REVIEW: Keces DA-151 DAC 800+ hours burn-in - Page 3

Except that the Preludes digital out will not give you any accelerations or 3d effects under Windows Vista.

But that is a problem with Vista drivers, not in the card itself.

ignore the interconnects (LOL).

Will do some proper ABx'ing once she's broken in, but initial impressions are VERY positive. First thing I *seem* to hear is much more punch in the mids (vocals jump out at you).

No issues with setup (Laptop (foobar+ASIO+S/PDIF>MAudioUSB>DA-131>Preamp). Was up and running in 2 minutes.

Build quality (as has been mentioned) is excellent.

Cust. service was great; ordered it on W and it was at my door on S.

Argh, my Keces has arrived in the customs. And I just blew up my computer. Oh darn.

I've had the DA-151 for a couple of days now. Before this I was just using the audio out of a very good motherboard (Intel BX2) plugged into a decent old-school NAD amp and some B&W speakers. So, I don't know how I tolerated it before, but now it really is like two layers of gauze have been taken off the speakers.

Of course I expected a significant improvement over onboard sound, so I was curious to hear how it compared to CD. I have what was once considered a very good Denon CD player, and I performed an A/B test using some favorite tracks (from Radiohead's In Rainbows - IMO there's no better band for A/B testing). I listened to each track on CD first, pushing the volume to the loudest it could get and still be enjoyable, then did same with same track in FLAC with the Keces.

With each track it became increasingly apparent that there was just no contest. The sound through the Keces was more open, with clearer separation; detailed, more punctuated highs, tighter, more controlled bass. What really stuck me was how much better it sounded at louder volumes. Through the CD, the threshold at which the music turned into a murky jumble was significantly lower. Unfortunately I don't have the equipment or living conditions to really push the Keces sound further.

So now for the first time, I'm realizing I am going to have to rip my whole CD collection if I really want quality sound - that's going to be fun

Newbie that I am, I don't have another DAC to compare the DA-151 to. But as others have mentioned, it's very well put together, a solid and attractive piece that seems to be built to a high standard. I've paid a lot more for less. Also, it arrived well packed in 3 days to NY. Good stuff, Keces!

Soon to be new owner here.
In the process of redoing entire rig.

So you got it before you ordered it?

Way cool I'm really happy that you guys like it If you hear something you don't like after the run-in/burn-in period, please let me know and I'll see about how to improve our product.


thanks everyone

Here's another very happy customer :-) Just need a better amp but the DAC sure made it more fun to listen.

Hey Maniac, can you answer this for me..

How long is the burn in period and what differences in performance will I see?

I'm very happy with my 151. Great bass and a warm musical sound so far..

New to head-fi here. Ordered my Keces 151 and excited to hear it. I'm going to run my speaker system from it. LM3886 gainclone amp running a pair of Natalie P MTM DIY speakers. I really think the Keces will let the Natalie P's shine. Has anyone tried a similar setup?

Sid

Well, IMHO it should be about 200 hours until everything settles down to a point of relatively few changes. Just use it as you would normally and it will eventually run its course.

Maniac, is the DA-151 a "usb-direct-I2S" DAC?

Hello, it is using PCM2702's internal DAC, the receiver itself is also the DAC, and thus there's no need to send the digital signal outside of the chip.


Thanks.

postponed the pico purchase due to some financial situation, and placed an order for da-151.
the waiting game sucks but i am extremely excited.
i was quite happy with a cheap usb dac(diyeden svdac04) before, and i cant wait to try da-151. guessing from what i've read on this thread, i think i made a good decision.

Congrats on the purchase. You will not be disappointed. I ordered mine 2 weeks ago and have been enjoying it immensely. Shipping didn't take long either I was surprised how fast international mail can be delivered.