's are interesting, but somewhat confusing. They have been "upgraded" or revised to take 24bit/96kHz inputs, yet the main processor is still only an 18 bit chip. How do they resolve 24 bit input with only an 18 bit chip? Does this have something to do with their "1x oversampling", how does that work? It must be done somehow, given the raves I hear from people. How does the Audio Note DAC's use an 18 bit chip to provide resolution comparable to 24 bit DAC's? This is confusing me.
On the Kora Hermes 24/192, does anyone know if the output of the DAC are balanced XLR's, or only single-ends RCA's? All the inofmration I can find on the units (which is quite limited) never mentions the outputs. Also does anyone have any published spec's on the Hermes? The Kora website is not really the best at supplying information.

Are there any other DAC's around the $1500 and below level that I should also be considering? I will be using a very solid EAD T-7000 as my transport, and an Assemblage DSD-1 upsampler/jitter reducer/etc. The rest of the system is a Sonaic Frontiers Line 3 pre-amp, and an EAD PowerMaster 2000.

Any recommendations, insights, comments and suggestions on these DAC's would be helpful and most appreciated.

Thanks!
papertiger
sean
6,231 posts
 
I would suggest contacting each manufacturer as directly as possible, explain what you are looking for and go from there. Let them do most of the talking, listen to what they have to say and how they say it. This will tell you if you think their product will be suitable for what your needs are and if you want to do business with them. Sean
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slawney
242 posts
 
For $1500 you could buy a 47 Labs Shigaraki DAC ($1250) and have $250 left over. Shigaraki is 4/5 the quality of 47 Labs Progression DAC at about a quarter the price. It beats by a long shot the Audio Note DAC 1 at its own game, and has a greater ability to communicate the affective content of music than the Kora, which sounds laid back, cool and veiled by comparison, without the frequency extremes, directness and honesty of the Shigaraki. Sorry for throwing another DAC at you, but it was one of your questions, and maybe some day--I hope--you will thank me.
glreno
224 posts
 
I don't think anyone has heard the latest Kora Hermes, which is using the all new Crystal input chip set. It's supposed to be miles better that the previous version. The 18 bit was very good, so the new one ought to be marvelous. The new Hermes is being shipped as we speak, so more information should be forth coming on it. I own several DACs and CD players, and the 24/192 upsamplers are far better than the 20 bit. There is so much more information played back that you won't believe how your old CDs sound.
glreno
224 posts
 
Just got a Kora Hermes...latest version dropped shipped from Kora in France. It's a killer DAC, even just being taken out of the box, plugged in and played. Last DACS were the Audiomeca Enkianthias and Altis Reference. It's much more quiet and detailed than the Altis, and a step ahead of the Audiomeca in the same areas while being even more natural sounding. And that's with no break-in or set-up time. It can only get better from here. For $1500, it's a steal!!
tk4qmmt
25 posts
 
Glreno, anxiously awaiting your detailed report. Trying to get a Hermes myself but the dealer sold out. Thanks in advance.
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