[hohum]

If it's the same level of brightness as the LEDs in the DA-131 I have, then it won't bother you. Bear in mind that the top of the unit isn't totally clear (tinted black), so the visibility of the internals are reduced somewhat (and as a result, the LEDs aren't as bright to the naked eye).

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hohum /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it's the same level of brightness as the LEDs in the DA-131 I have, then it won't bother you. Bear in mind that the top of the unit isn't totally clear (tinted black), so the visibility of the internals are reduced somewhat (and as a result, the LEDs aren't as bright to the naked eye).

Exactly. The cover that is not shown in the picture really blocks out most of the light. I would not find it bothersome at all at night.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

So a few impressions...first of all I am new to all of this so my explanations might not be the best. Also being my first and only DAC experience I have nothing to compare to.

Appearance and build quality:
This thing is heavy and well put together. It is a very minimalist design and I really like that about the unit. The top just like its predecessor is a dark smoked acrylic that gives just a hint of what lies beneath. In the center is a blue LED that tells you it is on.

Installing: Came with the USB cord and power cord. Plug everything up, turn it on and started listening. Truly plug and play. Couldn't have been easier.

Sound: My Head-Fi experience started a couple weeks prior to Christmas 2008. I got a pair of Beyer DT-770/80 Pro's. I used them straight out of my computer for several weeks before getting my first amp, the Little Dot I+. I was pretty impressed since these were my first headphones too. So much better than anything I have ever listened to before. Adding the amp was nice but nothing impressive until I rolled the tubes. That made a very big improvement. After the tubes and such a large gain in audio quality I was kinda skeptical that the DAC would give me another jump in performance the same size the tubes did. I was right. The jump was much BIGGER. The DAC was easily a 100% improvement to me. Here are my impressions broken down...

Highs: Clear and crisp but vocals are still warm sounding and very inviting. It has killed all the shrillness that I would get on occasion. Now I get none.

Mids: Better than pre-DAC. I can really hear more of the mids now. Everyone kept saying the DT-770 suffered from recessed mids and now that the DAC has brought those out some I can see that people were right. Not that they are so recessed to make the phones sound bad but I was definitely missing something before I got the DAC.

Lows: Still there and in force when needed but now much more controlled and tight. Sounds less boomy. Like switching from a big 15" woofer to a pair of 10's.

Sound stage: Opened up a lot. The tubes really helped and the DAC helped even more. The separation in the instrumentation and vocals if great. I can close my eyes and point to a specific spot where things are coming from. I love it. I was thinking about getting another pair of headphones, something with improved sound stage but now I don't need to.

Overall: Not having previous experience I think helps and hinders me. I can not compare to see where this unit really shines and possibly lacks. But at the same time that inexperience also allows me to be blown away and impressed 100% and find no faults with this DAC. I am sure to a more tuned ear there are, but to mine, none. The level of improvement the Keces DA-151 MKII has brought to my music listening enjoyment is worth every penny it cost me. And to those wondering, David (Maniac) was great to work with. Ordering was easier, communication was great, and shipping from China was very fast. I would not hesitate to order from him again.

So there it is. Hope this has helped anyone that is looking at this unit. Any questions I will try my best to answer them.

 

[dwong]

Ordered mine from David (Maniac) today. I hope the DAC will wow me more than my new amp as it did for you ArmAndHammer.

 

[Budgie]

(Sorry, but I have to say) You have apparently not heard a decent 15 inch subwoofer, (based on your statement). It's not the size of the woofer, but the design and implementation that determine if it is boomy or not. Has nothing to do with the cone size.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Budgie /img/forum/go_quote.gif (Sorry, but I have to say) You have apparently not heard a decent 15 inch subwoofer, (based on your statement). It's not the size of the woofer, but the design and implementation that determine if it is boomy or not. Has nothing to do with the cone size.

I have heard lots of them however it was during my days in car audio so I am sure there is a big difference from home audio. The 15's were much "boomier" than the smaller tighter 10's or 8's, but that was pretty much the point. And yes, that was with proper enclosures and amplification.

Anyways, perhaps my analogy was not the best but that is how I related it.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ordered mine from David (Maniac) today. I hope the DAC will wow me more than my new amp as it did for you ArmAndHammer.

What amp? When I first got my Little Dot I+ I was less than wowed. I was actually disappointed until the tube roll. But I did read prior to me getting the amp that the stock tubes sucked. So I guess my disappointment was to be expected. But yeah, in my experience the DAC was an immediate WOW. It wasn't like I had to sit there a listen closely for little differences from using just the amp. The improvement was very obvious and in my face. I am sure you'll be happy. Just make sure to post up when you get it. Hopefully David has them in stock because the shipping was really fast once he had them in stock (I pre-ordered mine before they were released so I had to wait a couple weeks).

 

[dwong]

I purchased the Head-Direct EF1, hybrid-tube amp. I've been listening to primarily my Nuforce-Icon Mobile through my laptop for the past month, but right out of the box the EF1 provided a larger sound stage presentation- both wider and more depth. The imaging was superb, something that I could not tell was lacking until I experienced music through the EF1. Music sounds sweeter with lusher tones. I have a set of BJC rca interconnects on the way as well to pair it with the Keces DA-151.

 

[tke398]

Any updates on the sound of the new DAC? I'm very interested in purchasing this, but wanted to read some more before I take the plunge. I'm sure I won't be disappointed, but being an IT professional, I'm one of those 'SP1' type of guys (even though this model is the mkII). I'm anxious to hear any comments.

 

[dwong]

My DA-151MkII arrived in the mail today. Excellent service and shipping by David all the way from Taiwan, I honestly wasn't expecting the package to arrive until next week because of the Chinese New Year. This DAC is extremely sleek looking, pictures just don't do it justice. All I'll say for now is that this DAC is way better than the DAC in my Nuforce Icon Mobile (at more than 2x the price it better be), and betters the Auzentech Prelude in detail and sound stage. I would like to hold off my impressions until it's seen some further burn in. I also have a Valab DAC coming in sometime next week, which I plan to a/b with.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Very good to hear. I am still very pleased. Mine has not seen enough use yet to say that it has any appreciable burn-in but I am still loving it.

tke398, do you have any specific questions or concerns? I am still sticking to my initial impressions. Like I said above, there has not been enough use yet to say there there has been noticeable burn-in. I don't even know if things like DACs are subject to burn-in improvement. But I will say that I love this thing every time I turn it on. I truly don't think you will regret getting it.

 

[tke398]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmAndHammer /img/forum/go_quote.gif tke398, do you have any specific questions or concerns? I am still sticking to my initial impressions. Like I said above, there has not been enough use yet to say there there has been noticeable burn-in. I don't even know if things like DACs are subject to burn-in improvement. But I will say that I love this thing every time I turn it on. I truly don't think you will regret getting it.

I'm just curious as to whether or not this will be an improvement over the iBasso D3 that I am using currently. I think that the power supply in the Keces will make a difference vs. the usb power that the D3 runs on. I also think that plugging my interconnects directly into the Keces vs. going to a mini-rca adapter will help eliminate the weak 'link'. I'm just trying to read as many opinions as possible, but noticed there isn't as much activity as I would have expected. I'd also hate to find out that the original is better than the newer version (kinda like with SLR lenses sometimes).

I just got new 'phones so that should keep me happy long enough to do more research on better USB DACs that the iBasso.

 

[oqvist]

I ordered my 131.1 mk 2 yesterday... Went totally crazy with power cables and all but I just don´t want to think about that being a bottleneck so it´s a bit of an insurance. This is my last DAC if I don´t like it I will just go back to my Elite PRO but of course I ain´t calculating on that

 

[tke398]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tke398 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm just curious as to whether or not this will be an improvement over the iBasso D3 that I am using currently. I think that the power supply in the Keces will make a difference vs. the usb power that the D3 runs on. I also think that plugging my interconnects directly into the Keces vs. going to a mini-rca adapter will help eliminate the weak 'link'. I'm just trying to read as many opinions as possible, but noticed there isn't as much activity as I would have expected. I'd also hate to find out that the original is better than the newer version (kinda like with SLR lenses sometimes). I just got new 'phones so that should keep me happy long enough to do more research on better USB DACs that the iBasso.

I went ahead and got the Keces, it was delivered yesterday. To answer my own question...Yes, there is a very large improvement in sound compared to the iBasso D3 DAC. With no burn in, it has much clearer and defined bass and you can hear the size and weight of cymbals. When listening to Red Hot Chili Pepper's 'Funky Monks', the bass is sooo tight it sounds like its farting, even at very low volumes. Dave Matthew's 'Crash' finally has some cymbal crashes that sound like real cymbals with shimmer and weight. Overall, it sounds much more 3-D like than I was expecting.

One question...does my amp need to be turned on to burn in the DAC?? Right now I left it connected to my laptop playing FLACs with the amp turned off. I'm thinking it may need to 'drive' something.

 

[moonboy403]

The Keces line up is very neutral with plenty of weight on each note.