Is anyone else finding this DAC benefits from some burn-in?  I was seriously impressed with the Ares when it first arrived, but after a couple of weeks it seems to be even better.  Maybe I'm imagining it, I don't know!  I don't fully understand the technology being used and whether burn-in would...

I've spent the whole weekend listening to this DAC.....it really is exceptional.  The Ares is highly musical, yet accurate (at least to my ears) and I think it might be better than the Audio-gd ref 7 + Singxer F1 that I had previously.

Does anyone know the purpose of the standby button on this particular DAC?  Does it reduce power consumption?  Loving mine :) 

It's a pretty special DAC :)

Sorry, I have chopped and changed my system a lot recently, so am unable to make direct comparisons to previous DACs (Metrum Octave, Audio-gd Ref 5/7).

Sorry, I've chopped and changed my system a bit recently, so it would be difficult to make comparisons with my previous DACs (including Metrum Octave, Audio-gd Ref 5 and 7).

    PCM384 at the moment.  I'm running the DAC direct to a power amp which has a basic volume control, so I like to make small amounts of digital attenuation occasionally.  I didn't realise that this isn't possible with DSD

PCM384 at the moment.  I'm running the DAC direct to a power amp which has a basic volume control, so I need to make small amounts of digital attenuation occasionally.  I didn't realise that this isn't possible with DSD and Audirvana.

So I have finally managed to spend some time with my new DAC, using Audirvana and upsampling everything by powers of 2.  Great midrange, deep and tight bass - I am really pleased so far.  I cannot recommend highly enough.

Anyone using Audirvana?  Just playing around with the settings and wondering what everyone else is using.

  My Ares arrived from Vinshine just a few minutes ago - it only took four days from order to delivery, so I'm quite impressed.  Nothing to report on the sound yet, as I haven't plugged it in.  A couple of things to note: build quality looks top quality, it's very heavy (for its relatively...

Just ordered an Ares DAC from Vinshine.....estimated delivery is one week to Australia (shipping was $50).  Excellent customer service - I received personal emails from the company almost immediately, which is a nice thing in this day and age.  

After doing a bit more research I am concerned that the Etymotic may not be comfortable for long-term use.  What other brands/models offer excellent sound isolation?  Thanks.

Thanks for the recommendation - I'll certainly consider them.

I'm looking for recommendations for a fairly neutral IEM with excellent comfort levels for extended use on long lights (using foam tip to block out babies crying, etc).  Had considered the Etymotic ER4, but not sure that these will be comfortable, especially for long-haul use if I fall asleep on...