Audio-gd DAC 3SE - Arrival! - Page 2

And Now the Review

Audio-gd DAC – 3SE : The Review

Well how does one start with a review of such an interesting bit of kit? I could take a photo, but its basically a black brick (and weighs in at 16kg), so maybe I should link you to the website so you can look and read up what they say about it (н¨ÍøÒ³ 1). Of course, all the photo’s and specs in the world don’t actually tell you what it will sound like, so you have to have a bit of faith before you buy, as I was unable to read any reviews on the web, and its not the sort of item you can easily return. So why does one take such a risk to buy a ‘pig in a poke’? Well buying direct from the manufacturer is always cheaper than buying retail as there is no retail mark-up, and buying direct from China means that our pounds/bucks go much further. Much much further!

This is actually the 4th time I’ve sat down to write this review, but the pervious incarnations have been way to lengthy and rambling.

Setup:
Squeeze Box 3 -> Coax RAC-BNC (Canare) -> 3SE -> DV 332 -> HD 650 (not I use ReplayGain on all my music to produce a consistent output level of sound)

My speaker rig is hooked up to the second set of RCA’s that Kingwa kindly added.

The 3SE has only Coax RAC or BNC input (can only use 1 at a time), and has 1 set of RCA outs. There is an on/off button (for those that like to press buttons). Yup.. that’s your lot. (Sorry, there is a flick switch on the back for ‘Clear/Smooth’).

I liked the DAC due to the design aspects; solid power supply (3 in total) well separated L+R channels, dedicated output amplification, good quality DAC chip set as well as HDCD.

Music:
Well I ran a wide source of music through it, from Dylan, Jarre, Beatles, Davis, QoTSA, RaTM, Hackett, Genesis, Young, Richard Thompson and lots of Zappa.

Sound:
Well out of the box this sounded special, really special. I was so excited about buying it, that there is always a tiny tingly moment before you turn it on, the moment of doubt (will this really sound so much better!) and the answer is Oh Hell Yes! My previous DAC’s were Beresford and Zero (upgraded) – but my reference listening source had been a Musical Fidelity A3 CDP – and neither DAC had been able to meet the sonic quality of the A3. So after my initial impressions, I left the rig to run for a month before I switched back in the other DACs and the A3 in order to work on the review.

The 1 Month Review

Well I’m still very, very impressed with this DAC, it has an awesome sound, great tonality, superb bass and a proper treble that doesn’t go sibilant or slushy. The soundstage has opened up to reveal all sorts of details that I’ve not heard in my CD collection. Actually, that’s not quite true, as some of SACDs display the same soundstage – so perhaps that give you an idea of the SQ, get SACD levels of detail and separation from Redbook cds. I tried to explain this and came up with ‘the old soundstage was elliptical, everything was there, but the sweet spot was in the middle and it tended to fall away at the extremities, high and low ends; The 3SE soundstage is spherical, there is no fall off at the high and low end, all those little incidentals your were straining to hear in the past are now simply clear and bright, in fact the whole of the soundstage seems much better balanced, the bass is very clear but doesn’t trample over the mids etc. Te highs aren’t sibilant, but crisp, sharp; the sound of a cymbal being hit is now magical, you can hear the resonance and decay; and this isn’t affected by whatever else is going on around it. You can easily identify an instrument and follow it, it doesn’t rise and fall (does that make sense?) as other instruments pay around it. I played Equinox by Jarre, and it sounded like a new mix of the album, there was so much better representation of the details, all those multiple layers are now properly intertwining rather than getting lost in a swirl. In fact I’ve been so impressed with Equinox that I played it again in full with the Zero DAC, just to make sure I’m not wearing rose tinted glasses! Acoustic guitar sounds exactly like it should (and I should know as I play) all those incidentals and resonances are captured, quite incredible. The detail level is so good that on Zappa’s Zappa in New York cd, you can hear where FZ spliced the portions of Illinois Enema Bandit from the different sets – as the crowd noise changes ever so slightly! And with Beethoven, well the extra soundstage is easily on a par with SACD, that extra depth and width, the positioning of the instruments is much better, again its like the musicians are no longer treading on each others toes to get heard. . There is also a complete lack of harshness that I’ve found with the MF A3 for example.

So where does it really excel? In the bass; you can feel as well as hear the bass, it captures those low frequencies and powers them to give you that perfect percussive punch, even at low volume. Anyone that’s stood near a drum kit will know its as much a feeling of the drums being played as hearing. Of course this effect is much more pronounced with my speakers rig, but the HD 650s simply come alive. And in the pure speed; no matter how fast Satrinai or Vai noodle, the 3SE keeps up with ease, no slurring of notes, no mushiness, you can hear each note as if it was being played one at a time.

So what’s the down side? Well I was thinking that badly recorded CDs would sound even worse, but actually they don’t, its just quite clear what there lacking, be that hiss, or compression, but it doesn’t sound so awful you have to turn it off. The incidental noises in classical music (moving chairs, choughs etc) actually sound so realistic that your transported to the concert hall. Its such an almighty piece of kit your not going to be able to buy one and just nonchalantly pop it down with the rest of your audio gear.

So what’s the difference between Clear/Smooth? Well I’ve left it on Clear all the time, I might try smooth now I’ve finished gushing about it.

Summary
Well its by far the best and most musical DAC I’ve ever heard, easily brings redbook cds to the same sound quality as SACD; magical soundstage, its like there is simply no music to big to present here; Bass – gorgeous smooth percussive bass, punchy and vibrant (no booooommmm); Crystal clear highs, (with no sibilance) resonance on percussion to make you smile; superb speed, no matter how complex you never get notes slurred together; great instrument separation.

Boy do I love it!

My favourite comment ‘This sounds so good I can hear what Dylan is saying’

So if your in the market for a DAC, and you have a big spot free, you want to spend all your cash on SQ and not frills and options, then this could be the DAC for you. Great solid sonic performance. Oh, and for those that have followed my story in the Zero thread, its absolutely silent when not in use .

Cheers

Big ‘Tony’ Tony