The Channel Islands VDA-2...a Fine DAC

My VDA-2 arrived today. The VDA-2 is one of those components that makes a clear statement. After a few hours of use, it is obviously better than the DAC/output stage in my NAD C 542...well, I suppose that is no surprise, as I have suspected all along that the NAD had been stifled by its op-amp output stage. The VDA-2 changes the character of the sound. On its own, the NAD is a solid performer, but with the VDA-2, my system becomes more lucid, spacious, authoritative, and timbrally accurate.

I cannot imagine spending thousands on CD player with an op-amp output stage. I have had many different players--Music Hall CD25, CD 25.2, Audio Analogue Primo, Rega Apollo, Sony DVP-9100ES, and many others--yet I find the NAD C 542/VDA-2 more satisfying than any of these units. I gather it will only become more apparent with the addition of the VAC-1...

Is there anyone else out there who is impressed with his VDA-2...and happy to be free of the gray, lifeless tones produced by the negative feedback of op-amp circuits?

I appreciate the responses.

Yes, socrates63, the NAD C 542 makes a fine transport. In fact, I suggest reading about its analogue output. In short, it is a buffered, isolated output. Hence, the "pipe" out of the NAD is especially good (and perhaps more resistant to jitter).

Overall, I see it this way...used NAD C 542s are going for less than $300 now. Add $599 for a VDA-2, and, for under $1000, one has a digital lash-up that should compete with the better digital front ends--that is, those few that have good digital sections AND real output stages. The least expensive CD player with a real output stage is the Bryston BCD-1--at $2,695. It only goes up from there, with the Ayre CX-7e at $2,950 and the Audio Research CD-3 Mk.II at $5,495. No matter what op-amp player I had, all tended to have the same type of sound. Changing cables had some effect, but the effect of inserting a discrete, zero-feedback, true Class A output stage (as in the VDA-2) has produced, by far, the most notable difference. For me, I had a choice of a $2,695 Bryston or the VDA-2. Poor man that I am, I took the poor man's route. I am quite satisfied.

You are welcome, socrates63. I wish you well in your pursuit of better sound. While there are many factors that effect sound quality, the design of an audio component is the key factor. I have yet to hear something with op-amps outperform something with discrete transistors or tubes. Op-amps, or integrated circuits, have inherent limitations--as Charles Hansen of Ayre Acoustics has recently noted, "There are not only hundreds of transistors and diodes in that ultra-low-distortion IC [integrated circuit], there are also hundreds of resistors and many capacitors to boot." Hansen continues, "If anyone thinks for a moment that a resistor or capacitor fabricated from a dirty piece of sand (i.e. the doped silicon used to fabricate ICs) is a better-sounding part than what is available in a discrete form, I can assure you that they are flat-out wrong. If you don't believe me, try to find any company that sells discrete parts made in this fashion. It simply isn't done, as the limitations imposed by these materials make it literally impossible to make high-performance parts in this way."

Good designers have known this for decades. Hence, the $4,000 CD player with an op-amp output stage is not only laughable, but it is also a poor value, as op-amp designs are inexpensive and simple to design. Hansen even refrains from calling the people who make these components designers; he remarks, "these companies don't actually have circuit designers, they instead employ 'packagers' who simply package the 'latest greatest' ICs into a fancy box with a thick faceplate." This is the "'dirty little secret' of many so-called 'high-end' audio companies," Hansen points out. You will find the rest of Hansen's insightful comments in the October 2007 issue of Stereophile.

I agree, glenmorangie, the more I listen to my system with the VDA-2, the more I am impressed. It sounds even better with the Enigma Audio digital cable (which I received yesterday).

Good point, sacd lover...I wholeheartedly argee. In my 17 years of audiophile listening, I have yet to discern the sonic benefits of op-amps. I would always opt for a discrete transistor or a tube.