Resonessence Labs Concero discussion/review thead

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

Clem - that thing is way to big.  I have no doubt in it's abilities though.  

 
Compass-2 maybe?
 
The Emotive is already quite big, isn't it?
Did you buy a new Mad Dogs recently or is that a loaner?

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
Compass-2 maybe?
 
The Emotive is already quite big, isn't it?
Did you buy a new Mad Dogs recently or is that a loaner?

 
The a-100 is has a small foot print.  It's long by not wide at all.  
 
I'm doing a custom job on this pair of Mad Dogs.  I had them re cabled and painted (RED), had the rods powder coated black - Dan will put some black Mad Dog stickers (words) on them for me.  
 
It's come down to the Concero and the Jkenny Ciunas.  
 
The a-100 was only $189

  I'm burning it in with my HE-6s now.  I know M-13 has Concero / a-100 combo - he loves it.  

 

[M-13]

Yeah if I had more money to spend on a DAC, like over a $1000, I would be looking for a used/refurbished Anedio D2. Curious about it, and that will probably be my next upgrade, either that or get a better amp, but nothing really enticing out on the market for a reasonable price, maybe the Schiit Rag? Gotta save a lot of pennies before that happens though.
 
For now, very pleased with the Concero/Emotiva combo, driving the HE-500. I think it's a nice little hifi rig, not exactly summit-fi, but not exaclty mid-fi either.

 
I might pick up a HE-6 before a DAC/Amp ugrade... still waiting for Fang to drop the HE-600 on us. I feel like upgrade is due for both the HE-500/HE-6, it's been years.

 

[Meremoth]

Has anyone heard the Concero + Mjlonir, particularly with the LCD-2/3's?  
 
Been thinking about getting the Mjlonir + Gungnir for awhile, but I've heard the combination can be overly aggressive/bright.  I thought the Concero would be a good yin to the Mjlonir's yang.  

 

[Clemmaster]

The concero is quite bright as well.
Never heard the Schiit and I'm used to Audio-GD smooth sound so YMMV.

 

[project86]

Quote:

The concero is quite bright as well.
Never heard the Schiit and I'm used to Audio-GD smooth sound so YMMV.

 
 
Really? Because I wouldn't call it bright at all. Certainly not in the Benchmark DAC-1, Cambridge DacMagic school of sharp treble and light bass. It is well extended up top but not overly so, and it's got enough low end grunt to balance out the presentation. 
 
But I can see how someone used to Audio GD smoothness would indeed find Concero (or many other DACs) to be bright in comparison. So I guess it's a relative thing. 

 

[M-13]

I don't find the Concero bright or overly aggressive. In fact it's very nicely balanced in my humble opinion and would perform well when paired with an aggressive amp. The offerings from Schiit were much brighter Modi/Bifrost, not that the Concero does not have all the treble detail and more, but is overall quite smooth in the way it presents treble. As for audio-gd, I have no idea. I can't get myself interested in any of their products for some reason.

 

[planx]

Quote:

Has anyone heard the Concero + Mjlonir, particularly with the LCD-2/3's?  
 
Been thinking about getting the Mjlonir + Gungnir for awhile, but I've heard the combination can be overly aggressive/bright.  I thought the Concero would be a good yin to the Mjlonir's yang.  

 
Yes, it was good. I didn't get to compare with the Gungir, but the Concero doesn't have that aggressive/shouty tone the Gungir is known for. The LCD-2, Mjolnir, and Concero, I think, is one hell of a package that you can stick with for a while. Only minor issue is the lack of Balanced outputs on the Concero, but personally I find that balanced has no sonic advantages over RCA, but depending on the device more output can be generated.

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

I don't find the Concero bright or overly aggressive. In fact it's very nicely balanced in my humble opinion and would perform well when paired with an aggressive amp. The offerings from Schiit were much brighter Modi/Bifrost, not that the Concero does not have all the treble detail and more, but is overall quite smooth in the way it presents treble. As for audio-gd, I have no idea. I can't get myself interested in any of their products for some reason.

 
The Concero is raw and sometimes "digital" sounding when compared to the Audio-GD offering.
Adding a Metrum Quad in the chain, however, removes all the glare and sizzle and makes for a very enjoyable experience.
 
There's no denying that what Resonessence achieved in such a tiny box is nothing short of breathtaking! 

 

[kcee]

Just got an updated driver sent to me by Mark, which has fixed the the drop out/hiccup issue completely.
I am assuming it is available now or will be very soon.
 
Now to properly compare it to a Dacmini Cx and Anedio D2. Also will have an O2 + ODac to try this week.
 
If the concero wins out, assuming the sonic signature remains similar I will be jumping all over the Headphone version which is almost ready to come out.

 

[FraGGleR]

Quote:

Just got an updated driver sent to me by Mark, which has fixed the the drop out/hiccup issue completely.
I am assuming it is available now or will be very soon.
 
Now to properly compare it to a Dacmini Cx and Anedio D2. Also will have an O2 + ODac to try this week.
 
If the concero wins out, assuming the sonic signature remains similar I will be jumping all over the Headphone version which is almost ready to come out.

Looking forward to your comparison particularly vs the D2.

 

[project86]

Kind of an unfair comparison with the Anedio, based purely on price. But the Concero has proven superior to my ears even compared to some other more expensive DACs. I personally don't find it better than the D2 but that's just me - you may hear it different. 

 

[FraGGleR]

I wouldn't expect it to be as good, but I hope to glean how big the gap is and try to relate it for myself to the price.  Trying to figure out how big a jump in price I need to make to get a worthwhile jump in sound quality.  For instance, I now believe it will take a step up to an ECBA or Liquid Glass to get enough of a jump in sound quality from my amp to justify it.  Most stuff that I have heard within a grand that sounds better doesn't sound better enough.
 
No doubt the D2 sounds better, but does it sound better enough to justify the money.  Just collecting data

 

[kcee]

Quote:

Kind of an unfair comparison with the Anedio, based purely on price. But the Concero has proven superior to my ears even compared to some other more expensive DACs. I personally don't find it better than the D2 but that's just me - you may hear it different. 

 
It's what I happen to have is all, and I need to pick one to live with for quite a while.
I am not going to do some epic write up I am not capable of that.
I will post some thoughts/impressions though.
 
I really want to try the Concero HP, now that I got the Concero working properly it is very nice.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

I wouldn't expect it to be as good, but I hope to glean how big the gap is and try to relate it for myself to the price.  Trying to figure out how big a jump in price I need to make to get a worthwhile jump in sound quality.  For instance, I now believe it will take a step up to an ECBA or Liquid Glass to get enough of a jump in sound quality from my amp to justify it.  Most stuff that I have heard within a grand that sounds better doesn't sound better enough.
 
No doubt the D2 sounds better, but does it sound better enough to justify the money.  Just collecting data

ECBA or LG if you could only have one?