Just got this in the today from the DHL man......(along with a C-2C headphone amp, pics is Amp forum later)

















Sorry about the pic quality......

Peete.

Very cool, one of the first pics I've seen of this DAC.

WOW Peete! That DAC looks SWEET! Have fun checking it out. cant wait to hear about it. Thanks for the pics.

Wow, it's awsome! Thank you Peete, thank you for making the wait that much harder. (Mine should be ready in a few weeks time.)

RIDICULOUS!!!

That's 3 separate power sources/rectifiers for each section right?

WOW ! looks Awesome Peete.. maybe some initial impressions earlier than 8-12 weeks??... Ok Ok .. I know its difficult... Congratulations again !!..

Very nice! This is getting very very exciting. I can't wait for some shoot outs.

I like how they labeled the XLR outs as "XRL".

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It's better for balance.

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This is the initial release to the Western market after extensive trials and a lengthy QC period. This one was made for me quite some time back but I had to wait for the release date before Kingwa could ship it. He put 200 hours on it for me before shipping, bless his soul.

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The thing is built like a Tiger II tank and is HEAVY. 35 lbs I'd say. 8 mm and 10 mm aluminum panels, fit and finish outstanding.There isn't a gap anywhere. Every panel lines up square and true. Excellent.

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Sorry Dro....don't worry, the next couple of weeks will whiz by or my name isn't Orville Redenbacker......


This should be fun this evening if I don;t put my back out placing it into the rack (old fart that I am). It came set up with DIP 7 ON the rest off ( I think )...I need to print out that page for the DSP1 settings so I know what the hell I'm doing

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement guys.

BBL with a brief note on initial impressions..nothing much....think of it as a *Hors D oeuvres before the main course 3 months from now. *That's the correct spelling ...I looked it up

Peete.

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Yep.

Each section is fully independent from transformer to output.

Peete.

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LOL I just noticed that...the CAST outputs are something else altogether...sounds like a middle eastern pizza choice......I'll have one X-Large Satri pizza to go, hold the XRL's please

Peete.

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I assume you read the complete documentation on CAST that's posted on the Audio-gd website? It's a great read, ...in Japanese, but still a great read.

Been waiting for this post. Thanks so much for sharing Pete.

I am shure you have opened many a crate, brimming with exitement and anticipation. I am also shure it's more than just about getting over having, I bet it's about discovery.
Do I feel you right, your gut tells you this one is going to be special, you have done your homework, soon you will know and wont have to believe.

Music is to hearing like desert is to taste, hope you enjoy your earpudding.

I also sense that you are going about this meticulously, thank you for that as I hope to learn from your experience. I have ordered mine and one question needs an answer.

Will an anti-jitter device reveal the true potensial of the Ref 1, or has it been adequately addressed?

Until then, make sure you have 1) paid the power bill,
2) booked a cruise for the family,
3) dogs to kennels,
4) stock up on good Shiraz or Single malt on crushed ice

Congratulations and enjoy.

I just found out this pricelist from ReizAudio (the "mother company" of Audio-Gd, which perhaps looks just like another name for it):
Products/Price « REIZ Audio

Boy, they have many products, much more than you can find on Audio-Gd's website, be it the English section or the Chinese section!

Curious thing: I had a hard time figuring out the currency used in ReizAudio's pricelist.
I tried Chinese Yuan, and then Hong Kong dollar, then also Japanese Yen, and then South-Korean Won (if perhaps they sold to these coutries from this website).
But it didn't match with the prices on the Chinese section of Audio-Gd's website, for instance here for the pre-amplifiers (in Chinese Yuan):
ºÎÇ컪Ô*´´ÒôÏì
Then I tried Singapour Dollar, no match either.
And finally, Taiwanese dollar: it does seem to match!

Curious!
So is the "mother company" of Audio-Gd a Taiwanese company, or a company largely based in Taiwan?

Maybe I am extrapolating wrongly. Do correct me if I am wrong!