[kboe]

 
 
Nice to know that the amp section seems to do a great job with low impedance headphones.  I noticed the same effect with my Eastern Electric CD player and the ALO Amphora.  The built in amp was well built, and adding the Amphora, no matter how impressive an amp, did little if anything to improve over easy to drive W1000s.  Thats not to discredit the Amphora, or in your case the P1, but to give credit to the design of the MiniMax and Anedio.

 

[wild4sound]

Thank you for the detail rich review and putting your opinion out there . 
Agree that the website is good, easy to navigate .
Really sad this is available to US only. 
 
Looking at your profile it is obvious you like variety and no doubt have gained much experience from comparing . 
I get constant hassles about gear not being used, taking up space and "gathering dust." 
I have always justified a purchase along the improvement lines, then moving on , spending all my time with the "better " component. 
I understand different rigs, portable , main rig and bedroom rigs. Having a few top tier Headphones for suiting genres also makes sense .
 
You say this unit equals your MBL and Luxman units but not altogether . Would you not say this is a sideways or slightly backward move as you have a top reference already.
 
A lot of action happening around the new ESS chip and I guess we consumers are keen to find the best application for this chip.
 
What would be immensely useful to me and others would be a comparison of this dac to the latest ESS containing dacs. If you think this dac outclasses a Weiss 202 it would be very current and move me to get an Anedio by hook or crook. 
 
Don't read me as being critical of you when I urge you to review forward rather than backward technologically speaking in this upper segment, you have a great writing style and I value your opinion . I will most certainly refer back to this review when I choose from the imminent offerings. You could just add the comparos to this thread and that would be cool .
 
Subscribed.
 

 

[project86]

 
Quote:

Thank you for the detail rich review and putting your opinion out there . 
Agree that the website is good, easy to navigate .
Really sad this is available to US only. 
 
Looking at your profile it is obvious you like variety and no doubt have gained much experience from comparing . 
I get constant hassles about gear not being used, taking up space and "gathering dust." 
I have always justified a purchase along the improvement lines, then moving on , spending all my time with the "better " component. 
I understand different rigs, portable , main rig and bedroom rigs. Having a few top tier Headphones for suiting genres also makes sense .
 
You say this unit equals your MBL and Luxman units but not altogether . Would you not say this is a sideways or slightly backward move as you have a top reference already.
 
A lot of action happening around the new ESS chip and I guess we consumers are keen to find the best application for this chip.
 
What would be immensely useful to me and others would be a comparison of this dac to the latest ESS containing dacs. If you think this dac outclasses a Weiss 202 it would be very current and move me to get an Anedio by hook or crook. 
 
Don't read me as being critical of you when I urge you to review forward rather than backward technologically speaking in this upper segment, you have a great writing style and I value your opinion . I will most certainly refer back to this review when I choose from the imminent offerings. You could just add the comparos to this thread and that would be cool .
 
Subscribed.
 

 Thanks for the comments.
 
As far as the comparison with the MBL/Luxman combo: For most headphones, the Anedio is an exact match. But using 600 ohm headphones at very high volumes, there is a difference in favor of the expensive combo. So I can't very well claim they are exactly the same but most of the time they are. Then there is the matter of features since the Anedio doesn't do balanced and the MBL does. The Luxman can accept the balanced XLRs from the MBL but it doesn't have an actual balanced headphone connection, just a pair of regular 1/4" jacks. I don't really see that as a benefit and have never heard a difference but I'm not really a cable guy. I also don't want to discount the fact that the MBL/Luxman look and feel like the very expensive pieces they are, and carry all the name brand recognition you could hope for. The Anedio is beautiful but more minimalistic and of course is a relatively unknown company at this point. That will matter to some people.
 
I'm keeping all of them because they have different uses in my various setups (and the MBL lives at my brother's house) but if I'm getting the same performance on most headphones for a vastly lower price, then I consider that product superior.
 
I would LOVE to get my hands on another Sabre Reference based DAC for comparison. I've been asking around but nobody I know has one that they are willing to part with for a few weeks. I'll keep trying. I'll also compare the Anedio to the Audio-GD Reference 7 when I get that in a few months. It's not a Sabre design but supposedly excellent in its own way. We'll see.

 

[Balmoral]

Ok. So I was browsing Anedio's website for more info regarding their return policy and warranty.  While I did find that they would accept returns for whatever reason for a 15% fee and a total cost refund or exchange for a defective item for 30 days, I did not find anything about a warranty of any kind.  Perhaps I am mistaken and just didn't see it.

 

[Balmoral]

I wrote to Anedio and they in fact, pointed me in the right direction.  The warranty info is on page 14 of the user's manual.  It's a one year for anyone interested.  Now I just have to make some comparisons of Bursons HA160D.  Any one able to add any input in this direction?
 
Thanks all.

 

[project86]

Thanks for pointing that out about the warranty/return policy. I should have mentioned it in my review. Anedio being in the USA rather than overseas, combined with their prompt and knowledgable replies to my (excessive?) inquiries, gives me tons of confidence in their after-sale support.
 
As for the Burson: I haven't heard the new combo unit, but spent a little time with the original amp only model. It is very nice, certainly worthy of the praise it has received. From a design standpoint, the two products and their parent companies are coming from very different places. Burson seems to take an analog oriented, anti-opamp, more traditional audiophile approach to their design. Anedio on the other hand could be summarized by a "specs plus listening tests" approach, with an emphasis on the digital side of things, and a somewhat non-traditionalist approach (they use opamps, albeit highly regarded ones like OPA1611, they don't recommend spending a bunch on fancy cables, etc). Despite all the differences it is possible or even likely that both products are very good.... and unfortunately I'm unaware of anyone who has heard both that can comment directly.

 

[Balmoral]

Would you think that the headphone amp section of this unit would sufficiently power something like the  LCD-2's?  I'm giving serious consideration to the D1, but I would like to know that the next headphones I plan on getting won't mean I would have to upgrade to a separate hp amp as well.
 
Thanks....again!

 

[soulrider4ever]

I think I'm going to buy this and check it out based off this review.  I'm curious to see how it compares to the Burson HA-160d

 

[runswithaliens]

Thanks for another great review. Are the outputs on the back silenced when you have your headphones inserted or are they always live?

 

[K3cT]

It's a very nicely done review but for a DAC at a price range over $1000 and still misses balanced outputs, it's very unfortunate. 

 

[soulrider4ever]

I just bought it, will give initial impressions asap.

 

[project86]

 
Quote:

Would you think that the headphone amp section of this unit would sufficiently power something like the  LCD-2's?  I'm giving serious consideration to the D1, but I would like to know that the next headphones I plan on getting won't mean I would have to upgrade to a separate hp amp as well.
 
Thanks....again!

 Good question. The LCD-2 might be my next headphone aquisition, and I'm curious about this as well. I'll ask Anedio more details about the specific amp power ratings and report back.


 
Quote:

Thanks for another great review. Are the outputs on the back silenced when you have your headphones inserted or are they always live?

You are welcome! Also a good question. I seem to recall that the outputs are always on, but I'm not 100% positive. I'll double check when I get home from work tonight and report back.
 


Quote:

It's a very nicely done review but for a DAC at a price range over $1000 and still misses balanced outputs, it's very unfortunate. 

I adressed this in the review. It basically comes down to design philosophy. The lead designer at Anedio (along with renowned audio mastering engineer Bob Katz, Robert Harley of The Absolute Sound, and many others) simply doesn't feel that "balanced always equals better". My listening tests agree with this. I applaud Anedio for sticking with their beliefs; It's probably easier to add all the features that the market demands rather than just those you feel make a real difference.
 
But certainly if you demand a balanced DAC then the Anedio D1 is not for you.
 
Quote:

I just bought it, will give initial impressions asap.

 
Cool, can't wait! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Comparisons with any other DACs you own or have heard would be appreciated as well.

 

 

[soulrider4ever]

Project86 - I felt your review was VERY misleading - this DAC is way better than you made it sound in your review!

 
Seriously, I don't even have 10 hours on it and it literally had me giggling it sounded so good (Yes I giggled - It's embarrassing to admit this I know)
 
The phrase "you'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands" - comes to mind.
 
I'll give more actual comparisons soon, but just wanted to post a few words that come to mind.
 
Juicy, airy, super micro detailed in regards to reverb, crystal clear clarity.
 
A super sleeper for sure, this is my new reference as well.

 

[Balmoral]

OMG!  I can already feel the money slipping out of my wallet! 

  Can't wait to hear what info project86 comes back with regarding the LCD-2.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Project86 - I felt your review was VERY misleading - this DAC is way better than you made it sound in your review!

 
Seriously, I don't even have 10 hours on it and it literally had me giggling it sounded so good (Yes I giggled - It's embarrassing to admit this I know)
 
The phrase "you'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands" - comes to mind.
 
I'll give more actual comparisons soon, but just wanted to post a few words that come to mind.
 
Juicy, airy, super micro detailed in regards to reverb, crystal clear clarity.
 
A super sleeper for sure, this is my new reference as well.

I read the fist few words of your post and it made me gasp..... until I finished the sentence! I'm so very glad someone else is gets to share the experience of hearing this thing. I was pretty sure I wasn't crazy but now I'm certain.
 
Quote:

OMG!  I can already feel the money slipping out of my wallet! 

  Can't wait to hear what info project86 comes back with regarding the LCD-2.

I got a reply from James at Anedio saying he hadn't heard of the LCD-2 and yet and would have to look into it to see what special requirements they had. But he was pretty confident that the D1 would never run out of current at normal listening levels. I'm going to send him some info about the LCD-2 and I'll update when I get a response (likely next week due to Christmas).
 
He also mentioned (and I'm pretty sure it is OK that I post it here) that they will be changing their policy to offer a 30-day trial period with full money back guarantee. Apparently several potential customers had asked for this so they will be dropping the 15% "restocking-fee" type of charge that they had before. He said the website would be updated next week to reflect the change. So anyone on the fence about trying this but worried that they might not like it.... now has one less reason to worry.