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Ref 9 ( PCM1704UK multibit-dac ) vs. FUN (DA1852 1-bit dac), both audio-gd, short impression - Page 2

post #16 of 26
9/14/11 at 2:15am

It's not just Audio-gd, even well-established companies in the US and UK no longer seem to plan upcoming products based on these chips. 

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post #17 of 26
9/14/11 at 3:31am
I'm interested in "the ultimate two-in-one", a combination of a supreme USB DAC and a supreme headphone amplifier. I'm tired of highend boxes ans cables. smily_headphones1.gif
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post #18 of 26
9/14/11 at 5:33am

Have a look http://www.head-fi.org/t/519166/audio-gd-nfb-10 and here http://www.head-fi.org/t/523850/centrance-dacmini-dac-amplifier-official-thread

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post #19 of 26
9/14/11 at 11:54am
Both are far from supreme devices. I think of something like Cary 306 dac part + beta22 amp in one box biggrin.gif
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post #20 of 26
9/14/11 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by runswithaliens View Post

I haven't heard any Augio-gd DACs but am looking to upgrade, and it doesn't seem like any of the other DACs available these days have the same mystique value that the PCM1704UK based Audio-gd DACs had. Or am I just imagining things?


No idea... but honestly, my 4x1704 based Ref 9 is the best I have ever heard in digital music. Maybe matched or bettered by my dads resolution audio opus 21, I never had a chance to compare really one by one. However, Opus21 is also 4x1704 based...

 

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post #21 of 26
9/14/11 at 12:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by K3cT View Post

It's not just Audio-gd, even well-established companies in the US and UK no longer seem to plan upcoming products based on these chips. 



Well, some continue doing, it seems. One of the really really best DACs (and music servers etc all in one) is the resolution Audio cantata. It is 4x1704 based... and comes with quite a price tag, however. There is a smaller one, the Opus21 cd player, less expensive, that features a coaxial digital input up to 24/96 and can be used as dac, which sounds amazing, too, and is 4x 1704 - based as well.

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post #22 of 26
9/14/11 at 2:24pm

At $3500 is better sound a hell of a lot better than the Ref-9 (which was around $1000 I think) or my Ref-8 with 8 1704's at $1600.


Edited by tim3320070 - 9/14/11 at 2:26pm
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post #23 of 26
9/14/11 at 2:50pm
Thread Starter 

Its not "only" DAC. It does a hell of a lot more than that, and all of it at a hell of good quality. Its still far far away from what other fancy looking "high end" gear can cost - and nevertheless it has lately been rated as simply the best available DAC by one of the old, well established independent german hifi magazines. It their reference DAC since then. And it does CD reading. And NAS-UPNP-Reading over Wifi or Network at a quality that does not compare to squeezbox and that does ashame even Naim. Add a Logitech/slim devices Transporter, and a cd transport (audio-gd's is 1150 + shipping + customs etc.) to our audio-gd-DACs, and we are already much above 3500$. Given all that, all of it consistently at this sound quality, I am sure, if this gear was labeled "Naim" or some other brand of the usual suspects of audiophile's "wanna-haves", it would cost a multiple of it. I had the occasion to hear it, it really blows you out of your socks. On top of it, it looks good, is easy to handle, and does not use up your entire shelf (as do our bulky but anyway nice sounding chinese components ;-) ) I am not paid by them - and I don't own (nor can afford) one, so not trying to justify my investment either (as many do here) ...


Edited by ursdiego - 9/14/11 at 3:02pm
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post #24 of 26
9/14/11 at 2:52pm

All that matters is that you enjoy it.....

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post #25 of 26
9/15/11 at 2:17am


Good luck hunting down such a device  evil_smiley.gif

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by brat View Post

Both are far from supreme devices. I think of something like Cary 306 dac part + beta22 amp in one box biggrin.gif


 

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post #26 of 26
9/15/11 at 4:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by burgunder View Post


Good luck hunting down such a device  evil_smiley.gif

 

 



 


Or getting a 4 ( or 5) board B22 + Sigma PSU built for under 3.5 K USD. Be prepared to wait a looooooonnnnnng time to have it built by a third party to boot. The Cary 306 unit is nothing special IMO and is a little bit over priced for what it is. For a front end source you can do better for a little less money than the 306. The 306 had some drive issues similar to the early model Marantz SA8001's which Marantz fixed with later rev units but Cary ignored (for the most part) entirely.

 

Peete.

 


Edited by Pricklely Peete - 9/15/11 at 4:23pm
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