[dex85]

i read the stereophile review today. while it didn't get the stellar ratings, conclusion was it is good stuff. but i was shocked by Roy Hall's reply in Manufacturers Comment. guy really showed his class. i wouldn't buy anything from him based on that comment alone.

Quote:

Since Sam(reviewer) deems it necessary to quote John Maynard Keynes i though it appropriate to start with more relevant quote from that great economist:"Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of though on the unthinking". Sam is Luddite, and an unthinking one at that. The dac25.2 is designed specifically to listen to musin on or through a computer. The USB input at least a hint of this. The instructions tell you this. But what does Sam do? He uses a CD player as his source. There is nothing wrong with that, except that it misses the whole point of USB DACs. Like or not (and I don't), people are storing their music on computers, and as a lover of music and a manufacturer, it is incumbent one me and others in our industry to help retrieve that music and make it sound good-thus the dac25.2. He did say that "the dac25.2 sounded especially swell with Internet radio." Suprise ****ing suprise. It was designed for that! What he should have done is listened to music through the iTunes software on his Mac and not through his aged (probably acquired for free) CD player. The beauty of our DAC is that it really makes sense of music stored in digital media. It works well with that whore of compression, MP3, and soars, like the lark ascending, with uncompressed files. Really, Editor, is this the best you can do? Don't you have any new, your writers who get it? Am I doomed to suffer the rantings of an aged buffoon? I guess so. Roy Hall Music Hall

 

[texashorn91]

Ya, that was pretty pathetic. I hear Sam and Roy have a past.

 

[Patu]

Wow quite a reply. Is the review online yet or only in the magazine?

 

[texashorn91]

Just in the magazine, it's in the Aug 09 issue, under Manufacturer Comments.

 

[ekoshyun]

Funny thing is that Roy probably has a good point. It's just all covered up and made moot by his rage. Please stop raging, Roy. I like the Music Hall from what I've heard so far. Let's not rage...

 

[Skylab]

I got one of these about 10 days or so ago - took one in as a trade. Initial reaction listening through headphones (after 100 hours break in) was that the sound was just fair - not awful, but nothing special. I will try it as just a DAC and report back.

I did yank out the EH 6922 and put in a JAN-Sylvania NOS 6922 before I ever turned it on. I also understand that the balanced outs do not go through the tube, which has at least the potential of being useful - tube sound via RCA, SS via balanced - at least assuming the DAC sounds good.

Anyway, more later.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will try it as just a DAC and report back.

Anything new to report with this as a DAC (tubed output, in particular)?

 

[Skylab]

Actually, yes, just been too busy to report

The Music Hall is a very good sounding DAC. It's an interesting piece of kit, since you get basically two DACs in one - tubed output via the RCA outs, and SS via the balanced outs. The amp does have a slightly smoother sound with the tubed output, with just perhaps a tiny bit of treble reticence in exchange for the sweetness; via the balanced outs, it's dead-neutral as best I can tell, and very detailed.

Via the Audio-GD Phoenix, which is wonderful but just slightly dark, the balanced outs were magnificent. Via my Decware CSP-2, which while a tube amp is not really "tubey" sounding, the tube outs of the MH were excellent sounding. In every case, the sound was better than the analog outputs of my Denon CD player - more nuanced and resolving, and a little smoother and more listenable overall.

Easily worth the money, IMHO.

One thing to note - I ditched the (awful) EH 6922 in favor of a JAN-Sylvania, and my comments are all based on that.

 

[ekoshyun]

Unplggd.com just wrote a nice juicy review on it here:

Apartment Therapy Unplugged | Re(al)view: Music Hall's DAC 25.2

 

[Skylab]

I have been very, very pleased with it - it's a good sounding DAC. I use it mostly balanced, where it is using solid state output stage, but it sounds excellent.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have been very, very pleased with it - it's a good sounding DAC. I use it mostly balanced, where it is using solid state output stage, but it sounds excellent.

Are the tubes in the headphone-out circuit?

 

[Skylab]

I don't think so, no. And the headphone output is pretty pedestrian - no match for good dedicated headphone amps - it's fine, but nothing special. The line outs of the DAC sound much better, either the SS differential balanced or the tube unbalanced.

 

[BoardC3]

I've been using this for about a week now with the stock tube and was pretty dissapointed, bass sound really bloated and distorted, and the top end lacked any type of sparkle even with 100 hours or so of burn it. I just switched out the tube with an Amperex NOS 6DJ8 and WOW what a completely different sound, bass sounds very very tight, very present but bordering a little recessed. High end has a this perfect punchy definition with out any sign of sibilance. Tube now has only 6 or so hours of play time on and I'll update in about a week, but does anyone else have any comments on tube rolling for this? And also it seems to be a lot louder with the new tube, I noticed I turned down my volume knob from about 9oclock+ to 8

 

[Skylab]

Interesting! I never even turned it on with the stock tube - glad I didn't

 

[jsplice]

Has anyone been able to compare this dac against the DacMagic? I currently own a DacMagic but am looking for something a bit smoother, more nuanced, and softer in the treble.