I apologize for the delay in posting further impressions of the DACmini, it's been a hectic couple of weeks which has made getting serious listening time harder. I've managed some though and I've written a few thoughts which has turned out to be much longer than I intended. I wouldn't look at this as a proper review though, I still think there's more to uncover with the DACmini that only time will allow to show through. In short, thus far I'm very happy with the DACmini's performance with the exception of a couple of reservations .
Some background for context
A bit of background might help to give my thoughts some context. Selling my JHAudio 13Pro's then buying the LCD-2's signaled a shift back to a home rig, unfortunately after the losses incurred selling the 13Pro's my budget has been rather limited. Originally I thought a Gilmore Lite paired with my Pico DAC would prove to be a suitable first step up on the ladder but the pairing proved less than ideal. Then after a friend loaned me his Headroom Desktop Portable amp which paired much better with the LCD-2's I went looking for alternatives. Not knowing if it was the Pico DAC, the Lite or just the combination of the two I figured I had two routes to go, one was to simply buy another amp to pair with the Pico DAC. In my price range the only thing that looked appealing was the Schiit Lyr. The other option was to sell my portable setup in favor of something like the Desktop Portable that I could still take to work yet is more capable of driving the LCD-2's.
The DACmini stood out because not only was the pairing with LCD-2's getting some good feedback from a few users but it's size and weight are close to that of the Desktop Portable opening up the possibility of lugging it to work thus replacing my portable setup. I also like the idea that it's a piece that would potentially stick around as I could upgrade the LCD-2 setup around it then have it move into a bedroom rig that would mostly be used with IEM's. After quite a bit of discussion and deliberation I decided to take a leap of faith and give the DACmini a try.
Impressions With LCD-2's
One of the first things I noticed about the DACmini is it brings out more treble in the LCD-2's than I've heard from them previously. I'm not a fan of over emphasized treble so I was a bit concerned at first but thus far the treble has not come across as harsh in any way and there's not been any over-emphasis on sibilance, on the contrary, even though there's more it's very smooth yet detailed. Previously I may have agreed that the LCD-2's were a bit subdued on the top but the DACmini has changed my view of that and allowed me to hear the LCD-2's in a new light.
Tonality, texture and vocals are areas the LCD-2's excel at and the DACmini allows these traits to show through in a very natural way. Listening to Iron & Wine's live at Wheaton College recording which is a rather unique solo recording of just Sam Beam and his acoustic guitar, the combination of the LCD-2's and DACmini perform that wonderful illusion of transporting the listener "there" in the first row. Sam Beams voice has never sounded more intimate and the tone and detail of the acoustic guitar is rendered in the most realistic fashion I've heard with subtle details showing through in his playing which only add to the illusion of being there. It's like somebody cleaned the window I was looking through allowing me to make more sense of the whole picture.
Another live recording that first captured my attention back when I had the 13Pro's is The Tiger Lillies "Urine Palace". For those unfamilar with The Tiger Lillies they are a band that is incredibly hard to describe, Martyn Jacques sings in what's described as a castrati style voice while playing accordian and accompanied by drums and double bass. The songs are of a very dark nature but done in a humorful, contrasting, sometimes almost beautiful style. The live setting of "Urine Palace" captures this bizarre band in a way none of the other recordings I've heard from them does. With the crowd close and subtle hints to the surroundings like the occasional beer bottle falling the ambient cues give the impression of a small bar. The 13Pro's had a way of capturing the ambience, the details and the music I didn't think the LCD-2's quite achieved until heard them with the DACmini. Martyn Jacques vocals take on a realism and dynamic quality that is at times goose bump worthy. The same can be said can be said for the whole band but Jacques vocal style is just so captivating that it takes center stage beyond everything else. Obviously I can't do a direct comparison to the 13Pro's anymore but from memory when paired with the DACmini the LCD-2's do at least as good a job with what feels like a more natural quality.
When planning this amp purchase an area I was concerned about with the LCD-2's was the bass. The 13Pro's have a bump in the sub-bass that gives an added foundation to the music but at times I thought it could sound a bit lean through the mid bass. My old standby Triple.Fi's by contrast have a bump in the midbass and lack the extension in the sub-bass of the 13Pro's. The LCD-2's virtually flat bass seems to offer the best of both worlds but can also sound a bit lean on recordings I'm intimately familar with on the other two. Considering reports of the LCD-2's liking power I've had concerns about any purchase I make having an adverse affect on the bass due to a lack of sufficient power.
Initially I had a few concerns about the bass with the DACmini but as I've listened it seems those initial concerns were either unfounded or that the bass took some time to fully flesh out. The LCD-2's still don't quite have the sub-bass presence of the 13Pro's, it's not too far off though and is very satisfying nonetheless and it's rendered with all the detail and texture that the rest of the spectrum is. The DACmini does not ever feel like it's running out of steam or that the LCD-2's could use more power. I'm sitting here listening to Brant Bjork's "Jalamanta" which has some very nice bass in it, at times on this recording the 13Pro's bass could actually dominate a bit too much but with the LCD-2's there seems to be a better overall top to bottom balance.
The DACmini exhibits a slight warmth and smoothness that allows the music to just flow but don't be mistaken, this isn't a tube-like lush warmth. I could see some preferring a lusher presentation than the DACmini provides but often times that lushness can come at the expense of other areas. The DACmini seems to do a very good job of balancing just the right amount of ingredients without over or under doing any one thing. In short with regards to the LCD-2's I really have no complaints, the DACmini does a superb job of allowing the LCD-2's to do what they do best, play music in a very natural and engaging way.
Triple.Fi's
I haven't listened a whole lot with the Triple.Fi's as I haven't wanted to transport the DACmini to and from work until I am firmly decided that it's staying. It's with the Triple.Fi's that a couple of concerns have cropped up. While the DACmini has taken the Triple.Fi's to a previously unheard level I can only turn the volume up to between 8 and 9 o'clock which doesn't allow for much usable range. My other concern is that there is a low level but noticable amount of hiss that after coming from the black backgrounds of HeadAmp products is a bit disconcerting.
Luckily any channel imbalance in the volume pot is at a very low range and even with only being able to turn the volume up to 8 or 9 o'clock I still seem to be able to have enough control in that range for it to not be a concern with the Triple.Fi's. Also, the hiss level with the Triple.Fi's is low enough that I don't think it would be intrusive even with soft passages in the music. Where my concern lies is how these things might factor in with future IEM purchases. That I intend for the DACmini to serve double duty with both IEM's and LCD-2's now and possibly closer to full-time with IEM's in the future has had me debating whether the DACmini stays or goes.
A few suggestions
The DACmini seems like a well thought out design with options available to help tailor it's usage to the owners needs. It's also backed by a company that in my experience has bent over backwards to be helpful and take user feedback into consideration. So with that in mind I'll throw out a few suggestions.
While I like the almost shiny silver finish (is it sandblasted as opposed to brushed?) I would have liked to have had the option for a black one. While on the subject of finishes, I like the DACmini engraving on the top panel but the font usage doesn't seem consistent with what I've seen elswehere. DAC is using a thinner font, I assume the same as the word mini, but on the front panel and in other literature DAC uses a bolder font which IMO looks much nicer.
I've wondered whether the implentation of a gain switch might be of benefit for those who are using more sensitive IEM's and while on the same track, the addition of a second 1/8" input would be really cool as well.
And last, I haven't put the feet on yet, the DACmini is sitting on the foam from it's packaging, I'd love to see a better implementation for them, maybe something that screws on using the same screw holes as the base?
Final Thoughts
There's still some time left before the 30 day money back guaratee expires so I'll probably do some further testing and do some comparisons with the Pico DAC and such but I think the DACmini's overall performance and synergy thus far with the LCD-2's, and with the Triple.Fi's for that matter, will outweigh the concerns I have with hiss and usable volume with other potential IEM purchases down the road.
In conclusion, while I haven't had as much time as I would have liked over the past couple of weeks to really put the DACmini through it's paces it has given a good account of itself nonetheless. I started out looking for an entry level amp to drive the LCD-2's but ended up not only with a new amp but a DAC as well. The purchase was meant as an interim purchase, one that I would eventually upgrade around but I feel as far as the pairing with the LCD-2's is concerned I could happily live with the DACmini for the long term. Of course I'm sure as finances allow I would get curious but until then I wouldn't feel I'm missing anything.
haha.
