These very rarely come up on the used market. I purchased this TADAC (2009 version) directly from the original owner this past December. He'd bought two of them for his two systems and dissolved the smaller system, and kept the other TADAC in his main system. I can understand why - this is a great DAC. When I got it I had the Paradisea+ and it bested that DAC to my ears (original retail on the TADAC is $1499 though so to some degree this is understandable). The circuit is supposedly immune to jitter. This is a really unique DAC in many ways and the current version bears little resemblance with many of the features being simplified. This DAC can be used as a preamp as well, as it has attenuated RCA outputs. The same volume control regulates the volume at the 1/4" headphone jack (yes, this can be used as a very decent headphone amp as well!!!). It has a unique "Tubyness" knob that regulates the amount of 2nd degree harmonic distortion introduced to the output signal. Dialing it to the right takes out the tubyness, while the opposite sounds more tube-like and sweet. There are also separate phase switches for the left and right channels. None of these regulating features are available on the current version which has been vastly simplified. The output circuit uses a pair of 12AU7 tubes, and the unit would come with two pairs - a $100 pair of Black Sable 12AU7's as well as an NOS pair of RCA black plate 5814A's. This is a sleeper of a DAC designed and built in the USA. It also has a pair of RCA auxiliary input's in case you want to use it as a preamp to amplify a different source. The outputs are either balanced XLR's or single-ended RCA's. The input is either via Toslink or Single-ended RCA with a switch to choose if you want to run two separate digital inputs. It is a black-faced unit just as shown on the BizzyBee website It is in excellent condition. The only scratch I see is on the top-plate where the tubes insert.
I will guess that I'm going to get the obvious question - why am I selling it? I bought this when I was about to go in for some foot surgery and having to spend eight weeks on one leg mostly upstairs in my house and in bed. It grew into a full-on headphone rig. I'm now mobile again and have brought the system back down to my office where it originated before the surgery. The downside of this DAC is that it is a tubed DAC with a rather unusual shape. You cannot really stack it, and it is rather tall because of the large transformer housing on top. I am trying to reclaim desk space and am building a rig that all stacks neatly so will be trying to find an appropriate DAC to do just that.
$SOLD shipped via USPS Priority insured, and PayPal'd with the two pairs of output tubes, power cord and remote. The soonest I can possibly ship this will be Wednesday or Thursday of this week because of my work schedule. I have the original shipping box from BizzyBee. There is no manual (the owner, Paul, told me in the email, that HE is the manual). There is a universal remote (Phillips) that was sold with it that works for volume and mute (it actually is unique in that it has two options for volume steps - left side is small steps, and right side is large steps - it is not a continuous remote so protects from accidentally pressing down the volume and cranking it too high). It also has a mute function.
You'll find some discussion on various forums on the TADAC if you do some research. On AudioReview there are three separate reviews all giving it a 5/5. Here's that link:
Tube Audio Design TADAC Reviews
Here is the link to the archived specs at BizzyBee where you can find out more info on this DAC, compare it to their current DAC which has fewer features among which is that it does not act as a preamp nor a headphone amp, and see the photo (mine looks just like the picture (there were no other options).
Tube Audio Design
See my feedback links in my sig file.
I will guess that I'm going to get the obvious question - why am I selling it? I bought this when I was about to go in for some foot surgery and having to spend eight weeks on one leg mostly upstairs in my house and in bed. It grew into a full-on headphone rig. I'm now mobile again and have brought the system back down to my office where it originated before the surgery. The downside of this DAC is that it is a tubed DAC with a rather unusual shape. You cannot really stack it, and it is rather tall because of the large transformer housing on top. I am trying to reclaim desk space and am building a rig that all stacks neatly so will be trying to find an appropriate DAC to do just that.
$SOLD shipped via USPS Priority insured, and PayPal'd with the two pairs of output tubes, power cord and remote. The soonest I can possibly ship this will be Wednesday or Thursday of this week because of my work schedule. I have the original shipping box from BizzyBee. There is no manual (the owner, Paul, told me in the email, that HE is the manual). There is a universal remote (Phillips) that was sold with it that works for volume and mute (it actually is unique in that it has two options for volume steps - left side is small steps, and right side is large steps - it is not a continuous remote so protects from accidentally pressing down the volume and cranking it too high). It also has a mute function.
You'll find some discussion on various forums on the TADAC if you do some research. On AudioReview there are three separate reviews all giving it a 5/5. Here's that link:
Tube Audio Design TADAC Reviews
Here is the link to the archived specs at BizzyBee where you can find out more info on this DAC, compare it to their current DAC which has fewer features among which is that it does not act as a preamp nor a headphone amp, and see the photo (mine looks just like the picture (there were no other options).
Tube Audio Design
See my feedback links in my sig file.
