SilverCans
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2004
- Posts
- 470
- Likes
- 15
Funny how things work out in this hobby. When I first came to head-fi.org all I was after was finding a decent pair of headphones that cost no more then $50, which at the time seemed like an outrageous amount for a pair of headphones; oh how true the old head-fi adage, “Welcome to Head-fi.org, sorry about your wallet,” is! Well many pairs of headphones later, I realized I never really upgraded my source components, relying solely on my trusted Denon DVD-2200 universal player. After seeing so many positive reviews on the Audio-GD 19mk3, I decided to save enough money and purchase one. Unfortunately, however, by the time I had enough money they were discontinued due to a lack of availability of the HDCD chip used; bummer.
A month or so passed and news of a replacement DAC, the 19DSP1, surfaced and I placed my order. Though to be honest, I asked Kingwa a lot of questions before doing so; well $630 is a lot of money (for me anyway) and I wanted to make sure this was the right choice in his line of products. Not to mention, I did a lot of research comparing different DACs to one another. Aside from the great reviews on the 19mk3, the deciding factor to give Audi-GD my business was two fold, first, Kingwa always answered my questions and was a very pleasant person to deal with, and the second reason was that the features included in the 19DSP just couldn’t be found in other DACs at this point.
Build Quality:
When I’m building a computer, I’m often torn between spending more on a sturdier case or buying a cheaper one, that still provides adequate cooling/space, and using the saved money on more memory or a faster CPU; in the end I always go for the latter. I think Audio-GD may follow the same philosophy, use good, but not mega expensive cases, that provide proper cooling to pay more attention to the internal components used. To me, I honestly feel that is the wise route, I much rather have better sound then just a pretty box. Don’t get me wrong though, I still think the enclosure used on the DAC19 is nice and serves its purpose well. Looking inside the case, all the wiring is neatly routed and the circuit board appears to be well laid out. Overall, I’m happy with the build quality.
Sound:
This is really were the DAC19-DSP really shines, but before I get into the details, here is my current setup:
Denon DVD-2200 -> Coax DAC19-DSP1 -> Onkyo Receiver -> DIY speakers
(I should note that I have the analog out of the Denon also connected to the Onkyo, so I was able to make quick A/B comparisons)
So, how does it sound? I have to say excellent. Compared to the Denon analog out, which sounded detailed but thin and tinny, the DAC19 not only had more detail but had body and presence to the sound. Instrument separation and layering was just remarkable, guitar strings were almost holographic through the DAC19, whereas the Denon sound 2D or flat in comparison. Speaking of acoustic guitar, I don’t think I ever heard a more realistic reproduction out of an audio component, kudos to TI for the PCM1704UK and to Audio-GD for their excellent implementation of these chips. Overall resolution and detail was also breathtaking.
Moreover, bass was tight and had impact on the DAC19. In regard to the mid range, vocals , such as Natalie Merchant’s on 10000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged album, were present nicely; not to forward or laid back/recessed. Vocals were also smooth and detailed.
Conclusion:
Overall I’m impressed with this DAC and really see how upgrading the source components in the audio chain can make a huge difference. If single ended from Audio-GD sounds this good, I can’t wait to hear their balanced products. I think that will be my next “gift” to myself
A month or so passed and news of a replacement DAC, the 19DSP1, surfaced and I placed my order. Though to be honest, I asked Kingwa a lot of questions before doing so; well $630 is a lot of money (for me anyway) and I wanted to make sure this was the right choice in his line of products. Not to mention, I did a lot of research comparing different DACs to one another. Aside from the great reviews on the 19mk3, the deciding factor to give Audi-GD my business was two fold, first, Kingwa always answered my questions and was a very pleasant person to deal with, and the second reason was that the features included in the 19DSP just couldn’t be found in other DACs at this point.
Build Quality:
When I’m building a computer, I’m often torn between spending more on a sturdier case or buying a cheaper one, that still provides adequate cooling/space, and using the saved money on more memory or a faster CPU; in the end I always go for the latter. I think Audio-GD may follow the same philosophy, use good, but not mega expensive cases, that provide proper cooling to pay more attention to the internal components used. To me, I honestly feel that is the wise route, I much rather have better sound then just a pretty box. Don’t get me wrong though, I still think the enclosure used on the DAC19 is nice and serves its purpose well. Looking inside the case, all the wiring is neatly routed and the circuit board appears to be well laid out. Overall, I’m happy with the build quality.
Sound:
This is really were the DAC19-DSP really shines, but before I get into the details, here is my current setup:
Denon DVD-2200 -> Coax DAC19-DSP1 -> Onkyo Receiver -> DIY speakers
(I should note that I have the analog out of the Denon also connected to the Onkyo, so I was able to make quick A/B comparisons)
So, how does it sound? I have to say excellent. Compared to the Denon analog out, which sounded detailed but thin and tinny, the DAC19 not only had more detail but had body and presence to the sound. Instrument separation and layering was just remarkable, guitar strings were almost holographic through the DAC19, whereas the Denon sound 2D or flat in comparison. Speaking of acoustic guitar, I don’t think I ever heard a more realistic reproduction out of an audio component, kudos to TI for the PCM1704UK and to Audio-GD for their excellent implementation of these chips. Overall resolution and detail was also breathtaking.
Moreover, bass was tight and had impact on the DAC19. In regard to the mid range, vocals , such as Natalie Merchant’s on 10000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged album, were present nicely; not to forward or laid back/recessed. Vocals were also smooth and detailed.
Conclusion:
Overall I’m impressed with this DAC and really see how upgrading the source components in the audio chain can make a huge difference. If single ended from Audio-GD sounds this good, I can’t wait to hear their balanced products. I think that will be my next “gift” to myself
