steveoboy
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2012
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This is not an review. It is just my first impression of this DAC. Take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt because my ears are different than yours as are my components. My system: McIntosh C2300 preamp(I also have an YS Audio Balanced A2SE which is currently not in my system,although it sounds better than the McIntosh), McIntosh MC275 V amp, Denon DCD-A100 CD/SACD player, Klipsch Heresy III and(get ready to roll your eyes) Bose 901 VI speakers. Tascam DAT,Kenwood 600T tuner, and an Aiwa XKS-9000S Cassette deck. It's a long story why I ended up with the Bose 901 VIs', but believe me, I never thought I would find the 901s as a keeper. And they are!I have been involved in audio for over 34 years and have owned many speakers as well as source components.Some of which are: Hales Revalation(which was anything but), Infinity Kappa 8, Spenor 3/5a, Harbeth 7-ES2, Paragon "The regent"(which I paid $4000.00 for. They used Dynaudio drivers), ADS, JBL, etc, etc, etc......Some of the audio components, so you know where I am coming from are: Sony SCD-1, SCD-777ES, XA-7ES, Metronome, Blue Circle, Cary, Belles, Conrad Johnson, Audio Research, McIntosh(many pieces) the MVP-861 being the best sounding CD player I have ever had in my system, and many others. Now that you know where I'm coming from, I will tell you why the Bose 901 V!. I had never heard nor had any Bose product, but being involved in the high-end, I knew it wasn't a company to be taken seriously, so I just decided to stay away from them. It wasn't until I got sick-and-tired of being treated poorly by the high-end manufacturers, that I decided to purchase the Bose. You see, when I was 16, I wrote a letter to many manufacturers about wanting to be a speaker designer. Bose(the company. Not the man) called my home and spoke to me. Even after they learned I was just a 16 year old kid, they still treated me with great respect, telling me to go to engineering school and when I finish, to please contact them again for an interview. They even sent me a letter thanking me for my time. This stuck in my head. So I thought it was time to pay them back for there kindness, and stop giving my money to the condescending high-end which treats there customers like they should be thanked for allowing us to purchse their wonderful equipment. Yeah right!!!! Oddly enough, I love the way these speakers mate with tubes, although they were designed for solid state. What made me look for a DAC? Not being happy with the standard CD playback of my Denon CD player, I decided to look at what was on the market. Having owned a Paradisea in the past and thinking it was a little rolled-off in the high frequency, I wasn't sure another NOS DAC would be right for my system. But I went ahead and purchased it brand new from another head-fi member anyway. Well my first impression of this DAC with only a few hours on it, is that it is a bit thin and lacking in bass. My McIntosh preamp not being all that great with the low end makes me think this match-up will not last. Since I find the McIntosh a little lacking in the deep bass, it needs a DAC that has that low end and I am not sure this is the DAC that is up to that task. I am in the process of purchasing a new powercord, tubes, and isolation feet to see if that will improve the sound. I am not a purest so I belive in signal processing. In fact, I have an Ashly EQ and an Aphex Aural Exciter in my system. It's only after turning up the bass end on the signal processors that makes this preamp and DAC combo listenable. By contrast, The YS Audio Balanced A2SE preamp has thunderous bass, so that may be a better match, and since it sounds better than the McIntosh, I am thinking of returning it to my system. I needed the McIntosh because it has more inputs and a tape monitor loop. Not being a purest, I prefer a system that allows me to enjoy my music rather than being accurate. Sometimes accurate is just not enjoyable to listen to. I tried using my Klipsch Heresy III speakers in this system, but the Bose just sounded better so I am staying with them. I contacted MHDT Lab about the thin sound I experienced. They said it was the potential character of the CS8416 digital receiver. This will graduly improve in 100 hours burn-in. I figured this DAC was going to share some of the characteristics of the Paradisea, but since I read it uses mica caps, which improve on the shortcomings of the Paradisea, I thought the high frequencies would be improved,and I was right about that. It has me thinking that maybe I should have gone for the Havana Balanced because the guy I purchased this DAC from, said he read the Havana has a "metier" quality to it and is recommended for systems where that is required. It has been my experience(despite what you read) that as soon as you turn an audio component on, you are getting a sound that is 95% of the way there. I don't believe in lengthy burn-in because I have never heard the sound change beyond the first few hours. Maybe I just don't have golden ears. Another thing that worries me is, when I had the Paradisea, I changed the tube and didn't hear any difference. That has me worried because I can't change the tubes in hopes that, that would help improve the lack of low bass. I believe the tubes are used for buffering which, when changed, do not make a dramatic change in the sound quality. I did notice the DAC open up a little from when I first turned it on, but I am waiting for it to dramatically change because I think that's what's going to have to happen in order for it to fit into my system.