[KevinWolff]

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That's right, there'll always be something better around. I thought perhaps it wasn't the "optimal" time to buy a new DAC since I knew there were several new DACs on the way from other vendors, I also knew that Anedio was working on new products. However I wanted a top DAC now and that I got.
 
KevinWolf, have you gotten your LCD-2's to go the the D1 yet? 

 
 

 
Yes! I'm still in the first couple days of listening but so far: Wow! Using them with the D1 headphone amp sounds good little too neutral for me. The Sr-71A sounds excellent, but now I'm agonizing over upgrading to a more powerful desktop amp like peak/volcano, WA22 or (choke) the Liquid Fire. This is all the D1's fault! It's elevated my sonic tastes to a new level. 

 

 
 

 

[KevinWolff]

ZorgDK - There is no optimal time. Now that hifi audio is becoming more dependent upon the computer, it will inevitably have to adopt the computer's quickly changing architecture. Remember firewire dacs? Imagine a completely jitter-free Thunderbolt interface or something like that (I just made that up. Please no thread about thunderbolt D1's . How about the benefits of USB 3.0? See what I mean?
 
On the flip side, I imagine keeping my D1 and simply upgrading my USB/SPdif to a USB3/spdif, or Thunderbolt/spdif in a couple years. In fact I think something similar will happen eventually. The proven audio components might be separated from the ever-changing and more importantly, unproven interface technologies. Many once believed Firewire would make USB extinct. Then came USB 2.0, then Firewire800, and now USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt (Lightpeak).
And that's just in the last 10 years. Proven hifi audio components can last twice that time. Imagine throwing away your D1 rev2 because the interface is no longer supported. That's a little extreme but it illustrates the point. 
 
Or I could just be drunk. But in truth, it's probably a little of both. 

 

[project86]

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I find the limiting factor is still program material. With a DAC as revealing as the Anedio, small improvements may or may not be significant. Improvements can always be made in any piece of equipment (James would be the first to agree with this) but the audibility is in question. Is it better or just different? In the classical arena, most of the great recording engineers are dead as are most of the great conductors. You will note I said most, not all. Folks like Doug Sax, Keith Johnson, and Peter McGrath are still with us and still turning out really great recordings. I think 96/192 holds great promise, but beyond that we may find that transducers (mikes and speakers/hp) are the limiting factor. The energy conversion from mechanical to electrical is much more difficult than transformations within the electrical realm. I am listening thru ortho hps and Paradigm Sig S1v3s. I have given up on planers for speakers, finding minimonitors or point source reproduction to be much more accurate, especially in a high resolution system. James listens thru electrostats as I did for many years.If any improvements in SQ are possible, he will implement them. Some "improvements" measure better, but make no real difference in perceived SQ. I trust him to make any changes that will be audibly significant. I do think any improvements will be in the soundstage area, where hps are,alas, not a good reference.

I bolded all the good points for emphasis. I've been listening to the Resonessence Invicta back and forth with the D1 for the last few weeks, and I have to agree that there just isn't a ton more room for improvement at this point. Small differences, yes. Huge improvements? Not so much. And I agree with your last sentence as well: the biggest difference is sound stage, which I find I notice most on big speaker rigs rather than headphones. I'll write up my thoughts on the Invicta soon to explain it in detail. 
 
Big audio mags/websites would have you believe that spending more will almost always get you more, with no ceiling involved. That would be easier if it were true but it just isn't my experience.


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This way lies madness. Deep Breaths.
 
This updated D1 mentioned is vaporware. And if it did exist, it would retail for over 3k with all the features we've added via our imagination.
The main selling point of the D1 is it is a perfect balance of quality and value. Of course they will implement internal 24/192 USB in the next model, and it will be priced accordingly. Of course there will be balanced version at some point in the future, and the price will reflect that feature, and so on...
 
I bought the D1 because it's arguably the best dac for the money "available right now" (or at least till it sold out). I did want good USB implementation which they admitted to not having and have been working to provide a solution for their existing customers at a discount. And I think we all knew about this before we bought it.
 
As for dual sabre chips, and affordable trade-in upgrades, all I can say is NOT TILL THEY INSTALL THE JET PACK ENGINE I REQUESTED so that I can use my D1 to fly to work. 
 
But seriously, I'm not mocking anyone or trying to be funny other than to make a point. The point is we all buy the best we can afford given the market selection currently available. Right now if all you can afford to spend is 1300 bucks on a dac (that's me!), then the D1 is an excellent option. What makes the D1 so impressive is that some reviewers claim that even if you could afford 2-3k for a dac (not me!), the D1 is still arguably the best option. And that to me screams value. 
 
 
 
 

Great post. I think James at Anedio is very concerned with finding the best balance with respect to price versus results. Yes, he could probably make a tricked out DAC with quad ES9018 chips, more toslink and coaxial inputs, Firewire, HDMI audio, AES/EBU input, balanced outputs, a more informative display (hi-res touch screen of course), hi-res async USB, external atomic word clock option, etc. And perhaps some day when Anedio is a huge successful company they may release a DAC with all of those functions. But for now they only have the resources to focus on a reasonably priced DAC with excellent sound, and enough features to satisfy most of us. 
 
This new refresh is an attempt to add a few of those functions - the ones most requested by potential users. Additionally, they are taking this opportunity to improve production capacity, fix some areas where they had cost overruns/quality control issues, and perhaps make a few incremental upgrades to various parts of the circuit. Hopefully they will then be prepared for a long term run of this new version. And of course then we could see about possible upgrades to owners of the original model. I think for most of us the USB to SPDIF box will address the biggest issue we might have had with the original, so I'm glad that is in the works as well.

 

[veritas aurum]

Soundstage is perhaps the most elusive of all attributes-and is only found in live acoustive recording-no studio recordings need apply. Even then, there are variations in the recording venue which can greatly affect this area. I find major differences even in recordings I consider good or even great. The bottom line is "if it sounds good to YOU, it is good". Kindest regards

 

[KevinWolff]

My D1 has been running 24 hours per day for over a week straight give or take a couple hours. I've been burning in both it and my lcd-2's and I forget that it's on even it's not being used. Is this by any chance bad for the D1? Just thought I should check. It seems fine. Sounds great. 

 

[project86]

Quote:

My D1 has been running 24 hours per day for over a week straight give or take a couple hours. I've been burning in both it and my lcd-2's and I forget that it's on even it's not being used. Is this by any chance bad for the D1? Just thought I should check. It seems fine. Sounds great. 

 
I don't see why this would cause any problems. It's not like there is a tube in there that will eventually need replacement.... Maybe check it for heat every once in a while if you live in a really warm climate (mine never gets hot at all). 

 

[KevinWolff]

Ok, thanks.
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I don't see why this would cause any problems. It's not like there is a tube in there that will eventually need replacement.... Maybe check it for heat every once in a while if you live in a really warm climate (mine never gets hot at all). 

 

 

[Marcin_gps]

Anyone driving Denon AH-D5000 or AH-D7000 from D1's headhone amp? 

 

[pooslice]

I've been listening to the D1 for a few days and it is amazing. It's huge leap forward from the last dac I had, the uDac 2(i know

). Aside from the overall superlative quality of music I was struck by how separated each instrument sounds from each other. I've read about that quality in some equipment reviews but this is the first time I've actually heard it. When I listen to my old CD collection I feel like i'm listening to them for the first time because they're never sounded that detailed before.

 

[twsmith]

It's now been about a week and a half since I got my D1, and I continue to be amazed by just how good it sounds.  I've never heard anything better -- simply breathtaking in fact with good source material.   I have been strictly using the D1's own headphone amp with HD800's, and I must say that this is indeed an excellent match -- good enough that I have no desire to switch in another amp at this point,   For this particular headphone, the amp has plenty of power, and in fact I'm getting comfortable listening levels at settings between 10-20.   I really love the digital volume control too -- gone is my frustration using stepped attenuator controls to find the best settings.  

 

[project86]

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Anyone driving Denon AH-D5000 or AH-D7000 from D1's headhone amp? 

I use a Lawton Audio LA7000 Lite which is basically a fancy modified D7000. It sounds wonderful straight from the D1. There seems to be plenty of power, and very few amps that I've experienced (at any price) offer this level of control. A good combination. Going back and forth between the D1, the Violectric V200 ($1k), and the Analog Design Labs Svetlana 2 ($1.5k), the D1 is not at all outclassed as an amp.
 


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I've been listening to the D1 for a few days and it is amazing. It's huge leap forward from the last dac I had, the uDac 2(i know

). Aside from the overall superlative quality of music I was struck by how separated each instrument sounds from each other. I've read about that quality in some equipment reviews but this is the first time I've actually heard it. When I listen to my old CD collection I feel like i'm listening to them for the first time because they're never sounded that detailed before.

 
Quote:

It's now been about a week and a half since I got my D1, and I continue to be amazed by just how good it sounds.  I've never heard anything better -- simply breathtaking in fact with good source material.   I have been strictly using the D1's own headphone amp with HD800's, and I must say that this is indeed an excellent match -- good enough that I have no desire to switch in another amp at this point,   For this particular headphone, the amp has plenty of power, and in fact I'm getting comfortable listening levels at settings between 10-20.   I really love the digital volume control too -- gone is my frustration using stepped attenuator controls to find the best settings.  

More happy users - always good to hear! I too really enjoy the digital volume control. Even when using one of the above mentioned amps along with the D1 as DAC, I often use the D1 volume to dial in the last bit of precision. As others have said, I don't hear a difference whether I set it to 80 or 99 or anywhere in between. 

 

[KevinWolff]

My 2week old LCD-2's are among the bad driver batch. A moment of silence please...

 
While I await my replacements, I hooked up the D1 to my Denon AVR3805 receiver and Infinity Sat 750 Satellite/Sub speakers just to see what it could do with lower end stuff. WOW! Obviously there are no mids to speak of in a satellite/sub setup among other things, but I was shocked at how crystal clear the sonics had become. Separation that was never there before. Much tighter bass. Still not audiophile quality but a significant improvement. The D1 continues to impress. 
 
 

 

[Marcin_gps]

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I use a Lawton Audio LA7000 Lite which is basically a fancy modified D7000. It sounds wonderful straight from the D1. There seems to be plenty of power, and very few amps that I've experienced (at any price) offer this level of control. A good combination. Going back and forth between the D1, the Violectric V200 ($1k), and the Analog Design Labs Svetlana 2 ($1.5k), the D1 is not at all outclassed as an amp.
 
 

Thanks for sharing. What about noise level? I heard that Denon's are very sensitive to high impedance headphone amps. The impedance of headphone out should be as low as possible to keep the noise out.
 
 

 

[project86]

Quote:

Thanks for sharing. What about noise level? I heard that Denon's are very sensitive to high impedance headphone amps. The impedance of headphone out should be as low as possible to keep the noise out.
 
 

Anedio states the headphone section has a .25 ohm output impedance from 20Hz to 20kHz. So the background is totally silent.

 

[KevinWolff]

Is anyone using a power cable upgrade with the d1? I was wondering since the d1 has no external power option that it might benefit from a high quality ac power cord.