Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Hi all.

I invite everyone to take a look at my Virtual System in "All Out Assault" titled "Obsessed Again". I just updated all the photos with great shots of my brand new dedicated listening room. A dream of mine for 30 years!!!!

I'm SO excited!!!! I'm still waiting for my back ordered GIK side baffles. And I'm still waiting for my 9m xlr interconnects from pre to amps (also backordered). So no tunes yet; Waaahhhh!!!! But soon music will flow!

Regarding servers. I would strongly consider Paul pang who now is building complete servers. This would be a w2012 with audio Phil optimizer, linear ps, slc ssd and quality cables. Excellent price.

AL

I spend the day listining to a pre-production version of the darTZeel LHC-208 (Danlogue). It is a 200wpc ethernet streaming Dac/integrated amp….and it kicks butt! VERY smooth Dac that soundly beat my Chord Qute EX with Hynes LPSU. Its has a lovely analog sound and plays all up to DSD128.

And the best part is that it will cost less than $14K. Extremely cheap for Dartzeel.

The worst part?

It wont be ready before at least 1 month and only 50 units in the frst batch and there are over 100 form orders already.

This will sell like hot-cakes.

The Antipodes DX is up and running today.
A couple of early impressions are how easy it was to get the hang of the operations, and how much I enjoy the interface. Another thing I like is how easy it is to rip CDs. Mine are only taking about 5-8 minutes to rip and I can fully play music while ripping. All you do is put the CD in the front slot and wait until it pops out. The music is automatically added to your playlist. The remote interface with iPeng is very easy, versatile and works great.
So far, I wouldn't say the DX sounds better than my Mojo mini but, based on Steve's comments, I will give it time. It is certainly in the same ballpark but maybe a touch less resolving and a touch less dynamic than the mini. There is no edge or glare whatsoever, but my mini also does not display those undesirable traits. The DX displays a somewhat more evenhanded presentation than my mini, which seems to do a little more with regards to attack and decay. At this point, the DX also displays a bit of lower midrange or midbass warmth, which could be affecting the perception of resolution and speed.
These are very early observations and do nothing but show that both the Mojo mini and Antipodes DX are very good sounding source components. I will not be surprised if the DX gets better with time, or even if it surpasses the mini, but I will be surprised if it ends up being substantially better than the mini. I already knew the mini was good last year when I decided to sell my $7,500 CD player.

Mitch - as I said before, it is a good USB interface that makes the Antipodes rise above everything else.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio