Well I promised you guys I would let you know how the DAC-19SE sounds with the C-2C so here's a little review using HD650/600's and K701. I might post a full review later in a separate thread but since the DAC-19 will probably be a fairly popular DAC to pair with the C-2C I feel a short review is fitting for this thread.
The DAC arrived in perfect condition and was packaged very well in a surprisingly large box. I purchased the HDCD model which uses a PMD100 chip for the digital filter. I was told by Kingwa that the PMD100 sounds better with standard Red Book CD's than the basic model using the DF1704 digital filter chip.
I was originally using a Little Dot MKV as my amp and either a Denon DVD-2910 as my source or a Zero DAC with Earth HDAM. The Zero DAC had a slightly better sound than the Denon but did not have as good a S/N ratio and could always hear some hiss when the Zero was connected to the MKV.
I had received the C-2C about a week and a half before the DAC-19 so I have become accustomed to its sound and the improvement it made over the MKV. The first thing I noticed when I added the DAC-19 to the chain was that it was not as significant an improvement compared to what I had experienced when I upgraded from the MKV to C-2C. Well... It may not be fair to say that the difference is not as significant because it really is! The difference is just not as immediate and did not stand out as much as the prior amplification upgrade did.
The differences are in the details. I was shocked when I listened to some recordings I had listened to many times before and swore that there were some defects in the recordings that I was picking out since they were repeatable every time. I found that when using the DAC-19 many of those defects magically disappeared! For example... Listening to Queen - Another One Bites the Dust, the main drum beat used to have a sort of digital clicking sound at the trailing frequencies. When using the DAC-19 everything comes out crystal clear and is simply real sounding. I no longer feel I am listening to a digital recording! This DAC is most definitely an upgrade over the Denon or Zero in every single way. The unit is very silent, extremely dynamic, very analytical and best of all simply does not sound digital in any way. I'm finally hearing the true colors of the music I have listened to many times before and even find that recordings I used to think were of pretty good quality are actually not all that great sometimes. The same goes for recordings that I used to think were just alright and which I've developed a new found appreciation.
Overall the DAC-19 is a darn fine unit for the price and will be hard to beat for under $500US. If I had to choose between the C-2C or DAC-19 I would have to say I'd choose the C-2C. The reason for this? I had mentioned previously that I felt the MKV lacked depth and authority in its voicing and I stand by that. The C-2C has eliminated what I found to be a mildly annoying compressed sound to voices and just generally brings the HD650's and K701 to life! I didn't even know the K701 had any life in them until now!
Hmm... I wonder what kind of improvements Kingwa's new Phoenix fully balanced headamp would make? NO! Can't... think... these... thoughts! Need money for food!
