[Joelc87]

I always think it's funny when people refer to the Grace as being warm and smoothed over.  I'll agree that it's a very smooth sounding amp, in that it's not harsh, but I started my headphone journey with HeadRoom gear and comparing the Grace to the HeadRoom stuff is like comparing the RS1's to HD650's.  Oddly enough the first thing I thought when I tried the Grace after being used to my HeadRoom amp was, "woah where's the bass?"  Now that I've borrowed the 902 for about a week I grown accustomed to its more separated cleaner sound, however I still feel it sounds kinda analytical, which I know isn't the case according to most listeners here.  In light of that, if the D1 amp/dac combo is considered to be a fair bit more clean and analytical than the m902 I'm not sure if this is the type of product i'd be looking for.  I like stuff with really punchy deep bass and liquid mids and highs.  My favorite listening experience to date as far as frequency response goes are still my recabled UE TF10's.  I realize everybody's ears are different but I figured as a music minor in college that my ears would be somewhat neutral, however I'm slowly discovering this isn't the case. I've heard the DAC1 once and thought it to be incredibly harsh.
 
On a different note the m902 uses a transimpedance amplifier design which is apparently designed for higher current low impedance headphones.  My Grado's sound fantastic with the m902 very punchy bass and highly dynamic (of course they're known for their impact).  The HD650's on the other hand sound very flat and boring in comparison.  I'm not sure if it's the amp that lacks power or if the headphones just only respond well to warmer bassy amps (a lot seem to like the HD650's with tubes).  All in all I'll probably end up either selling the 650's and getting a pair of RS1/RS2's and buying an m902 or testing the D1 for the 30 day trial.

 

[Duckman]

Hey hey! My D1 arrived today. JH13 sound great through it at work. Can't wait to get it home.

 

[Balmoral]

Congrats on the D1 Duckman.  It's a great unit!!

 

[project86]

Quote:

I always think it's funny when people refer to the Grace as being warm and smoothed over...... 

That's just my memory of it from back when I had it. And I've heard others describe it the same way. But it may have been changed a bit over the years, or maybe you just have a different interpretation. It certainly is a good unit and if you've already heard it and enjoy it, then that might be the best way to go. The Anedio 30-day trial is handy too if you wanted to give it a shot.
 
Regarding bass performance - I don't want to imply that the D1 is thin by any means. I think the following quote does a great job describing the bass performance of the D1. This is from Holistic Audio who showed their speakers off at the last RMAF with Virtue Audio amps, using the Anedio D1 as DAC:
 
"Without a doubt, the D1 has outstanding bass. Highly dynamic, taut, controlled, deep, deep, deep and with a sense of slam and authority that very few components, at any price, can begin to match. This under-pinning gives the D1 tremendous structure with effortless drive and pace, but it also does this without sacrificing inner detail and nuance with pristine clarity, even while playing fortissimo piano runs. And it is able to do so without ever losing its composure. On top of which, the D1 really brings out that growly visceral bass from the bottom registers of the piano and massed strings, as well as the extended low-frequency reverberation qualities of various concert halls."
 
I agree 100% with that assessment and believe that it applies to the amp section as well, assuming you are not using too difficult of a headphone. For eye candy, here's a great shot of their speaker in the demo setup, you can see the Anedio in the background:
 


 
Quote:

Hey hey! My D1 arrived today. JH13 sound great through it at work. Can't wait to get it home.

Very exciting! The JH13 does indeed pair very well. I look forward to hearing your broader impressions once you've had some more time with it.

 

[Uri Cohen]

The Anedio is on my short list of DAC/AMP upgrade when I start working again in two months.  
 
From what I read it should do just fine with the Grado (I use the RS-1is).  I do like the fact that the unit has plenty of inputs for me to use, that's always useful.
 
But I don't like the fact that the USB is limited to 16/48, so I need to get an USB device in the future.  I'll wait to see what Anedio will come up with but if they are starting to use custom drivers that only work on Windows then I might go with the AGD DI. 
 
In the future I will go with linux as my main OS so I'm looking for something that will work on linux (any Tenor USB like the DI will work on linux).  I don't need 88 support but I need 24/96.  
 
But I do have one question:  Does the volume control only affects headphone volume or it also effects the outputs?  

Sorry if I didn't read the thread carefully enough but I do many recordings from DACs to Cassette.  

 

[Ph1lerAudi0]

 
Quote:

The Anedio is on my short list of DAC/AMP upgrade when I start working again in two months.  
 
From what I read it should do just fine with the Grado (I use the RS-1is).  I do like the fact that the unit has plenty of inputs for me to use, that's always useful.
 
But I don't like the fact that the USB is limited to 16/48, so I need to get an USB device in the future.  I'll wait to see what Anedio will come up with but if they are starting to use custom drivers that only work on Windows then I might go with the AGD DI. 
 
In the future I will go with linux as my main OS so I'm looking for something that will work on linux (any Tenor USB like the DI will work on linux).  I don't need 88 support but I need 24/96.  
 
But I do have one question:  Does the volume control only affects headphone volume or it also effects the outputs?  

Sorry if I didn't read the thread carefully enough but I do many recordings from DACs to Cassette.  

DACs to cassette? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
 
As for the USB 16/48 limitation, there is supposedly an updated D1 coming out with USB supporting more sample rates. I am guessing it will probably go for $1500 or more. Or you can get a Music Fidelity Vlink or M2Tech hiface which takes your USB, cleans up the jitter and converts to co-axial, and finally feed your D1. The vlink is limited to a maximum of 24/96, hences it's a bit cheaper.
 
And yes, the volume control of the D1 affects the outputs because it can be used as a pre-amp.
 
 
PA
 

 

[TwoEars]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperDuel /img/forum/go_quote.gif

But I do have one question:  Does the volume control only affects headphone volume or it also effects the outputs? 

Yes - it also affects the outputs, it's designed to be used as a pre-amp and even comes with a remote control. Just plug it directly into your power amplifier and you're set.
 
Also! I'm set to join the club, Anedio just confirmed that my D1 unit has shipped and should be arriving within a week or so. Can't wait to try it out!

 

[Uri Cohen]

I still do stuff with cassettes so how the outputs of the DAC works is important to me.  I'll wait to see if Anedio will give out specs to their USB update.  If it requires custom drivers that only 
work on a certain OS then I'm not getting it.  I'll go with the AGD DI instead (better value then the British devices).
Quote:

 

DACs to cassette? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
 
As for the USB 16/48 limitation, there is supposedly an updated D1 coming out with USB supporting more sample rates. I am guessing it will probably go for $1500 or more. Or you can get a Music Fidelity Vlink or M2Tech hiface which takes your USB, cleans up the jitter and converts to co-axial, and finally feed your D1. The vlink is limited to a maximum of 24/96, hences it's a bit cheaper.
 
And yes, the volume control of the D1 affects the outputs because it can be used as a pre-amp.
 
 
PA
 

 

 

[Permagrin]

The USB is 16/48 but the other inputs pass through up to 24/192 right? Never mind I found the answer, true except for toslink which is only 24/96.

Luckily my computer has S/PDIF 1/8 out, so all I would need is an adapter. This should work right?

 

[Joelc87]

Yes that should work fine. Make sure either your cable or the adaptor has the rated 75ohm impedance. I'm sure you already knew that but I almost plugged a standard RCA into a coax input once. I'm not sure what would happen if anything but I don't want to find out the hard way if it damages something.

On a different note I got my shipping confirmation on the D1 today so I'll be anxious to compare it to the Grace m902. I know the Dac is better but I'm curious about how the headphone amps match up.

 

[Permagrin]

Yes that should work fine. Make sure either your cable or the adaptor has the rated 75ohm impedance. I'm sure you already knew that but I almost plugged a standard RCA into a coax input once. I'm not sure what would happen if anything but I don't want to find out the hard way if it damages something.

On a different note I got my shipping confirmation on the D1 today so I'll be anxious to compare it to the Grace m902. I know the Dac is better but I'm curious about how the headphone amps match up.

Thanks Joel. Yeah I've read about the 75 ohm impedance thing. I'm pretty sure it would only affect signal quality but no reason not to play it safe. I'm still on the fence with which DAC but I'll probably go with the Anedio as the Antelope + PSU will be quite a bit more money. Looking forward to your impressions.

Cheers!

 

[Duckman]

My first impression is that the D1 makes my system as clear as it's ever been. With the V200 going into the LCD2, I feel that a thin veil has been lifted over what I have been using (Metric Halo ULN2), especially in the lower mids and bass. The bass is so clean, deep, punchy and detailed.
 
IMO the LCD2 will never sound 'airy', but this is as 'airy' as it has been, so I'm pretty happy with the treble too.
 
My one caveat is that the midrange seems slightly lean to me. Voice reproduction is excellent, but my MH unit seems to make voices just a bit more realistic/natural.
 
Perhaps this will change somewhat with burn-in, if such a thing exists

, or perhaps this is what strictly neutral sounds like.
 
The D1's headphone section powers the LCD2 surprisingly well, with only minor improvements switching to the V200.

 

[project86]

When last we discussed the topic, James from Anedio did not mention an updated version of the DAC but rather just the USB to SPDIF converter. Although obviously they are developing that with an eye towards integrating it into the main unit at some point in the future. Unfortunately I'm not clear if it will work with Linux. The reference platform being used supports OSX native and has drivers for Windows, although they mention those being for 192kHz so maybe it will work up to 96kHz in that application without drivers. It doesn't mention Linux at all. However... Anedio is working on custom software code for it, so they may have something up their sleeves.
 
Joel: Good call taking the chance on it! The 30-day trial makes it easier but it's still a lot of money to spend on something you haven't ever seen or heard in person. I'm curious to hear your impressions about how it compares to the Grace. As I've said before, the Grace amp section really is a standout performer even among a sea of dedicated (ie non-DAC) amps. And since I didn't own the Grace concurrently with the Anedio I never directly compared them, so I'm curious to see how they stack up.
 
Duckman: I'm glad you are enjoying it. The Metric Halo is no slouch, so for the Anedio to be a decent upgrade is impressive already. Keep us informed! One of these days I'll get around to picking up an LCD-2 of my own and then our systems will be the same (Anedio D1 -> Violectric V200 -> LCD-2).

 

[oosek]

Anybody have any comments regarding the Anedio and the Dacmini, especially when using the HE-6 or HE-500.

 

[Sweden]

Quote:

i woudlnt recommend the sonett for the LCD-2's, it doesnt have the power. i tried the combo at canjam
 

I've heard someone say it was a great match an that the power wasen't any problem.
Was it the volume that didnt go far enough?