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I've owned the VDA2+VAC1 for about a year now, and there are two criticisms from The Great DAC Search thread that I agree with: that the rendering of more complex passages can be somewhat "messy", and a little 'raw' sounding from my perspective; and that there is a bit of "shrillness" audible in the top end at times. It doesn't help that my speakers are not very forgiving either. I know the VDA2 is a good DAC--it wiped the floor with the OMZ DAC I owned--and I may be nit-picking a bit--but I was wondering if there is anything else at this price point (used or otherwise) that would be a better selection for my system. Admittedly I haven't compared the VDA2 to much else.…

I need a standalone usb dac. Anything else I should consider in the same price range?? Some people mentioned that 06 Microdac is too warm, output level is way higher than normal and bad usb implementation. Is the the case with 07 model too??

Hi guys Not sure of there is a thread here for this. Anyway, I was wanting to let folks know who maybe haven't tried this connection method that it rocks! Those that have are already ahead of the game. I had a demo of the C1 CH precision 6 weeks back, and using USB connection is was just too bright and forward, making many tracks sound harsh. I talked to the dealers and they said it works best with the D1 or using Ehternet. That got me thinking. I didn't want to spend anything like the money on a C1 for that level of sound quality, and TBH it was not as good as my existing DAC. USB Out AOIP In I have had various USB chains, Offramp 5, M2Tech EVO st…

I know APL's slow speed and poor communication aren't new, but I stumbled across some more interesting posts here. Someone finally called him out in public, and it gets even better toward the bottom of the page. Just another headsup to anyone, like me, who is considering something APL. I still really hope the mythical APL DAC pans out...

Well it's finally arrived after sitting at APL since December waiting for the 32bit upgrade. I'm not terribly bothered though as it arrived in one piece, the whole 20kgs. The unit is still warming up but first impressions are very positive though the whole system is stone cold so I might have a better idea tonight. Right now I'm listening to the SACD Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms and it is flat out stunning. The sound is just like it's from a great electrostatic, hanging in space and inviting you to take a listen. The first thing I did was to rip it open to inspect any shipping damage so I'll leave you with some internal porn... …

Ever since getting my APL modded philips sacd 1000 (which I have loved) I have been hearing that APL would release its own dac and transport at somepoint. Looks like the time for that has come: http://www.aplhifi.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=431 Time to start saving up

My apl denon 3910 arrived today, early impressions are extremely positive, it might be the best digital I've heard. I've attached some pics, including some internal shots. Some of the pcb and parts added are mounted in what I'd call a questionable fashion using some sort of epoxy looking material. It does sound really fantastic though.

Hi Folks, This is my virgin post here at Headcase I just sold my Zapfiltered E5, and now am eyeing a mod for my 3910. Alex at APL suggested one of his mods: General PSU mods Add new transformer and linear PSU w/reg. for the digital section Custom clock to replace all 6 clocks on the 3910 Bypass DSPs for best digital to the DAC (loose source direct i.e. SACD>172khz PCM, no: bass management, time alignment, level controls on FL,FR) Double DACs (one 1796 per channel) (loose MIX L R outputs) Analog stage mods with SE mosfet buffer output stage. He says this will kill very respectable $10k vinyl rigs... All for $1xxx Anybody have experience wit…

Hello The player turns it off itself during playing ..after10 minutes or a few hours. The green light on left turns to red. Goes back to green by pressing on load, play or forward. Sometimes it is able to load the cd and play music. Many times, it's locked in. No control with remote. Impossible to reach Alex who did mods on it.

Ok so I spoiled the entire review/impressions thing with the title but I am just that enthusiastic about this new piece of gear from apogee http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet.php The unit itself is designed for the recording musician on the go. The unit is powered by the firewire port and that port also serves as the digital in as well. There are NO other digital inputs on this unit and it is designed for Mac users only. The analog ins and outs are acessed by a breakout cable. The analog outs are 1/4 mono females and are meant to be hooked up to powered monitors for audio playback of tracks you have recorded or to monitor recordings as they happen. There is also…

Finally got my Mini-DAC, which directly replaces my old Lavry DA10. The change was based mostly on a single recommendation by grawk. He didn't adorn his recommendation with audiophile jargon or any other verbal acrobatics for that matter. It was quite blunt, along the lines of "the Lavry sounds like shit, the Mini-DAC sounds good". Somehow that convinced me. And now that I'm here listening to my new setup: Beck - Sea Change to Mini-DAC to SRM-T1S to LNS... I'm really happy that I took grawk's word. The Mini-DAC sounds like the notes have been covered with alternating layers of candy coating and heroin. The soundstage is tighter, more realistic, more intimate. The b…

DV137

I finally got my amp back and running, so I'm going to start posting my impressions of my new CD player. I still have my Panasonic SL-S160 PCDP as a reference, but I'll probably stop making comparisons after a while. Before I mention anything else though, I noticed the output power is much higher than my Panasonic's - this is logical because of the differences between portable and home players' power supplies and output sections. Anyway, the Arcam sounds much louder at the same level on the volume dial - I'll probably have to turn it down when I listen for longer periods. I've only listened to the first three tracks of Jane Monheit's Taking a Chance on Love on both pla…

OK, so I've had this thing running for about an hour. At first I was meh. It was connected to my dekstop machine (Win7) using just USB, out to the Ventus and the ATH-ESW9s. It seemed so laid back up top. Weird. The ESW9s don't usually sound that way. Neither does the Ventus. Odd. So I swapped out the Ventus for the CKKIII that was behind me. What the hell. Ah. Better. More musical. More air. Things opened up quite a bit. Then I swapped in the HD600s. Finally! I didn't expect this combination to work so well. Of course, we all know about system synergy here, right? This is definitely a case where the reviews I read were off. 'Nuff said. I'm lik…

Is it just me, or is this bad timing now that USB 3.0 is finally on the horizon (and years after the Cambridge Audio DacMagic's launch)? I'm not sure what the list price is going to be yet.

Folks, just got an O2 and when paired to kgss and neko d100 i ended up with a sound sig darker than well for lack of a better word, dark..... After switching around with sources i have, i settled with stello da100. Its much better and suit my taste more or less. I also liked dacmagic my friend had. Are there any alternatives dac that would complement this rig well? Say price ranges between 1-2k ? And those that supposedly bettered than stello? Any advice as always is much appreciated

Why does the Assemblage dac I just bought say 2.7 on the front faceplate and 2.6 on the back ? Which is it? 2.6 or 2.7 ? I'll use this thread to post impressions later as well ...as soon as I can get a couple power cords from monoprice.

So the Assemblage D2D-1 has a proprietary cable that feeds the Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 mk3. Does anyone know if it is also compatible with the Sonic Frontiers Processor 3? The Sonic Frontiers SFT-1 also has a proprietary cable that works with the first one, anyone know if it works with the second as well?

Im considering one of these for a portable rig any suggestions? Im obviously looking for a very high quality portable device. Astell&Kern looks awesome but $2500 is steap....The Geek Wave looks like it might trump the AK240 in SQ based on the specs and the designer plus its a fraction of the cost. Thanks in Advance

If anyone's interested, there's an Audio Aero Capitole on sale on HF. I don't know if it's a good deal or not, though. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=256498

Yes, no, maybe?

Anyone have pointers to the differences between AA DACs, particularly the DDE series (1.0, 1.3 is it?, 3.0, etc.) I'd like to pick something up (cheap) with AD1862 DACs and PMD100 that I could play with (ouput stage, etc.).

About three or four years ago, I laid eyes on this cute(at that time) disc transport and thought of how expensive and useless it was- yet there was something in me that yearned for it ever since. I finally found a mint one in original box with remote and literature and could no longer resist finishing my digital rig. The thing is not cute. It is much bigger than I had ever imagined. It was made before I began middle school. It is just shy of 15 lbs, and is about 14" wide, 6" high, and 9.75" deep. The front panel is clean, with power button, red fluorescent display and buttons made of "flexible aluminum membrane." The controls are very unique feeling. They are li…

I rarely post praises of commercial gear as a prefer to build my own, knowing that each component is used in the correct topology is important to me. I am no shill as you can see from my 2000 posts on head-fi. I have to say that this 19MK3 is an outstanding piece of gear. They have done three things extremely well: 1. PMD100 - I'll say it till my death it is the pinnacle of the digital golden age. One day these will be worth $1000 a chip, mark my word. 2. PCM1704K - Erno Borbely told me personally that this is the finest DAC chip ever made, some would argue the AD8162(Jocko) or the PCM63K, but regardless it is a much better design than sigma-delta chip…

Good day everyone, I am in the process of purchasing a new DAC.... So Far, I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD800 and a WOO Audio 6 SE headphone amp. All my music is on Apple Lossless on an external hard drive. My last step is the purchase of a new DAC..... AUDIO-GD is what I have in mind so far.... This company has a lot of fans on Head-Fi, but it doesn't seem to be the same thing here.... The DAC I will buy should last at least 10 years.... maybe more, like my HD800 amd my headphone amp. As I will not have the chance of listening to the DAC before I buy it, I seek for your help... I am thinking of the Audio GD NFB 8 or REF 5 or Wyred 4 Sound Dac 1 o…