[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure that comparing the innards of two different DACs is really a wise method of picking one.

May be, but some can tell a lot about car by looking under the hood.
Thanks for the impressions, do you have any other DACs around to do a comparison?

 

[riceboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure that comparing the innards of two different DACs is really a wise method of picking one. I just received my DLIII last night. I've only had a few minutes to listen to it... and only very casually at that. But two things stand out to me immediately: 1. The musical, present bass. All the lower-register instruments become just that -- instruments. The bass, lower piano and kick drum are not just impactful thuds and vibrations, but clear and musical in a way I've never heard in my system. 2. The fact that everything sounds more "live" than recorded, with richness and immediacy. Basically, it sounds like my system is finally a grownup. Having said that, I've only listened for about 30 minutes without being able to focus on it. So my impressions could change.

Thanks for your impressions and congrats on your new DAC. I'm still looking at it ATM. Have fun with it

 

[gyrodec]

Andrew_WOT, please take a propper look under the two hoods. The DLIII is all surface-mount and the Stello is basically through-hole. I bet if you did a component count they would end up quite close. While less impressive, the DLIIIs very short signal path should give it a technical advantage over the old-school Stello. Not bashing the Stello, just potinting out that your DL bashing was technically unfounded.

I have both on my short-list for my next upgrade, along with the new DacMagic and the Buffalo.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif May be, but some can tell a lot about car by looking under the hood.

True... but the Stello has a much smaller case and it has two more inputs than the DLIII. Also, I like that the DLIII's power supply is mounted away from the circuit board, rather than right on top of it.

Quote:

Thanks for the impressions, do you have any other DACs around to do a comparison?

Unfortunately I don't. But I can say that, in my initial listening, I prefer the sound of my system to my friends' systems, which are:

Aloia -> MacIntosh integrated -> Klipsch Cornwall
Burmester CD -> Burmester integrated -> Focal Electra

My room is smaller and has better acoustics. Also, it's based on my own preferences, which are different from my friends. But there ya go.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by riceboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for your impressions and congrats on your new DAC. I'm still looking at it ATM. Have fun with it

thanks much! i'm really looking forward to kicking the family out of the apartment for a couple of hours this weekend!

 

[VicAjax]

Listening now, one other quick observation...

The music has been freed from my speakers. That is, straight from the Oppo it sounds like the music is coming out of the speakers. With the DLIII, the soundstage reaches beyond and above the speakers... much more enveloping.

 

[Torero]

VicAjax:
Please, new opinions about Cullen Dac. Does it sounds like a LP?

 

[VicAjax]

I don't have a vinyl rig, so I can't really say whether it "sounds like vinyl," which a lot of reviewers seem to declare. Rather than compare it to vinyl, I'd compare it to live. It's by far the closest to "live" my stereo has ever been.

I can tell you that so far, it is easily the most significant upgrade I've made to my current setup (I consider speakers to be the anchor of any system).

The entire FR from top to bottom is improved, soundstage is wider and deeper, and it makes my speakers completely disappear. The words smooth, effervescent and enveloping come to mind (sorry if that sounds dorky).

Comparatively, the Oppo sounds two-dimensional, with more sibiliant highs and thinner bass. Music through AirTunes is vastly improved. Maybe not quite as good as CD, and I haven't done any A/B comparisons on that, but it's pretty darn close. Music from my cable box's optical out reminds me of listening to my dad's old Kenwood tuner when I was a kid. That's a good thing.

So far, I really couldn't be happier. Great piece of kit.

 

[Torero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't have a vinyl rig, so I can't really say whether it "sounds like vinyl," which a lot of reviewers seem to declare. Rather than compare it to vinyl, I'd compare it to live. It's by far the closest to "live" my stereo has ever been. I can tell you that so far, it is easily the most significant upgrade I've made to my current setup (I consider speakers to be the anchor of any system). The entire FR from top to bottom is improved, soundstage is wider and deeper, and it makes my speakers completely disappear. The words smooth, effervescent and enveloping come to mind (sorry if that sounds dorky). Comparatively, the Oppo sounds two-dimensional, with more sibiliant highs and thinner bass. Music through AirTunes is vastly improved. Maybe not quite as good as CD, and I haven't done any A/B comparisons on that, but it's pretty darn close. Music from my cable box's optical out reminds me of listening to my dad's old Kenwood tuner when I was a kid. That's a good thing. So far, I really couldn't be happier. Great piece of kit.

So it is very very musical? Very 3D Sountstage?

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torero /img/forum/go_quote.gif So it is very very musical? Very 3D Sountstage?

it's incredibly musical and smooth. i close my eyes and get totally lost.

on a less emotional level.. through the DLIII, well-recorded music seems to exist higher and wider than the speakers themselves, and yes, there's much more depth as well.

of course, my system is somewhat handicapped by necessity, as i have wall-mounted shelves in between my speakers and can't pull them out very far in front of the shelves. that tends to compromise some soundstage depth. but even considering that, I'm quite amazed at how well the DLIII presents front-to-back depth.

 

[VicAjax]

oh... i'd love to be able to offer weaknesses, but honestly, the DLIII pretty much improves my system in every perceivable way.

the only criticism i can think of is that it sometimes has a hard time locking in on the signal from my Airport Express. i have to wiggle my optical cable at either end until the signal hits. i haven't isolated this problem yet to either the AE, the DLIII or the cable itself.

 

[AllEars]

The timing of this thread is just about perfect. I have been on the fence for a few months now looking at the PS Audio DL III. I have been kind of hoping to see if someone like Stereophile was going to do a typical body cavity style review on it before pulling the trigger but that hasn't happened yet and the bag of popcorn is running low.

I wasn't completely clear if the original poster who is commenting on the sound was using the Cullen modded unit or a standard model. Can someone please clarify

So far I like what I'm hearing so to speak in regards to how the unit is performing no matter which one it is. I have searched around for several months trying to find a DAC in my price range that stood out from the crowd and the PS Audio model seems to fit the bill on paper more so then the others I have read about.

Thanks for taking the time to post your impressions of the unit and please keep us updated on any furthur findings.

 

[Spektrograf]

Just to chime in... I'm running a PSA DLIII w/Level 3 mods (bought used on A'gon). It's a fanstastic DAC. I spent 2 months picking up various DAC's and putting them in 3-way matches with a digital distribution amp and the Zana Deux as the headphone amp (using it's 3-way source selection switch). Also, when possible, I matched output voltage within a few mV. I have to say between the Lavry DA10, Wavelength Audio Cosine DAC, and this DAC, I chose the DLIII. I attended a local informal, semi-blind shootout where we did A/B across a random, multi-round approach with the DAC1, P-3A, WA Cosine, Parasound 1600, and the DLIII. The rough consensus came down to the 1600 and DLIII as the winners... of course, by the end, we were fairly fatigued.

I heard the DLIII without Cullen mods at a local Head-fi meet and didn't think much of it (i.e. thought it was good, but nothing to write home about), whereas I'm constantly THRILLED with the unit I have—even now as I listen through it.

Over the last month and a half, I'm running 24/88 and 24/96 files through the DAC, upsampling only to 96kHz, and find it absolutely captivating. This is the sound I've sought for years, and have been enjoying the setup for about 2 months of extensive, regular listening.

The only DAC that I'm curious about, but am unwilling to spend the money on right now is the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC (it's 5x the cost of a used PSA DLIII). Maybe in a few years...

I'm very, very happy with this DAC, and don't plan on rolling DAC's anymore.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllEars /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wasn't completely clear if the original poster who is commenting on the sound was using the Cullen modded unit or a standard model. Can someone please clarify

I can't speak for the OP, but I'm using a Cullen DAC. However, I bought it based on my auditions of the stock DLIII combined with reviews I'd read of the modded version. I'm generally not a tweaker (or pay-to-tweak), but since Rick Cullen designed the original DL and his mods are essentially the addition of elements he would have included in the stock version had it not broken PS Audio's pricing target, I really consider the Cullen DACs to be higher-end models rather than modded.

I was very impressed with the stock DLIII when I auditioned it last year. I'm jawdropped with the Cullen.

 

[wilsynet]

The DL III represents very good value. My only criticism at this price point is that it does not use a USB direct to I2S implementation, which to me means that the USB input is not all it could be.