Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Why NOS Tubes are better:

6moons industry features: A visit to BTB Elektronik

Okay, but you inventory much which would seem of interest to the high-end valve lover. So what’s up with the NOS trend? I mean, really, isn’t it mostly retro? Telefunken simply looks cooler than Sovtek stamped on the glass? Or are there bona fide advantages of quality and sound? Are we really to believe that valve quality and production processes have devolved over time?

The explanation is simple. In the 60s when valves enjoyed their halcyon days, the average German income was about 500 Deutsch Marks and an EL34 of the era sold for 15DM. If you transfer that relationship to 2012, an EL34 still sells for about €15 whilst the average income has come up to €3.000/month. It’s easy to see that tubes today are far more affordable. Hence the inverse is true too – price pressures on manufacturers are much higher today. Because valve production remains about 90% manual, you can’t compensate with automatization. In the past selection was much tighter and rejection ratios were far more generous. Today things make it to market which would have been trashed then. That’s why the quality of vintage valves tends to be quite high to make NOS much more than just a fascination with retro.

Hi Steve, if I understand correctly, your future lower end DAC will support DSD, while your higher end OV-SX will not.

This is fascinating... I am curious as of the reason for your strategy?

Saluti, G.

Don't know squat about DACs, but I'll just mention in passing that I bought a DEQX device for time coherence correction and room EQ, which has considerable DAC capabilities which I am still exploring. I think the DEQX DAC may have just bested the inboard DAC of my ARC Ref CD-8 CDP.

Check the thread, "Is DEQX a Game Changer?"

Bifwynne, what was so very impressive to me about the DEQX you just bought is the FACT of they used public addresse cheap speakers at the biggest audio show in 2012 and got Best sound at show award with this unit!, coming from the likes of Stereophile and the Absolute sound as being astounding, would make any decent speakers sound way better than the over priced speakers I have exsperienced in my life time!, is this a game changer?, possibly, I may buy one myself, and the good news is, It is a pre-amp too!

Did anyone else go to the NY/Brooklyn show and come back disapointed?

I gave myself 6 hours for the 2pm-8pm open hours and thought I would need more time. I got stuck doing errands and didn't drive until 3. By 4:45 I was done…

2 floors, and the lower floor only had like 4 or 5 rooms.

Lampy was there, but had some speaker issues early on, which closed him room for most of the time I was there. It was opened at the end and I listened, but nothing grabbed me or blew me away…

Totem/Diavalet room sounded great. As did the new Kef Blade II with Parasound. Legacy Audio had speakers making good performances in a few rooms. Not much really reached out and grabbed me, and nothing came close to the sound I get from my own room at home. I guess that's a good thing…

On the downside, my errands and work pulled me from any chance to listen yesterday morning. Sorry.