[geoffalter11]

I would love to my ears on the Deluxe and was promised a review unit, but thus far nada.
Meanwhile I'm having a mini shootout between my Lampi and a Merason DAC1 MKl and liking what the Swiss DAC is bringing to my system.

Merason makes great DACs.... Do you have the new chassis or the old? MKI tells me it is the old chassis. The Merason was my top choice before the Super Clock became an option.

 

[Monsterzero]

Merason makes great DACs.... Do you have the new chassis or the old? MKI tells me it is the old chassis. The Merason was my top choice before the Super Clock became an option.

I'm not sure which chassis this one is considered. I can get it upgraded to the MKll for a relatively small fee if I decide to buy it

 

[geoffalter11]

I'm not sure which chassis this one is considered. I can get it upgraded to the MKll for a relatively small fee if I decide to buy it

Just simple 1s and 0s for Merason. Swiss Tech at its finest. The DAC1 is a great dac!

 

[geoffalter11]

Just simple 1s and 0s for Merason. Swiss Tech at its finest. The DAC1 is a great dac!

Definitely should try the Super Clock which I think compares very favorably to the DAC1, and then the Deluxe will beat it handily according to John. But, the Super Clock stands up nicely to all DACs under $7500 in my experience.

 

[Monsterzero]

I finally got a shipping notice and tracking #. Cen Grand Deluxe should be here on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to bouncing it off the Lampizator TRP and the Merason DAC1 in a mini shootout.

 

[geoffalter11]

I finally got a shipping notice and tracking #. Cen Grand Deluxe should be here on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to bouncing it off the Lampizator TRP and the Merason DAC1 in a mini shootout.

Enjoy! Such great products…

 

[Pharmaboy]

I finally got a shipping notice and tracking #. Cen Grand Deluxe should be here on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to bouncing it off the Lampizator TRP and the Merason DAC1 in a mini shootout.

(amazing)

doesn't sound all that "mini" to me...

 

[Monsterzero]

(amazing)

doesn't sound all that "mini" to me...

@project86 did around 30 DACs before he chose the Deluxe, so in contrast my shootout is very mini. It should be interesting.

 

[project86]

@project86 did around 30 DACs before he chose the Deluxe, so in contrast my shootout is very mini. It should be interesting.

Haha yeah but mine was over a long period of time, as I was looking for a new reference DAC. So it didn't involve head-to-head comparisons with all of them. Some, yes, but I auditioned many of them before I had the Deluxe here.

Yours feedback is certainly valuable, as a direct shootout as well as just another perspective with different ears, preferences, tastes, etc. Very curious what you end up making of the trio.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I think both of you (@Monsterzero & @project86) are being too modest here. IMHO, anyone who sets out to compare the sound of DACs is doing a thing that's very time-consuming and challenging. Not only do you need really good, educated ears to hear the differences, but you need to write well enough to accurately describe them (neither of these skills is easy to perfect).

I remember that ~30 DAC piece with a degree of awe. If there's a "let's climb Mt. Everest" example in audio reviewing, that's surely it.

Not just DACs. There are some amazing Head-Fi'ers who dive headfirst into other rabbit holes such as tubes and earpads...no sonic "low hanging fruit" anywhere there.

 

[geoffalter11]

Comparing DACs is extremely time consuming and the hardest part of the hobby, IMO. I compared a few and found it to be incredibly taxing. Writing about headphones is significantly easier than writing about DACs. I am about to start my review of the Super Clock, and I am dreading it. Do I have enough to say? Can I accurately describe what I am hearing and how it is affected by my chain? Most of the time I can say hello in 500 words, so coming up with things to say is less my issue than making it worthwhile to read.

Here are some impressions of the Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Super Clock:
1. Sound has a fluidity to it that makes things sound effortless, weighty and muscular without losing out on the subtlety of my music.
2. Build quality is second to none. It is 25lbs of perfect machinery.
3. Packaging was the best I have seen. It came perfect and was as noble as the sound.
4. The Clocking Tech is truly a marvel and leads to impeccable pacing and rhythm. I cannot understate how fluid the DAC sounds.
5. It is not analytical by nature. Yet, if you want to listen closely there is all the resolution and detail one can find in their music.
6. The Super Clock sounds as good with my HP8 as it does with my CFA3.
7. Their philosophy for converting to DSD is truly unique and leads to a sound somewhere between SS and Tube without the mushy quality that many attribute to DSD DACs. Meitner has also figured this out with his products, but Cen.Grand is doing it for a 1/3 of the price.
8. I have compared the Super Clock to the Meier Corda Soul, R28, Comet+ and have just demoed the TT2 and Yulong DA1 recently. The Super Clock to my ears is a better match for my system than all of them. I absolutely love the Meier Corda Soul, but it isn't designed to be a fixed DAC, but can operate as a DAC/Preamp. The Corda Soul is the 2nd best DAC of the group I have tried. Having both in my system makes me very happy. But, the Super Clock is the one for me. I don't know how much better the Deluxe is to the Super Clock. My hunch is that they are pretty close, but the Deluxe would win a head to head. But, I cannot think of any DAC under $5k that I would take over the Super Clock.

@Monsterzero enjoy the shootout. John and I are firmly in camp Cen.Grand, it would be nice to have another Cen.Grand DAC lover. But, it is not like you will be missing out if you choose the Lampi or Merason. The Merason was on my very short list of DACs to replace my Exogal Comet+. For the first time ever, the Cen.Grand makes me want to upgrade my HP8, yet I won't as it will cost quite a bit to upgrade this little beauty. Between the Super Clock, CFA3, HP8 and Corda Soul I have a chain I once would've never thought possible. Makes choosing headphones a heck of a lot easier that is for sure. Bring on the AC, which will be here in the next week along with my AO which has yet to hear my system since the Super Clock arrived. I am giddy with anticipation. Plus, adding the Zen Stream and Power X has been an amazing jump in sonics. I have needed a streamer for a long time and this little thing is really good.

Cheers!

 

[Monsterzero]

Bring on the AC, which will be here in the next week

I love this headphone. It's so much fun!

 

[geoffalter11]

I love this headphone. It's so much fun!

Can't wait to hear it. Soon enough... I put my Radiante up for sale in anticipation for how much I am going to like the AC.

 

[Monsterzero]

Cen Grand Deluxe has landed. Unfortunately my OTL got shipped out today for some maintenence, so I've decided to fully burn-in my v550 pro, the Cen Grand and a new Atrium closed all at the same time, all hiding behind my anti-hellhound gate.

Listening now, but considering none of the three main components are burned-in I'm not expecting, nor hearing anything all too spectacular yet. I haven't messed with any of the filters nor sample rates yet.

 

[normie610]

Cen Grand Deluxe has landed. Unfortunately my OTL got shipped out today for some maintenence, so I've decided to fully burn-in my v550 pro, the Cen Grand and a new Atrium closed all at the same time, all hiding behind my anti-hellhound gate.

Listening now, but considering none of the three main components are burned-in I'm not expecting, nor hearing anything all too spectacular yet. I haven't messed with any of the filters nor sample rates yet.

Wow you put them in a cage

The DAC in black looks great, I like it better than the silver one. Look forward to your impressions once it’s fully burned in.