Quote:
Originally Posted by
bobeau 
The only reason I bring this up is because you mention these two as sounding very similar, and the only other person I'm aware of who has experienced both is Darko. Without going into details, my impression is he liked one and didn't like the other. Unfortunately it doesn't seem he got the chance to compare them back to back.
Don't want to come off not being deferential - I think without a doubt your reviews slay even most professional audio reviews. If I had a product that might appeal to the Head-fi crowd and I wanted it reviewed, you would be the first I would contact, even over other highly respected long time reviewers like Skylab. You seem to dig deeper to give the reader an impression of what the experience is like to use the product, and as such have some pretty ardent followers.
But that itself might be a bit of a curse in a way. Let me put it like this - outside of Head-fi, why are these two DACs not making waves? I'm not saying they are not great (even though I didn't like the Anedio, I'll admit my tastes may be orthogonal to most). I'm just saying there are several options at this price point and I don't see these ones making the list on other forums. Yet within the threads on both of these, there are some people only considering these two units.
No offense taken - I appreciate your point of view, and I understand exactly what you are trying to say. Unfortunately I can only document my personal experiences. I'm just one tiny drop in the vast ocean of audio discussion. I have friends come over to try my gear, or bring it by their place to see what they think, but aside from that I rely on others here to confirm or dispute my opinions. And at the end of the day, that's all I really have are opinions. I'm keenly aware of that, which is why I try to cover all aspects such as internal design, parts quality, and even interview the designer when possible. That's to give people a broader perspective than just my subjective opinions.
I have noticed that certain gear becomes popular in certain circles, and never really makes an impact outside of that. Audio GD is a perfect example, Schiit seems to be going the same route for the most part, and Little Dot is a classic case. I don't know exactly how to explain this. It probably has multiple causes. The Anedio has received some very good reviews from Positive Feedback and StereoMojo, in addition to myself and Darko. I imagine their limited production capabilities and basically non-existent advertising budget has a lot to do with their lack of widespread acceptance. In the case of Violectric, I think a big part of it is that they are so far away, without a big presence in the USA. I've seen some German forums where users held the V800 in very high esteem, but it hasn't been heard by many folks in the English speaking world. Most of those who have (myself, Zombie X, Santacore, others) have thought very highly of it.
It is an interesting discussion though. Why do Aussies love the Beresford Caiman, and not many other folks anywhere else? The global aspect of the internet makes it easier to discuss some items, but not as easy to hear them.
Re the FS board: I'm in the UK and I haven't seen a Euro version up for sale yet. Perhaps when the new version is released.... 
