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Matrix X-Sabre DAC review and impression thread - Page 35

post #511 of 525
5/13/13 at 11:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Theogenes View Post

Maxvla sent his Sabre to the Canlanta meet, but I don't believe there was a Gungnir there for comparison. There was a W4S DAC2 though, and there are some comparisons in the Canlanta impressions thread.


Seems like the X-Sabre left some people impressed :).

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post #512 of 525
5/13/13 at 11:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AManAnd88Keys View Post


Seems like the X-Sabre left some people impressed :).

 

Links for those of us too inept to find it ourselves?

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post #513 of 525
5/13/13 at 11:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by project86 View Post

 

Links for those of us too inept to find it ourselves?

http://www.head-fi.org/t/662707/canlanta-2013-may-4th-meet-impressions

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post #514 of 525
5/13/13 at 8:05pm

On the Canlanta impressions, make sure you take note that some of the people leaving impressions had it backwards, thinking the W4S was the Matrix and vice versa. They say it somewhere in the thread, but I didn't want someone to just read one or two posts and get the wrong idea. :)

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post #515 of 525
5/13/13 at 9:49pm

I've had the Gungnir, and I have now a demo X-Sabre. Will report with findings in a few, gotta borrow a Mjolnir before I say anything.

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post #516 of 525
5/14/13 at 6:16am

I'm pretty sure W4S DAC1 came out around the same time the Benchmark DAC1 did. 

Quote:
Originally Posted by project86 View Post

 

Hmmm... it's been a long time since I've heard the W4S unit, but I know some people who swear by it. Not bad company to be in I suppose. But can we please decide right now that no more products should be called the "DAC-anything"? Benchmark can still do it, but everyone else needs to think of a new name. 

Quote:
Originally Posted by HeyWaj10 View Post

 

I'm completely on-board with you.  It's very similar to the auto industry...these arbitrary numbers for models.  Give the piece of gear a freaking identity that people can relate to and immediately associate with.  These number-based models get extremely confusing, especially when reading reviews (professional and user alike). 

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post #517 of 525
5/14/13 at 7:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Girls Generation View Post

I'm pretty sure W4S DAC1 came out around the same time the Benchmark DAC1 did. 

 

Nope. Wyred 4 Sound as a company didn't even exist until roughly 2008 (though prior they had been around for a long time under the name Cullen Circuits, building gear for other audio companies). They launched their DAC1 in 2010.

 

Benchmark launched their DAC1 way back in 2003 if I remember correctly. I know it won Stereophile's "Product of the Year" in 2004. It's been revised and redone as the DAC1 Pre, DAC1 USB, and DAC1 HDR, but the core design is the same. 

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post #518 of 525
5/14/13 at 10:08pm

Oh yes, got the HDR and the original dates mixed up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by project86 View Post

 

Nope. Wyred 4 Sound as a company didn't even exist until roughly 2008 (though prior they had been around for a long time under the name Cullen Circuits, building gear for other audio companies). They launched their DAC1 in 2010.

 

Benchmark launched their DAC1 way back in 2003 if I remember correctly. I know it won Stereophile's "Product of the Year" in 2004. It's been revised and redone as the DAC1 Pre, DAC1 USB, and DAC1 HDR, but the core design is the same. 

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post #519 of 525
5/20/13 at 2:54am
The european price will be 899,00€.
I would like to read some comparative tests (Yulong vs. Matrix) before buy one of the two.
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post #520 of 525
5/20/13 at 6:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Esprit View Post

The european price will be 899,00€.
I would like to read some comparative tests (Yulong vs. Matrix) before buy one of the two.

 

I think a lot of people are waiting for this comparison. I hope to make it happen ASAP. 

 

In the meantime, I'm still loving the X-Sabre! 

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post #521 of 525
5/20/13 at 10:50am
According to information from manufacturers:
The X-Sabre has the USB input galvanically isolated (to verify).
The DA8 no (sure).
 
We still don't know the price of DA8 in Europe

Edited by Esprit - Today at 10:51 am
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post #522 of 525
5/20/13 at 11:00am

last sat , i had 30 min audition of x-sabre at a audio shop: .

 

cd transport is  little dot latest model: cdp3

headamp : phonitor

ph: hd 800

dac: x-sabre.

 

my quick impression is : narrow soundstage, so-so (not impressive)  details, .  Treble , mid and bass, like teac 501, this price-range, you will expect to get the stuff at this price-range.

 

as a pre- yulong d18 user, i will prefer d18 ,  

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post #523 of 525
5/20/13 at 11:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by colour97 View Post

last sat , i had 30 min audition of x-sabre at a audio shop: .

 

cd transport is  little dot latest model: cdp3

headamp : phonitor

ph: hd 800

dac: x-sabre.

 

my quick impression is : narrow soundstage, so-so (not impressive)  details, .  Treble , mid and bass, like teac 501, this price-range, you will expect to get the stuff at this price-range.

 

as a pre- yulong d18 user, i will prefer d18 ,  

 

Thanks for the input, it's nice to hear some more comparisons about these DACs. Are you saying the TEAC 501 and the X-sabre have a similar sound?

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post #524 of 525
5/20/13 at 12:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EraserXIV View Post

 

Thanks for the input, it's nice to hear some more comparisons about these DACs. Are you saying the TEAC 501 and the X-sabre have a similar sound?

no. i also had teac 501 1 month ago. it is also weaker at all around impression.

 

what i want to point out is dsd is not a miracle to make sound better, the most important is the dac itself, no matter it can or cannot decode  dsd,  the dac sound quality itself is

most important . i like d18(without dsd decoder)  because only 1/2 price can out-perform above 2 dac . 

 

i will go to have audition of yulong da8 next week to see if this is giant killer.  i am using korg mr-2000 to record my own dsd so i need dsd dac . 

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post #525 of 525
5/20/13 at 12:26pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the impressions. It's always nice to have more data points - but I'd caution against making any serious judgments, positive or negative, based on brief listens in unfamiliar systems with (potentially) excessive background noise. I think it's more useful for a headphone where you can in fact get a general idea of the sound signature. DACs are far more subtle in their differences and require more time to really figure them out. 

 

If I heard that system and was unimpressed, I'd blame the Phonitor before the X-Sabre. Never been a huge fan of that amp or the Auditor. 

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