My DAC-19DSP got to my office on the 23rd of December. Unfortunately, I was out of town, on Christmas leave. Finally picked it up in the beginning of Jan, but work wouldn't relent. I haven't gotten the time for a listening session, but just checked to ensure everything was working. Am also shifting into a bigger house soon, so this means and discerning sessions with the unit will have to wait.
I will post impressions, in between, for all those who asked on my DAC query thread. But I listened to a SACD rip of Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms. I love the title song, and have heard it at least 500 times. I noticed a difference, even in the first 5 minutes of listening. The difference was definitely positive. Anyway, enough talk, pics:
http://img189.imageshack.us/i/dac19uncrated.jpg/
http://img4.imageshack.us/i/dac19cables.jpg/
I like the unobtrusive blue LED, and the unit is dead silent. Damn, it's also pretty big, I was expecting something much smaller. It also looks smaller in photos. The Reference 8 and such must be fekking colossal! The photos on Audio-GD's website do not do this thing justice. Although the body is a plain powder coated black, it's attractive, and the front bezel is extremely thick aluminium.
The connects are quality, and there are no gaps and blemishes on the body. And it is heavy - I'd say at least 3.5 kgs. It was well packed. The optical cable seems decent quality. I ordered the 22$ RCA connects - super build, but marked as "monster cables", isn't that another brand? The USB cord seems well built too, but the co-axial is crappy (Audio GD does warn about this though). I also have 12 tiny jumpers I haven't figured out yet. Power cable is pretty much nondescript.
The main difference I noticed, was the silence in between the track, and the way the sounds appear, like paint on a blank canvas. Also, vocals seem to come from a slightly separate region than the guitar and drums and has more space and intimacy, and lower frequencies seem to be slightly more legible, rather than sounding the same. The added clarity is benefiting this recording for sure. Also tried Pink Floyd's Time, a SACD rip - the same thing - vocals have a lot more presence, background is silent, and sudden music startles you, soundstaging is more apparent, and the finer sounds of the alarm clocks are heard. In fact, I picked up some mechanical whirring and the tic-tic of one of the clocks, that I'm sure I'd missed on earlier runs. The unit has run for 20 minutes. Plan on one long session next weekend, then pack for my new house :)
And thanks head-fi, and all the helpful guys who helped me decide, this
Will add more pics later. Photos taken on a D300s.
