[MorbidToaster]

Probably the worst looking dac in its price range in my opinion.

You're weird. D:

.... Probably because no one  buy a "new" LP-12 these days.  Even if there is, I wonder what configuration a new one would really means, is a basic or is it a Cirkus equivalent ?  Does it come witha Lingo powers supply by default ?   Those are probably some of the factors why no one know what it cost.  But it is a very easy question to answer, just call up a dealer
 


 

My dealer (the local I buy from) said to stay far away from an LP12 anyway. I usually trust him so it's not on the list anymore.

 

[yfei]

Any suggestions on power amplifier (to drive speakers) to pair with D2?   Currently I have a NAD 375BEE integrated amp, I don't think its sound is clean, neutral enough, and D2 already have preamp functionality.    Are ICEPower based amps good pair?  However I also heard arguments about the inferior high freq of IcePower.
 
 
 

 

[veritas aurum]

What kind of speakers? What kind of music? How loud? You at least have to give us some hint! Regards

 

[CADiver]

I do not disagree with this either
It is ugly !   Take out the dial, center the display and put a gold chrome faceplate behind will work for me.      Think Jadis ...
Or use solid hardwood, think Unison Research ...

 
Quote:

Probably the worst looking dac in its price range in my opinion.

 

 

[veritas aurum]

Yeah, think tacky! Lot of bling! Simple and handsome is the way to go and Anedio has done that. Think classic Porsche 911s or Patek Phillipe Calatrava. Regards

 

[CADiver]

I do not disagree (but may be for different reason) with this either and it is also pretty ugly by today's standard. 
 
Quote:

You're weird. D:
My dealer (the local I buy from) said to stay far away from an LP12 anyway. I usually trust him so it's not on the list anymore.

 

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

A comparison against the Neko Audio D100 MK2 will be very interesting. Same price range and both do balanced. I haven't heard the MK2 but the MK1 sounds pretty interesting and it's a bit of departure from other hi-end DACs. 

 
The Neko MK2 lacks an integral USB connection, which price wise tips the scale towards the D2. Beyond that the D2's internal USB implementation still uses S/PDIF, just as would a Neko MK2 which uses RCA connectors to link to an S/PDIF USB convertor.
 
 
Using a JKenny MK3 JKSPDIF with both the Anedio D1 and D100MK2, I found the D1 to have a digital hardness compared to a more natural sound from the Neko. I would guess the D2 will bring improvements in that same area, and to what degree remains to be seen.
 
 

 

[jaycalgary]

"You're weird. D:" Why are you being a loser and personally attacking me with a simpleton comment because I dislike the looks of this dac?

I care about the sound quality more than looks to a point. My dac is W4S dac2 and is considered ugly by some but it makes sense compared to this dac. I really don't like the idea of the round led. Having what looks like a cheap plastic headphone jack so close to the volume pot looks like poor planning to me.The style comes off tacky and I really would not want to look at it on my shelf except if the sound is top notch. It may sound petty griping over looks but they were the ones that tried to give it some kind of classy style and they would have been better keeping it simple.

 

[MorbidToaster]

"You're weird. D:" Why are you being a loser and personally attacking me with a simpleton comment because I dislike the looks of this dac?
I care about the sound quality more than looks to a point. My dac is W4S dac2 and is considered ugly by some but it makes sense compared to this dac. I really don't like the idea of the round led. Having what looks like a cheap plastic headphone jack so close to the volume pot looks like poor planning to me.The style comes off tacky and I really would not want to look at it on my shelf except if the sound is top notch. It may sound petty griping over looks but they were the ones that tried to give it some kind of classy style and they would have been better keeping it simple.

It was a joke. Sorry it hurt your feelings...

Looks are obviously the most subjective thing...ever.

 

[jaycalgary]

Sounds like I took it the wrong way sorry.

 

[MorbidToaster]

It's all good. I'd honestly prefer it without the amp at all, but I like the display. The round shape is odd, but I'd love a display that shows the currently playing rate (ie. 192).
 
As far as the actual body goes though I really like it. Nice and smooth...
 
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Sounds like I took it the wrong way sorry.

 
 

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

 
The Neko MK2 lacks an integral USB connection, which price wise tips the scale towards the D2. Beyond that the D2's internal USB implementation still uses S/PDIF, just as would a Neko MK2 which uses RCA connectors to link to an S/PDIF USB convertor.
 
 
Using a JKenny MK3 JKSPDIF with both the Anedio D1 and D100MK2, I found the D1 to have a digital hardness compared to a more natural sound from the Neko. I would guess the D2 will bring improvements in that same area, and to what degree remains to be seen.
 
 

Hmm... interesting. I feel with the wrong system, the MK1 can sound a little too dark but your comment regarding "digital harshness" rings true based on my experience with a Buffalo II DAC which is based on the same Sabre chip as the Anedio and employs a similar opamp-based I/V and line out buffer stages. 
 
A bit off-topic but is the Neko sensitive to USB transports? 

 

[daredevil_kk]

Any suggestions on power amplifier (to drive speakers) to pair with D2?   Currently I have a NAD 375BEE integrated amp, I don't think its sound is clean, neutral enough, and D2 already have preamp functionality.    Are ICEPower based amps good pair?  However I also heard arguments about the inferior high freq of IcePower.
 
 
 

I have been listening to the D2 in my speaker rig for sometime now. I would rate it as a very neutral and detailed. Hence, I would suggested pair it with a Class A amp or a warmer sounding amp instead of a Class D amp.

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

Quote:

 
The Neko MK2 lacks an integral USB connection, which price wise tips the scale towards the D2. Beyond that the D2's internal USB implementation still uses S/PDIF, just as would a Neko MK2 which uses RCA connectors to link to an S/PDIF USB convertor.
 
 
Using a JKenny MK3 JKSPDIF with both the Anedio D1 and D100MK2, I found the D1 to have a digital hardness compared to a more natural sound from the Neko. I would guess the D2 will bring improvements in that same area, and to what degree remains to be seen.
 
 

Hmm... interesting. I feel with the wrong system, the MK1 can sound a little too dark but your comment regarding "digital harshness" rings true based on my experience with a Buffalo II DAC which is based on the same Sabre chip as the Anedio and employs a similar opamp-based I/V and line out buffer stages. 
 
A bit off-topic but is the Neko sensitive to USB transports? 

 
While waiting for Anedio's S/PDIF convertor for my D1 DAC, I decided to order a JKenny MK3 and was highly impressed with the results across the board. These subtle but significant improvements included increased resolution and extension top to bottom, clearer imaging, and a bit of smoothness in the upper mids and highs. 
 
I can't *quite* say the Neko is sensitive to USB transports, however my experience with the MK3, Audiophilleo 2, and Wavelink HS showed each unit to bring a slightly different sound signature to the Neko. 

 

[project86]

See I didn't really care for the Neko unit that much - once again, there is no "absolute sound" that fits everyone (despite the magazine title). But I trust Pigmode as a great member of this community, and I'm glad he found something that works well for him.