My point was, if you are going to drop $150 on a T1, $70 on a tube and $250 on another amp, you should be considering what your best option is for $470, you know? If your budget is more like $200 and you're driving a high impedance headphone, the T1 and a half decent tube make a nice all-in-one choice.
On the other hand, if you're planning on using the T1 as a DAC only, know that it is nice and musical, but poor in terms of technicality. The soundstage is small, the background is noisy, the transient attack is blurry, it lacks dynamics, it doesn't extend very far in the treble or bass, I'm quite sure THD is quite poor and it lacks microdetail.
However, to Joe's point a couple pages back, the T1 does offer you the ability to customize the sound of your DAC, which is rare.
I'm just giving you the negatives so you can see the whole picture. The positives can be found on every page of this thread.
Here's the reality. You have to choose what you want:
On one side you can have super smooth and musical.
On the other side you get detailed and dynamic.
The reality is, unless you're willing to spend $600 or more on a DAC, you really only get to choose one.
I'm trying to give you a fair and unbiased picture here, based on my experiences at this current point in time. If you want to hear positive things I've said about the T1, search my username in this thread, you'll find several dozen posts, and nearly all of them are positive. Something you said the other night triggered a response in me relative to the lack of balance in opinion about this product. There is nothing wrong with owning it or liking it, but I felt there needed to be some sense of big picture counterbalance here.
I think your idea of renting equipment from the cable co is a good one. There is no better way to find out if you like something than to try it.
Honestly, I'm just trying to help you out man. I'm trying to give you the most current and unbiased opinions I can. I have absolutely no adgenda other than to help you find something that you like. I find it somewhat disrespectful of you to write posts like the one you did above like I can't just come into this thread and see it. Honestly, I give you a fair and well thought out answer and you just kinda smack me in the face for it. I'm sorry if I'm being too straightforward for you. The fact is, I've been there before. I'm just trying to help you connect the dots in a way that makes sense.
I'm using a HiFiMan HE-400i. Besides, the asgard is alright, I just want a nice, accurate DAC, I'd love to get a multibit bifrost or similar, but can't afford that.
