A month ago, I wrote a post on my desktop audioblog on the long awaited NAD M51 35-bit/844 kHz DAC. It's time to update that post with some first impressions, because I was so fortunate to get a 30 min. listen on it Friday. I had been down in my local Hi-Fi Klubben to check out the finale release date and it turned out, that they had just received a sample of the NAD M51. Very generously, they offered me to get a listen right away. I live close by, so went home to grab some music, that I know very well and 1/2 hour later I was all set in. And boy was...

I just saw that the X-Can is still get a raving review, but a lot has happened the last year on both the dac and amp front. It´s still powerful and can be used as a preamp. I own it myself, but I find it misleading today to  give top rating all over the line. I just made a test two weeks ago with the 3 times less expensive Calyx Kong. You get much better DAC performance and better soundstage with must headphones on the Kong. The X-Can is out of production, but you can still getting it used on ebay. So if you consider to buy the X-Can, keep in mind...

  Just had the Calyx Kong USB DAC/headamplifier home for two weeks, and I liked what I heard. Calyx Audio is a Korean brand, that for the time being make 3 different DAC´s, where the Kong i the smallest and cheapest model. So Kong is not King . The little Calyx Kong is cut out of a block of aluminium, so feels nice and heavy, weight 167 g. Cost around 135 euro. The connection is through USB and it gives you CD quality (16-bit/44kHz) in and out. The Kong have a nice open, fresh and pleasant sound. In some areas it beats much more expensive...