I received this unit about 2 weeks ago and it has been plugged in continuously since then. I listen about 3-4hrs a day at work depending on the day, so I think it has "broken-in" or maybe I have.
My system details are:
- Keces 151 DAC
- Windows PC running Foobar 2000
- USB-Audio ASIO driver 2.6.1
- Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline "The Hornet" Headphone Amp
- Shure SE530 IEM phones
I am not really a hardcore Head-Fi person, but my work situation makes it so that I listen to music over phones for long periods each day. I have a nice 2 channel setup at home and listen to all sorts of music.
The Keces replaces an Edirol UA-25 unit that I want to use for home room measurements. The Edirol UA-25 is not really used as a stand alone DAC, but it is a good, linear unit. It was on the dry side with good, but not spectacular bass.
The Keces 151 improves on the Edirol in a few important ways - noise floor. This is just a very quiet unit. I hear no analog hiss at normal limits - and even turned all the way up with a paused song, it is faint hiss (and this could be the Emmeline - I do not know).
How would I describe the sound - buttery and smooth with lots of detail and impact. This DAC makes digital sound very smooth. However at the same time, there is no smearing, loss of detail or transient impact. The SE530 are great phones for Bass, and the KECES provides plenty of oomph there. Drums really do thud and shy of the visceral feel of speakers, does a very good job - tracks like Basement Jaxx, etc always impress. The transients are also very good - snares really snap. Things that have pop in the recording really come across that way. At the same time, even with loud, busy tracks, you can hear all the details of the many tracks coming together. The character of the sound probably would fall on the warm side of neutral based on a rich midrange. The highs are clear without being piercing.
I found with the Edirol UA-25 that long listening sessions would be fatiguing - the KECES 151 is much better in this regard. I can listen much longer without listener fatigue. In my experience this means that the highs and "digital" harshness is tamed.
Another hint to prospective buyers is to use the ASIO driver. I tried this unit with the default USB speaker setup under Windows. After a week I decided to try ASIO drivers (I used the Edirol this way). The ASIO was just better in my opinion - clearer, fuller, better. It seemed to help with detail and impact. So I would recommend people looking at the USB-Audio driver (which I liked more than the ASIO4All one). It costs more, but I think it is worth it if you spend a lot of time on headphones.
Hope that helps people understand this unit better - sorry I do not have 3 other units with which to compare, but one data point is better than none.
