[xtreme4099]

Awesome venue from what i hear, it'd be good to hear some impressions from those of you who were there.

 

[Gord SW Ont]

I thought this meet was to take place on Nov 6th???

Any impressions or was the meet deferred/cancelled?

Thx ... Gord SW Ont.

 

[TrevorNetwork]

It was a small meet, with few people. There were also time constraints for the host. I believe there were approximately 6-7 people there. We all had a great time, but in the end, most of us were socializing. I am quite familiar with most of the gear at the meet as I own / have owned most of it. For me, if I had to break my impressions down in a simple sense I would say:

AOS Electronics Flute:

This is an excellent DAC/AMP combo. It oozes quality simply by looking at the PCBs. AOS has the hands of a surgeon, and it shows. The Flute was incredibly transparent when using the IHP-120. The amp was probably the second most transparent next to the Dynahi. The HD580 took on characteristics I have seen in electrostatic systems. The Flute's resolution is superior. The Flute utilizes a digital volume control that increments in 0.5dB steps making for superior adjustment to volume. I intend to purchase one, and would highly recommend this product.


Modified Toshiba 4960

This particular source is an excellent value. It supports CD, DVD-A, and SACD. The CD portion is initally lacking in dynamics, and seems to lack PRaT. The SACD portion however is excellent. An output stage bypass was performed with Cardas jacks installed for stereo outputs. The power supply was revamped to include much beefier, higher end capacitors, and other mods. Dynamat material was utilized extensively to reduce any vibration of the chasis. These mods resulted in significantly better PRaT, and tighter bass. Although I noticed a difference in treble detail, I did not notice a difference in treble extension. I suspect further modifications, and perhaps silver wiring of the outputs may assist in further refinement. This source is an excellent all-arounder, and for ~$220 CAD from London Drugs you can't really go wrong.


Audio Technica ATH-W11R

Quite possibly the most liquid sounding headphones I have heard. Interestingly, they do not lack detail. Using the ATH-W2002 as a reference, I would say the ATH-W11R have less separation, detail, and soundstaging. They possess a "woody" sound characteristic. That particular characteristics differs significantly from the RS-1's sound however. The ATH-W11R have very punchy bass, and being pre-DADS technology they lack the visceral bass of later models. I could however see how a person could prefer the ATH-W11R's bass. The ATH-W11R's strength is in the way it presents music, it has a very beautiful colouration to it. Violins in particular take on very smooth sound. When the violinist hits the lower frequencies, you can really feel the resonations within the violin. It's quite incredible actually. For rock music I found the ATH-W11R, like the HD580/6xx to have a "detached" sound. The ATH-W11R lacked the PRaT to keep up with rock music. The bass was too slow, and the treble lacked the attack, and energy that I enjoy. I would liken it to trying to take a Bentley to the World Rally Championships. I am actively searching for a set of these headphones.


More to follow...

 

[Gord SW Ont]

Hey as long as you enjoy yourselves it's worth it!

Thanks Trevor ... appreciate the feedback.

 

[Natsuiro]

AOS Flute:
I quite liked this product. I didn't test it extensively and I forgot to bring my pcdp to test it's optical out, but with the ihp it sounded quite good. From what I understand, it uses the Piccolo dac and then the TI amp chip and digital volume control. The volume control was very cool because it was accurate with 0.5db steps. Also what is cool is that it's firmware can be upgraded. It is also quite small. Though it wasn't cased out, i'd estimate the final product to be about the size of a portable pimeta in a serpac enclosure. I'm tempted to give up my dreams of buying an ipod and just buying this product.

Toshiba 4960:
I liked the sacd playback, but for redbook i think it's missing something.. it's just not enough. I'm not sure if this is true, or because I spent too much time with the benchmark

Benchmark Dac1:
I think it's an amazing product. I like the sound which I feel is clean, detailed, and transparent.

Dynahi:
I quite like this amp because it is clean, detailed, and trasparent (like the Dac1) and that's the sound I like. I find the combination of the two to be quite pleasing.

MPX3: It didn't sound bad to me, but I wasn't wow'd either. I don't have much experience with tubes, so maybe I'm just not a tube guy.

W2002s: I've heard them a bit. But I'm still reserved to give my opinion on them. I find it hard to explain the sound.. I think i'll need to listen to them some more first.

W11r: I was quite surprised at this product. I feel the W2002s are superior. But there's something about the sound of these I liked. Even if I had the W2002s I'd like to have these as well. It had a really smooth and dark sound which I found appealing

HD-580/650: They are okay I guess. But for some reason the sound doesn't really appeal to me.

Sr-100: I liked the energy of them, but there was something about the highs that irritated me. It could be because I am using the AD843kn op amp and not a burr brown one, but i'm not sure.

 

[Jap]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorNetwork c AOS Electronics Flute: This is an excellent DAC/AMP combo. It oozes quality simply by looking at the PCBs. AOS has the hands of a surgeon, and it shows. The Flute was incredibly transparent when using the IHP-120. The amp was probably the second most transparent next to the Dynahi. The HD580 took on characteristics I have seen in electrostatic systems. The Flute's resolution is superior. The Flute utilizes a digital volume control that increments in 0.5dB steps making for superior adjustment to volume. I intend to purchase one, and would highly recommend this product.

[size=small]Now!, this is the sort of mini review that gets me all hot and bothered ... among other things.

I just purchased a Sony D-EJ2000 and wanted a portable amp and DAC to optimize the sound. I'm still going to need a home amp and DAC combo, but those are for another day and other dollars. I believe AOS is working on a highend DAC model as well according to his website (the Electrifier). I imagine the Flute allows for opamp rolling so I can get an AD8620 inside and running.

Please, anyone else, feel free to expound on the virtues (failings, if any?) of the AOS Flute.[/size]

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jap [size=small]Now!, this is the sort of mini review that gets me all hot and bothered [/size]

Me too!

So how does it compare with the DAC1, Trev?

 

[TrevorNetwork]

AOS will be giving me a pre-production Flute to review this weekend. I'll write a full review including comparisons to the DAC1, and PPA. The Dynahi is on its way to a new owner, but the building of my new TN DynaHi has commenced. I may be able to reference the Flute to it. I will be comparing it to the Piccolo as well. Bare in mind however, that the Flute is a DAC-amplifier. It does not (As of writing) have analogue RCA output, nor does it have analogue RCA input. It accepts optical, and coaxial input however. Full review coming over the next few days.

It is my feeling that this product could be a winner. We shall see in the coming days.

Cheers!

Trevor

 

[Jap]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorNetwork AOS will be giving me a pre-production Flute to review this weekend. I'll write a full review including comparisons to the DAC1, and PPA. The Dynahi is on its way to a new owner, but the building of my new TN DynaHi has commenced. I may be able to reference the Flute to it. I will be comparing it to the Piccolo as well. Bare in mind however, that the Flute is a DAC-amplifier. It does not (As of writing) have analogue RCA output, nor does it have analogue RCA input. It accepts optical, and coaxial input however. Full review coming over the next few days.

[size=small]I would expect that there are some compromises due to Flute's portable profile, but that is normally a given for portable products. I just don't want to give up too much quality away from home.

I'll be awaiting your review as I'm trying to put together a first class portable package ... that is currently missing an AOS DAC/amp combo!

[/size]

 

[tiberian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorNetwork AOS will be giving me a pre-production Flute to review this weekend. I'll write a full review including comparisons to the DAC1, and PPA. The Dynahi is on its way to a new owner, but the building of my new TN DynaHi has commenced. I may be able to reference the Flute to it. I will be comparing it to the Piccolo as well. Bare in mind however, that the Flute is a DAC-amplifier. It does not (As of writing) have analogue RCA output, nor does it have analogue RCA input. It accepts optical, and coaxial input however. Full review coming over the next few days. It is my feeling that this product could be a winner. We shall see in the coming days. Cheers! Trevor

TN audio

.

 

[Zoide]

Isn't the Electrifier an ADC rather than a DAC? "Electrifier, a high end A/D converter" (http://www.aoselectronics.com/)

 

[xtreme4099]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorNetwork AOS will be giving me a pre-production Flute to review this weekend. I'll write a full review including comparisons to the DAC1, and PPA. The Dynahi is on its way to a new owner, but the building of my new TN DynaHi has commenced. I may be able to reference the Flute to it. I will be comparing it to the Piccolo as well. Bare in mind however, that the Flute is a DAC-amplifier. It does not (As of writing) have analogue RCA output, nor does it have analogue RCA input. It accepts optical, and coaxial input however. Full review coming over the next few days. It is my feeling that this product could be a winner. We shall see in the coming days. Cheers! Trevor

beta monkey .... pffffffffft.

 

[Jap]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide Isn't the Electrifier an ADC rather than a DAC? "Electrifier, a high end A/D converter" (http://www.aoselectronics.com/)

[size=small]You're right! I was going by memory.

[/size]

 

[yhmzzz]

I'm also expecting your review about AOS Flute..

 

[kunwar]

TN, correct me if I am wrong but from what I have read on AOS's website, is Flute a replacement product for the sostenuto.
Also what sort of batteries does it use and what is the expected battery life of it.