Quote:

currawong said:

 
SHHS, I understand you like the DAC a lot (I wont quote the other posts you made, but want to address this one), but I'd suggest a bit less gushing. I'm sure it is a great DAC. I did an impulsive thing and bought another member's Calyx DAC. It sounds rather dry and a bit lifeless using the built-in USB, even if you power it from the included power supply rather than a computer. However, with an Audiophilleo 1 (or 2) which has been measured independently to have jitter <1ps (ie: a femtosecond transport) as well as the battery-power for its output, using a Vaunix USB hub as the power supply to the whole rig, the results I get over the DAC by itself are exactly what you describe above. It'd be interesting to hear how close I've gotten to a Femto DAC with my set-up. 

Click to expand...

I am not so sure that describing a component as "cleaner and more real (closer to the live performance)" than its smaller sibling could be categorized as "gushing". In any case, I have not heard your combination with the Audiophilleo and Vaunix so I am in no position to make a judgement on how close it gets to the Femto DAC. All I can say is that I have been through my share of DACs in the $2000 to $10000 range and to my ears the Femto floats my boat. Everyone hears differently so just because it sounds great to my ears does not necessarily mean that it will be do the same for you or anybody else. BTW, Audiophilleo claims that it reduces jitter to 2.6 picoseconds on its website: http://www.audiophilleo.com/Audiophilleo1.aspx

SHHS, did you hear Invicta before? Or what DAC have you heard in the range of 2000-10K? Can you compare them with the Femto?

Quote:

redbull said:

SHHS, did you hear Invicta before? Or what DAC have you heard in the range of 2000-10K? Can you compare them with the Femto?

Click to expand...

I have either heard or owned the Invicta as well as the Berkeley Series 2, the ARC DAC8, the dCS Debussey, the Weiss 202, the Wavelength Cocecant, the NAD M51 and the Calyx 24/192. The fact that I have ended up with the Femto speaks for itself. My comparison findings closely match the opinions expressed in the Stereomojo review of the Femto where many of these DACs have been compared.

Quote:

shhs said:

Quote:

currawong said:

 
SHHS, I understand you like the DAC a lot (I wont quote the other posts you made, but want to address this one), but I'd suggest a bit less gushing. I'm sure it is a great DAC. I did an impulsive thing and bought another member's Calyx DAC. It sounds rather dry and a bit lifeless using the built-in USB, even if you power it from the included power supply rather than a computer. However, with an Audiophilleo 1 (or 2) which has been measured independently to have jitter <1ps (ie: a femtosecond transport) as well as the battery-power for its output, using a Vaunix USB hub as the power supply to the whole rig, the results I get over the DAC by itself are exactly what you describe above. It'd be interesting to hear how close I've gotten to a Femto DAC with my set-up. 

Click to expand...

I am not so sure that describing a component as "cleaner and more real (closer to the live performance)" than its smaller sibling could be categorized as "gushing". In any case, I have not heard your combination with the Audiophilleo and Vaunix so I am in no position to make a judgement on how close it gets to the Femto DAC. All I can say is that I have been through my share of DACs in the $2000 to $10000 range and to my ears the Femto floats my boat. Everyone hears differently so just because it sounds great to my ears does not necessarily mean that it will be do the same for you or anybody else. BTW, Audiophilleo claims that it reduces jitter to 2.6 picoseconds on its website: http://www.audiophilleo.com/Audiophilleo1.aspx

Click to expand...

 
I was referring to the commented I quoted as gushing, it was the other posts. If you overdo it, other people can get a bit riled up, especially if comparisons are lacking. I do understanding finding the perfect DAC (or whatever) and being pleased after a long search.  
 
Here's the post with the measurement of 610 femtoseconds for the AP. 

I checked with Audiophilleo, they stand by their claim of 2.6 picoseconds of jitter although they concede that under certain conditions it could go lower temporarily.
 

somehow this thread died. are the waitlines truely that long? it seems like after the initial sales post the stereomojo review nobody's actually gotten their hands on this. 

Wait lines aren't long at all.  I have one coming in about a week. 

Quote:

radio_head said:

Wait lines aren't long at all.  I have one coming in about a week. 

Click to expand...

 
how'd you decide on this over the zodiac or the other dacs? did you hear it before purchase?

I had the other Calyx model and that's what I made the choice based on.  It's a no-frills purchase - my dealer is letting me return it within two weeks for a full refund minus shipping.
 
So it's not "over" anything - I currently have an Invicta and a Cantata, and I have auditioned most of the similarly priced DAC's - Weiss, Meitner, etc.

Quote:

radio_head said:

I had the other Calyx model and that's what I made the choice based on.  It's a no-frills purchase - my dealer is letting me return it within two weeks for a full refund minus shipping.
 
So it's not "over" anything - I currently have an Invicta and a Cantata, and I have auditioned most of the similarly priced DAC's - Weiss, Meitner, etc.

Click to expand...

 
that's cool. I'm looking forward to hearing your impressions then. did you consider the zodiac or the audionote dacs in that price range? I haven't read many comparisons between these 3, and was just curious as to how you decided to get this in for audition as opposed to those.

Owned the base antelope model and auditioned the Gold.  In short- the Invicta is more transparent and the Cantata more musical.  The Gold is the odd DAC out.  I'm trying out the femto because the dealer claims that it bridges hyper-detailed and musical DAC's better than any he's heard.  I'm skeptical as he's selling a product, but it's worth a trial.
 
Never tried an audionote.

Quote:

radio_head said:

Owned the base antelope model and auditioned the Gold.  In short- the Invicta is more transparent and the Cantata more musical.  The Gold is the odd DAC out.  I'm trying out the femto because the dealer claims that it bridges hyper-detailed and musical DAC's better than any he's heard.  I'm skeptical as he's selling a product, but it's worth a trial.
 
Never tried an audionote.

Click to expand...

 
 
thanks for your honest opinion. that puts things nicely in perspective. if stereomojo's review is anythig to go by, the femto does outperform the invicta. you've sold your antelope?

Sold the antelope a few months ago, and returned the zodiac gold without purchasing.
 
I'm willing to give it a shot, but the clarity on the Invicta is really great - not to mention it's small, transportable, and self-contained, while the Femto is 17" X 17" and weighs 45 pounds.  I transport my gear to mini-meets, so for me to keep the Femto it would have to be a clear step up.

Quote:

athenaesword said:

 
 
thanks for your honest opinion. that puts things nicely in perspective. if stereomojo's review is anythig to go by, the femto does outperform the invicta. you've sold your antelope?

Click to expand...

 
I have a hard time putting any stock in their "comparison" though, as it seems like very little effort was made to be specific. Here's the entire section as it pertains to the Invicta, and I've bolded the single most relevant line:
 
"Compared to the Invicta, which I reviewed for Stereomojo, the Femto DAC has comparable build quality but more connectivity. It also has an edge in performance especially via USB. The advantage that the Invicta has over the Femto DAC is the SD Card reader capability, a digital-out option, an HDMI interface and headphone capability, which Invicta has implemented very well. On the flip side, the Femto DAC’s remote control is a classy, elegant, solid metal component with full functionality. In contrast the Invicta has a plastic remote with limited functionality. But, the Femto is close to double the price of the Invicta and that would compel me to give the Invicta a slight edge in terms of value-for-money."
 
That's about as vague as you can get - 9/10ths of that info could have been gleaned by simply reading the specs of each unit and looking at pictures. How big is this performance edge? Is it a "similar but better" situation? Or a "totally different and overall more enjoyable" type of thing? Slight improvement or completely different class?
 
I don't want to come across as defending the Invicta - I'm ready to accept the idea that someone liked something else more.... I just want to know the specifics of why they feel that way. 

I've found DAC reviews most anywhere to be very hard to glean anything from (that includes those on HF.)  It's actually easier to review a DAC as it relates to headphones as anyone plugging in an HD800 into an Invicta is hearing the same thing.  But a review about how a DAC affects one speaker system is really not something to rely on, especially if you use different transducers.  That's why demos are essential.
 
The differences between good solid state SD DACs are way smaller than reviewers make them out to be.