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So I've given this a bit of thought, and have concluded that I prefer the S5.How is the audial s5 sounding in your setup ?
Any comparisons vs adagio ?
I suck at describing what I hear, so bear with me please. The Adagio is an excellent DAC, and has been the component in my system I have been most proud to own since I bought it. However, the S5 stages better. It presents an enveloping, holographic soundstage. It's an effortlessly relaxed and musical DAC, by which I mean that everything is presented perfectly in space (or how I imagine perfect to be at least) and is just so viscerally 'real'. Everything is beautifully defined without being overly sharp or bright.
I read a comment from another owner in which he described the S5 as 'sublime', and in that regard we are in agreement. It's simply wonderful.
Of course the DACs have different uses at home; the Adagio remains the heart of my main speaker system, and the S5 is the heart of my headphone system.
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