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Review: Resonessence Labs Invicta - new high end DAC/amp/playback system - Page 34

post #496 of 504
6/3/13 at 4:49am

I had both the Invicta and Mytek at the same time.  The Invicta had better detail, soundstaging, blacker background, better build quality, and more features (HDMI out, balanced headphone drive, SD for internal storage.)  The Invicta doesn't cost-cut - from being made in Canada from top to bottom (very nice casework I might add) to a linear power supply with galvanic isolation to top-flight chips.  People who won't spend 4K on a DAC, well I don't see why this would change their mind.  The Mytek does have a lot of features for the price.  

 

The 9018 chip is notoriously hard to work with - just ask Schiit (or don't) why they don't use it and won't even in their statement line.  It makes sense that the guy who developed the thing can wring the most out of it.

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post #497 of 504
6/3/13 at 7:49am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MelvinV View Post

This thing is $4000? The Mytek DSD-DAC does pretty much anything this thing does for a MSRP of $1500. Sure this unit has a couple of extras but I don't think they're worth $2500.

This made me laugh: “The Invicta’s most unique feature is having been designed by the team behind the ESS Sabre Chip.” - Srajan Ebaen, 6moons.com
What difference does that make? This is so silly.

 

To add a bit to what Radio_head already said - not only is the ES9018 (and most other ESS chips as well, beyond the entry level) known to be difficult to work with, but they also don't have the best documentation. I've heard pro designers and DIY guys alike curse the datasheet for its lack of specifics. But if you actually made the chip and have multiple patents in that field.... you probably don't suffer from the same lack of information. Does that make sense?
 
Some guys will balk at any DAC above a certain price point. Fair enough. But if we round up a bunch of random DACs in the $3,000+ range, the Invicta will almost certainly have the most features. And in my experience, the SQ is among the best as well. That's worth something right?
 
The Mytek certainly looks nice. Never heard it myself. A lot of guys on another forum thought it sounded quite poor, but I can't confirm or deny that. If it fits your needs and you like the sound, then you just saved $2500.
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post #498 of 504
6/3/13 at 8:28am
It's listed at $4995 canadian in their online store. Where can you get it for 4k?
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post #499 of 504
6/3/13 at 8:41am

That's the new Invicta 2. Invicta 1 was always 4K, and anyone selling their gen 1 unit bought it at that price.  You could check with Resonessence, maybe they still have some first generation units in stock.

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post #500 of 504
6/3/13 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan_can View Post

It's listed at $4995 canadian in their online store. Where can you get it for 4k?

 

That's for the new model which has some upgrades over the original. The first model was $3995 and was just replaced by the new ones. 

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post #501 of 504
6/11/13 at 1:06pm

So I finally was able to pick up my INVICTA Mirus last night and my initials thoughts are that I'm pretty happy with it.  One thing to note is that the XC SD Card I bought had to be formatted to exFAT instead of FAT32 like the manual says.  It didn't recognize the card in FAT32 format so had to re-transfer all my FLACs.  Not a big deal.

 

My old setup was:  PC -> Burson Conductor -> Q-Cable -> LCD-3s

New setup is:  PC/SDcard -> INVICTA Mirus -> Burson Conductor (amp only so it's like a Soloist now) -> Q-Cable -> LCD-3s

 

New setup definitely sounds better.  I also don't own an INVICTA so I can't compare with that either which I'm sure most of you are interested in.  Sorry!

Still waiting on my 009s and BHSE for my future rig, but so far 1/3rd of it is complete!  L3000.gif

 

Sorry for the lack of details and tech info but I'm just a guy who enjoys music.

 

If anyone has any specific questions about the Mirus feel free to ask.


Edited by jm1122 - 6/11/13 at 1:07pm
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post #502 of 504
6/11/13 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jm1122 View Post

So I finally was able to pick up my INVICTA Mirus last night and my initials thoughts are that I'm pretty happy with it.  One thing to note is that the XC SD Card I bought had to be formatted to exFAT instead of FAT32 like the manual says.  It didn't recognize the card in FAT32 format so had to re-transfer all my FLACs.  Not a big deal.

 

My old setup was:  PC -> Burson Conductor -> Q-Cable -> LCD-3s

New setup is:  PC/SDcard -> INVICTA Mirus -> Burson Conductor (amp only so it's like a Soloist now) -> Q-Cable -> LCD-3s

 

New setup definitely sounds better.  I also don't own an INVICTA so I can't compare with that either which I'm sure most of you are interested in.  Sorry!

Still waiting on my 009s and BHSE for my future rig, but so far 1/3rd of it is complete!  L3000.gif

 

Sorry for the lack of details and tech info but I'm just a guy who enjoys music.

 

If anyone has any specific questions about the Mirus feel free to ask.

 

 

Pics please!

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post #503 of 504
6/14/13 at 12:57pm

 

 

 

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post #504 of 504
6/16/13 at 6:17am
Thread Starter 

Nice!

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