[Quinto]

  I'm really glad the Dac-19 is conservative enough to also have digital inputs besides USB. I hooked up an old Denon CD player via RCA coaxial and it sounds great. I haven't done extensive listening or testing, but it sounds very similar to the USB input with the Amenero 384 on first listen. Perhaps if I noticed anything it was very good mids and upper mids, but the two albums I listened to were both jazz albums featuring female vocals or clarinet, so one would hope that upper mids were there.
 
No I didn't get an expensive cable. No I'm not freaking out about jitter. 
 
Also, I am really enjoying the combo with a vintage Onkyo Solid State from about 1977 and some JBLs from the early 1980s. 
 
And lastly, that amp going through some AKG K501 headphones (discontinued) both sounds amazing and makes me feel real exclusive and hipster. I don't have a thing for old technology, but it is pretty cool to be using R2R with vintage gear. Basically, sound has improved over the years in some ways but not others. With this DAC, I can hear what only people listening to very good quality albums on very good vinyl set-ups (probably ranging thousands of dollars) could hear 30 years ago. I don't know, but I doubt that high-end CD players sounded this good 30 years ago. I'm open to the possibility that there are multi-thousand dollar CD players that do sound better than this, but I know there is always going to be something better out there.  
 
My wife likes being able to just put on a CD, and not have to fiddle with my computer. I'm not sure she even realizes why the CD player sounds so much better now. It's not her hobby, after all. 

I use K501 with my Master 11, loved it on my DAC19  great combo!

 

[HiAudio]

I browsed audio-gd website a few times on the DAC-19 [10th Anniversary Edition].  I hope their website can be built a little better, at least more clear about their stuff.
 
At the main page of DAC-19 [10th Anniversary Edition], if you are one Summarize, they listed
 
USB-32 Introduce and drivers download  (For the unit with default USB32 interface)
Amanero combo 384 Intruduce and driver download (For the unit with the Amanero Combo384 upgrade module)
Audio-gd products had design and test based on the AP SYS-2722 (The top-drawer professional equipment in world)
 
Aren't the above three components not included in the DAC-19 [10th Anniversary Edition]? Do people have to order them separately? What can they do for DAC-19 [10th Anniversary Edition]?

 

[lukeap69]

You can choose between the VIA USB32 or Amanero USB modules when you order. User report seems to indicate that thr Amanero is better. Yout selected modulr will be built in.

The last item on your copied list is testing instrument if I am not mistaken.

If you want to know other options, click on the Custom Option whilst on the DAC-19 product page.

 

[HiAudio]

You can choose between the VIA USB32 or Amanero USB modules when you order. User report seems to indicate that thr Amanero is better. Yout selected modulr will be built in.

The last item on your copied list is testing instrument if I am not mistaken.

If you want to know other options, click on the Custom Option whilst on the DAC-19 product page.

 
So the default connector is the "VIA USB32" and customer has an option to upgrade to "Amanero combo384 USB" at extra US$45 but lost the option to upgrade to TCXO for the USB. At the http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/Amanero/AmaneroEN.htm they have this:
 
2, If you want to buy the Amanero Combo384 for our PCM1704 built in DAC, you need buy the new MCU replace in the unit for the better performance improve . What's this MCU about? Is this not in the DAC 19?
 
 
What's the tradeoffs among the three options? It seemed the Amanero combo 384 is the best choice on paper. Whoever had ordered it, what's the practical use of this option?

 

[Stillhart]

   
So the default connector is the "VIA USB32" and customer has an option to upgrade to "Amanero combo384 USB" at extra US$45 but lost the option to upgrade to TCXO for the USB. At the http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/Amanero/AmaneroEN.htm they have this:
 
2, If you want to buy the Amanero Combo384 for our PCM1704 built in DAC, you need buy the new MCU replace in the unit for the better performance improve . What's this MCU about? Is this not in the DAC 19?
 
 
What's the tradeoffs among the three options? It seemed the Amanero combo 384 is the best choice on paper. Whoever had ordered it, what's the practical use of this option?

 
There are two options:  The VIA (which comes with the unit) or the Amanero (which costs extra).  The bit about the MCU is only if you're buying the Amanero separately to upgrade a DAC-19 that you already have.  
 
So the tradeoffs:  the Amanero USB interface is supposed to be slightly better sounding than the VIA but it's more expensive.  
 
Some people aren't convinced that changing the USB interface is really worth the effort, especially if you don't plan on using any super hi-res files.  Others find the charge to be relatively small so if it gives even a small benefit it's worth the price.  Also, it helps the resale value later.
 
For me personally, the Amanero wasn't an option when I got mine and I feel no particular urge to upgrade.  

 

[HiAudio]

Stillhart,


 


Thank you very much for clarifying this. I will look around for DAC for my Sennheiser HD800 phone and HDVA 600 Amp. I recently overspent and bought the two. I like the Schiit Yggy but that's definitely out of my reach for a year or two. This DAC 19 is still doable for me in short term. The Schiit Gungnir has similar price tag and its multibit version cost $400 more. I will browse the forum and see which works better for the Sennheisers. I noticed you have review on the DAC vs GMB and I will read that. Thanks again.  

 

[x RELIC x]

I imagine the DAC-19 would pair very well with the HD800 given a good amp in between.

 

[HiAudio]

I imagine the DAC-19 would pair very well with the HD800 given a good amp in between.

 
Hope some guys here have this exact setup and chime in.

 

 

[lukeap69]

I am using DAC-19 as my DAC for HD800. My main amp for the HD800 is the Ragnarok and the pairing is great. I have mentioned probably in this thread or perhaps on different thread that DAC-19 made a big difference in my setup. Even the Lyr 2 which I disliked before when paired with the HD800 became a different animal when fed by DAC-19. I have no problem using it as a DAC for my HD800 as long as the DAC-19 feeds it. YMMV.

 

[HiAudio]

  I am using DAC-19 as my DAC for HD800. My main amp for the HD800 is the Ragnarok and the pairing is great. I have mentioned probably in this thread or perhaps on different thread that DAC-19 made a big difference in my setup. Even the Lyr 2 which I disliked before when paired with the HD800 became a different animal when fed by DAC-19. I have no problem using it as a DAC for my HD800 as long as the DAC-19 feeds it. YMMV.

 
It's interesting that you have the Schiit amp but did not choose their Gungnir or Gungnir Multibit as DAC. I have been reading the DAC-19 recently but their lack of balanced output made me lose much of interest in it. I don't know how much difference the balanced connection between DAC to amp can make over the unbalanced one.

 

[schneller]

The balanced outputs of the GMB are irrelevant to me. 
 
So my question comes down to RCA outputs of GMB vs. Audio-GB 19/10th Ed. ??? 

 

[Jozurr]

The balanced outputs of the GMB are irrelevant to me. 

So my question comes down to RCA outputs of GMB vs. Audio-GB 19/10th Ed. ??? 

The SE output from the DAC-19 is supposedly better than SE from GMB.

 

[schneller]

Does Audio-GD have a trial period? Return period for refund? Or is S&H back to China cost-prohibitive? 

 

[conquerator2]

Shipping to China is fine. I believe you can return it within reason.
I like the DAC19 tonality better than any Schiit MBs. YMMV.

 

[Stillhart]

  The balanced outputs of the GMB are irrelevant to me. 
 
So my question comes down to RCA outputs of GMB vs. Audio-GB 19/10th Ed. ??? 

 
Based on my testing, the SE DAC-19 is better than the SE GMB.  You can find more details on the testing in the link in my signature.  Happy to answer any specific questions.