[astrostar59]

..

 

[FrankCooter]

Greetings Astrostar59!
 
There aren't a lot of  Audio Note people here, but we make up in dedication what we lack in numbers. I currently run a 2.1B kit that I will eventually upgrade to a 3.1. There's not enough said about these dacs on this forum.

 

[astrostar59]

Build Update
 
I completed the build a few days back, and have it on soak in my Studio for the next few weeks.
 
The sound from switch on is great. The first thing I did was turn up the volume to max, and listen for hum
or buzz. Nothing, dead quite, and no hiss either. Great.
 
I have V-Cap Teflons on the output board, so I do expect the sound to be all over the shop for 3 weeks or so.
The Mundorf caps on the Power board will need the same, though won't affect the SQ as much.
 
Right now it sounds really clean, very dynamic and great bass WOW, a lot stonger than my previous Meridian DAC.
And the detail is already better, possibly partly due to the NOS and no Brick Wall filter.
 
The 6X5 tube on the Power board was swopped out for a Bendix which draws more current but gives a more
dynamic presentation. I'll report back in a few weeks once the V-Caps (and the rest of the parts) are run in.
 
A thought, it would be possible with a minor tweak to add a volume pot, thus negate the need for a Pre Amp i.e. straight
into my Stax SRM-717 amp, and the same into my Power Amps. I will look into that.
 
BUT VERY HAPPY BUNNY - GREAT DAC! IT ROCKS....
 
I would strongly recommend looking at these kits. Brian the owner of Audio Note kits in Canada is like me, a 300B SE fan and hifi fanatic. What you get once you have put it together is a leading edge audiophile product for the money. Forget any kits from cottage suppliers or China stuff. This gear is the real deal. I see it as a good investment as well. I mean, how ,many manufacturers really offer upgrade paths or options? And I aren't an engineer, a web designer with no electronic background. BUT I can further tweak and upgrade this DAC if I wanted to. Though, it is that good, I may be better looking at my source tweaks first (Mac Mini and M2Tech EVO).
 
 

 

[bambadoo]

Great job.. 
 
Some people have made great results swapping the 6x5 for ez81 (using a socket converter or something).. 

 

[astrostar59]

Hi Bambadoo
 
Nice to here from you! Do you still have the Audio Note Conquests?
 
I am a web designer by trade, and am building a new website for Brian at Audio Note Kits at the moment.
 
It will have e-shop facilities so clients can buy on-line and a much better display of the fabulous products. The quality of the kits is
really great, and has moved on a lot since my humble Audio Note Kits 1.1 from 2007.
 
The thing is, the kits aren't cheap as the part quality and the board layouts are deigned for the better
quality spectrum. Because of this, the website in my view needs to reflect that. The photos on the website
are good, but the layout and type looks very 1990s.
 
I'll float up a link once Brian has ok'd the designs. If you ping me private message with your email I'll let you see
it now!

 

[bambadoo]

Yes please do  
The Conquests were sold years ago. I have done alot of diying/soldering etc. since then. Totally rebuild a kit1 - BTW it came out great. 
 
And I have also moved a bit to the dark side. A transistor amp and transistor linestage/buffer have also been built... 
 
A week ago I did this with my linestage ... - have some work to do now. Something was not right. 
 
BTW: I work in the IT industry myself.. 

 
 

 

[complin]

You really ought to give one of the Metrum DAC's a whirl from the Netherlands, the Hex or Octave.
I had a factory built AN 2.1 Signature DAC (Euro 4000) and I much preferred the Octave (Euro 800) with additional power supply. IMHO the Octave is an amazing little box even though its inputs/outputs are limited).  There is a new MKII Octave out which has optional USB.
 
I do agree though that Audio Note does not get the exposure it deserves on this forum and probably for the following reasons:
Its non oversampling/upsamling so not seen as mainstream like all the other DAC's chasing the numbers game
On listening you dont get the immediate hifi wow as with other DAC's, its only after prolonged listening do you realise its strenghts 
Its a niche player in the UK so not that widely available (the kits btw do not equate to a factory built DAC) excellent bang for the buck though.
The sweet spots in their range are very expensive in comparison to most mass produced electronics and their high end stuff has truly stratospheric prices! 
 
Quote:

Greetings Astrostar59!
 
There aren't a lot of  Audio Note people here, but we make up in dedication what we lack in numbers. I currently run a 2.1B kit that I will eventually upgrade to a 3.1. There's not enough said about these dacs on this forum.

 

[astrostar59]

Hi Complin
I have heard that the Metrum proiducts are good and for the money as well. I haven't heard any yet. What year DAC 2.1 UK product did you have? The 2.1 has been revamped
a lot over the years with I/V transformers and better digi boards and upgraded power supplies. The current production 2.1 is quite a lot better then the earlier versions.
 
I have a 3.1 SE kit with upgraded parts. It sound fabulous in my (granted) mainly Audio Note system. I do however use the Stax SR-007s and an SRM-717 amp a lot and again the SQ is magical. I also use a Bendix upgraded tube in the power supply which made a big change to the dynamics and the bass. The Bendix does draw double the current tthough, so the trans needs to be up to it.
 
Also the output tubes make a lot of difference. I use Tungsols 1960 G Getters, one of the best 5687s around, and they provide smooth grain free treble detail.
 
BTW I note the Metrum uses an M2Tech USB input board. I use the EVO full stack and find M2Tech products sound great.

 

[complin]

The AN 2.1 Signature is about 2 years old so fairly recent production as shipped from the factory.
I also use the Stax SR-007 Mk1 and Stax T2 amp.  Did the evaluation with the Stax 009's as well.  I find the Metrum more direct and dynamic than the Audio Note but still retains the colour and natural timbre of the instraments. I dont use USB at the moment just a VDH first MKII carbon digital cable and Audio Synthesis pure silver interconnects.
A friend of mine is modding his Octave by replacing the output transformer with an Audio Note one, so looking forward to hearing the result  

  
 
 
Quote:

Hi Complin
I have heard that the Metrum proiducts are good and for the money as well. I haven't heard any yet. What year DAC 2.1 UK product did you have? The 2.1 has been revamped
a lot over the years with I/V transformers and better digi boards and upgraded power supplies. The current production 2.1 is quite a lot better then the earlier versions.
 
I have a 3.1 SE kit with upgraded parts. It sound fabulous in my (granted) mainly Audio Note system. I do however use the Stax SR-007s and an SRM-717 amp a lot and again the SQ is magical. I also use a Bendix upgraded tube in the power supply which made a big change to the dynamics and the bass. The Bendix does draw double the current tthough, so the trans needs to be up to it.
 
Also the output tubes make a lot of difference. I use Tungsols 1960 G Getters, one of the best 5687s around, and they provide smooth grain free treble detail.
 
BTW I note the Metrum uses an M2Tech USB input board. I use the EVO full stack and find M2Tech products sound great.

 

[FrankCooter]

Quote:

You really ought to give one of the Metrum DAC's a whirl from the Netherlands, the Hex or Octave.
I had a factory built AN 2.1 Signature DAC (Euro 4000) and I much preferred the Octave (Euro 800) with additional power supply. IMHO the Octave is an amazing little box even though its inputs/outputs are limited).  There is a new MKII Octave out which has optional USB.
 
I do agree though that Audio Note does not get the exposure it deserves on this forum and probably for the following reasons:
Its non oversampling/upsamling so not seen as mainstream like all the other DAC's chasing the numbers game
On listening you dont get the immediate hifi wow as with other DAC's, its only after prolonged listening do you realise its strenghts 
Its a niche player in the UK so not that widely available (the kits btw do not equate to a factory built DAC) excellent bang for the buck though.
The sweet spots in their range are very expensive in comparison to most mass produced electronics and their high end stuff has truly stratospheric prices! 
 

I own a Metrum Octave as well as a kit 2.1B. They are surprisingly similar. Besides the Audio Note, I've had several FOTM  "modern" dacs in my system. The Metrum is the only one that stayed. If you like a classic analog type  presentation,  the Metrum is by far the best I've ever heard at anywhere near its price point.
 
As far as Audio Note factory vs. kit versions , my only experience was comparing my factory 1.1 to my kit 2.1B. The kit was a substantial upgrade. I'm guessing a new factory 3.1 will run in the $5k range.  The kit 3.1 can be built for less than half that.  For the money, I haven't heard anything better.

 

[Synthax]

How do you find Bendix rectifier over Mullard , Sylvania, Tungsol, RCA ?

 

[astrostar59]

I have found the Bendix to be more dynamic and have more authority (slam and bass weight). I maybe due to the Bendix pulling twice the
current, and or/ the Bendix is a great tube and very well built. I would imagine the Mullard would be close, but in Rectifier tubes which thend
to get a hard life and can go regularly, the Bendix give long life and is reliable. I haven't had one go yet after 7 years in my Pre-Amp
and 3 years in a DAC. The pre-amp Bendix got a bit loose after 4 years, so I swopped it out for another Bendix. It didn''t actually fail o
short.

 

[astrostar59]

On the other subject of Metrum products, I am sure they are good sounding for the money, but have been bested by other
products in the OS ranges. I wonder if they would sound better than my DAC 3.1 with trick parts? The parts in the Metrum look
a bit cheap? At the end of the day, if the design is good, it comes down to part quality and tube selections. And of course the
all important power supply. If it sounds better with an Audio Note Trans, maybe you should just get an Audio Note DAC?

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Very nice work! I have a DAC 2.1 with I/V transformers that I need to finish up. At a quick glance, it looks like some of the main differences are the inclusion of the 33/1 transformers and the fancy V-Caps. 

 

[astrostar59]

Hi HiGHFLYiN9
The 2.1 is similar in all areas except the IV trans between the digital board and the output board.
Also the 3.1 has a different output board using 2 x 5687 tubes and different Cap rating. Then there are the 33/1 transformers
after that.
 
It is possible to upgrade your 2.1 to the full 3.1 or even the 4.1 kit. If you are interested, talk to Brian at ANK Audiokits.
 
The Audio Note DACs from Brian or the models from Audio Note UK are fabulous products. I was never happy with CD replay
at a high level until I found their None Oversampling models. Delta Signa never did it for me.