[paultel 2009]

Quote:

They appear FS used from time-to-time. Ditto on the no use for usb or balanced, and the HPA doesn't need improvement for anything short of ortho usage. I'm thinking if they did a higher production run at lower prices of the original they'd sell a fair amount!

 
Couldn't agree more, I'd certainly be a customer. 

 Re the FS board: I'm in the UK and I haven't seen a Euro version up for sale yet. Perhaps when the new version is released....  
 

 

[project86]

Quote:

 

Without a doubt, personal experience trumps everything - but I just was recently going thru John Darko's site and saw that he loves the Anedio and is pretty ho-hum about he V800.  Any comments on that?  
 
The reviews in question:
 
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.au/index.php/audio-reviews/digital-source-reviews/item/249-anedio-d1-dac-ess-sabre-9018
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.au/index.php/audio-reviews/digital-source-reviews/item/173-lake-people-violectric-v800-dac

Yep I'm familiar with that review, and we've discussed it in the V800 thread.
 
I have utmost respect for Darko as a writer - he is more entertaining than I could ever hope to be, and I think he has potential to do that gig full time. He also seems like a cool guy from what I've seen on other forums. But I think he is simply dead wrong about the V800.
 
Look at his DAC index HERE. He rates the ProJect DAC Box, Firestone Spitfire, and Beresford 7520 all higher than the V800. None of those are very good in my opinion. Now look at his highest ratings..... Audio GD Ref 7.1, Anedio, EE Minimax all make sense, but then..... Beresford Caiman? TeraDak Chameleon? Maverick TubeMagic D1??? And his top rated of all is the Audio GD NFB-2????
 
Maybe he has in mind a performance to price ratio when assigning star values. Either way, my ears are very different than his. A few people around here besides me have tried the V800 and all seem to really love it. Especially when paired with a matching amp like V200.
 

 

[soberspine]

He removed the stars ratings.
I asked him about the stars a few months ago and he gave me a link but it is not available anymore. http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.au/index.php/dar-st
But I found:
"I write from a consumer perspective, reviewing hifi products based on how they sound - the emotional response they solicit from the listener - and not just the specifications sheet. Star ratings are assigned based upon an implicitly subjective price-performance ratio."
SOURCE: http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.au/index.php/about-dar
 
I personally never liked ratings based on price-performance ratio.
 
 
 

 

[bobeau]

 
Quote:

 
Maybe he has in mind a performance to price ratio when assigning star values. Either way, my ears are very different than his. A few people around here besides me have tried the V800 and all seem to really love it. Especially when paired with a matching amp like V200.
 

Yeah, he used to rate using a value index.  But these are two units at the same price point.  There are a few months between the reviews, so maybe he came around to liking a particular type of sound, because adjective-wise, he seems to kinda use the same words.  

 

[project86]

Yeah I don't want to sound too critical of him. As I said, he seems like a humble guy and he certainly isn't pushing his ratings as being definitive. It's hard to break things down into simple star ratings because each piece of gear has its own character. 
 
All I can say for sure is that the V800 and the Anedio D1 are two of my favorite DACs of all time. I recently got to hear a Sony XA777ES player with extensive upgrades by Modwright. It was something like $4k or more total, and it was utterly disappointing compared to the V800 or Anedio. 

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

 
All I can say for sure is that the V800 and the Anedio D1 are two of my favorite DACs of all time.

The only reason I bring this up is because you mention these two as sounding very similar, and the only other person I'm aware of who has experienced both is Darko.  Without going into details, my impression is he liked one and didn't like the other.  Unfortunately it doesn't seem he got the chance to compare them back to back.  
 
Don't want to come off not being deferential - I think without a doubt your reviews slay even most professional audio reviews.  If I had a product that might appeal to the Head-fi crowd and I wanted it reviewed, you would be the first I would contact, even over other highly respected long time reviewers like Skylab.  You seem to dig deeper to give the reader an impression of what the experience is like to use the product, and as such have some pretty ardent followers.  
 
But that itself might be a bit of a curse in a way.  Let me put it like this - outside of Head-fi, why are these two DACs not making waves?  I'm not saying they are not great (even though I didn't like the Anedio, I'll admit my tastes may be orthogonal to most).  I'm just saying there are several options at this price point and I don't see these ones making the list on other forums.  Yet within the threads on both of these, there are some people only considering these two units.   

 

[project86]

Quote:

The only reason I bring this up is because you mention these two as sounding very similar, and the only other person I'm aware of who has experienced both is Darko.  Without going into details, my impression is he liked one and didn't like the other.  Unfortunately it doesn't seem he got the chance to compare them back to back.  
 
Don't want to come off not being deferential - I think without a doubt your reviews slay even most professional audio reviews.  If I had a product that might appeal to the Head-fi crowd and I wanted it reviewed, you would be the first I would contact, even over other highly respected long time reviewers like Skylab.  You seem to dig deeper to give the reader an impression of what the experience is like to use the product, and as such have some pretty ardent followers.  
 
But that itself might be a bit of a curse in a way.  Let me put it like this - outside of Head-fi, why are these two DACs not making waves?  I'm not saying they are not great (even though I didn't like the Anedio, I'll admit my tastes may be orthogonal to most).  I'm just saying there are several options at this price point and I don't see these ones making the list on other forums.  Yet within the threads on both of these, there are some people only considering these two units.   

No offense taken - I appreciate your point of view, and I understand exactly what you are trying to say. Unfortunately I can only document my personal experiences. I'm just one tiny drop in the vast ocean of audio discussion. I have friends come over to try my gear, or bring it by their place to see what they think, but aside from that I rely on others here to confirm or dispute my opinions. And at the end of the day, that's all I really have are opinions. I'm keenly aware of that, which is why I try to cover all aspects such as internal design, parts quality, and even interview the designer when possible. That's to give people a broader perspective than just my subjective opinions. 
 
I have noticed that certain gear becomes popular in certain circles, and never really makes an impact outside of that. Audio GD is a perfect example, Schiit seems to be going the same route for the most part, and Little Dot is a classic case. I don't know exactly how to explain this. It probably has multiple causes. The Anedio has received some very good reviews from Positive Feedback and StereoMojo, in addition to myself and Darko. I imagine their limited production capabilities and basically non-existent advertising budget has a lot to do with their lack of widespread acceptance. In the case of Violectric, I think a big part of it is that they are so far away, without a big presence in the USA. I've seen some German forums where users held the V800 in very high esteem, but it hasn't been heard by many folks in the English speaking world. Most of those who have (myself, Zombie X, Santacore, others) have thought very highly of it.
 
It is an interesting discussion though. Why do Aussies love the Beresford Caiman, and not many other folks anywhere else? The global aspect of the internet makes it easier to discuss some items, but not as easy to hear them. 
 

 

[veritas aurum]

To really sell a high end (quality, not price) item. You must have a review in TAS or Stereophile, which is unfortunate for companies such as Anedio. Both of the publications mentioned are advertiser supported and there is more than a little of  the "component of the month club" aspect to their reviews. Also a view that if it has no "prestige" value (read $$$$$$) then it can be dismissed as "entry level" or good value for the money but nowhere near SOTA. I used to review components for a now defunct rag. I also had a substantial background in classical recording., which is what I primarily listen to. I do not say this a necessity for quality reviewing, as I doubt you have those kinds of credentials, yet I bought my Anedio on the strength of your review and conversations with James. I urge everyone to find a reviewer who they trust, not one following the money. Most reviews in this business are shallow and superficial, ego driven, and without merit. Find designers of genius such as James, John Curl, Nelson Pass etc, and follow their lead. You cannot go wrong. I hope this makes some sense. BTW one of the reasons I bought the Anedio is that James' website and white papers just made sense.

 

[paultel 2009]

Okay, so I couldn't wait any longer...just sprung for a Bifrost as a stop gap measure.
 
The plan now is to take a much more leisurely decision between the updated D1 and the forthcoming Schiit statement dac.
 
@project86: I very much hope you get the opportunity to review both these units in due course. 

 
 
 

 

[project86]

Quote:

Okay, so I couldn't wait any longer...just sprung for a Bifrost as a stop gap measure.
 
The plan now is to take a much more leisurely decision between the updated D1 and the forthcoming Schiit statement dac.
 
@project86: I very much hope you get the opportunity to review both these units in due course. 

 
 
 

That's not a bad plan! 
 
I'm not sure if I'll be comparing the two units immediately once the refresh is available. I'd love to, and certainly will - down the road at some point. But I've recently made a few big purchases, so I'll be tied up for a while reviewing those items. Comparing the refreshed D1 to the original will require a lot of time and I want to make sure I do it right. So we'll see. 
 

 

[soberspine]

I would love a comparison between the new anedio and the new audiolab mdac, both dac+amp+preamp and both use ES9018.

 

[project86]

Quote:

I would love a comparison between the new anedio and the new audiolab mdac, both dac+amp+preamp and both use ES9018.

Yep, that Audiolab DAC looks very promising. I'd love to do a comparison between it and my favorite DACs.
 
To add another wrinkle, I just picked up the new Yulong Sabre D18. Also uses the ES9018, sells for $699, very interesting piece. It just arrived so I have no opinion yet... I literally just plugged it in. 

 

[veritas aurum]

It will be interesting to hear your views on the Yulong. It seems to use thru-hole components as opposed to SM as Anedio does. That seems to indicate more of an analogue approach to design rather than a digital. This is the same approach used by Audio-gd. It appears that designers in China are not comfortable with digital design techniques ( I.E. SM) As has been proven with Audio-gd, this can produce good results, but I suspect not as good as SM at the speeds at which digital circuits operated. We shall see. Would like some initial impressions ASAP. I am thinking of getting one of these puppies just on a lark, but hate to waste money if it is not a contender against the Anedio,which I consider the best DAC for any non-ludicrous amount of money. Kindest regards

 

[project86]

Quote:

It will be interesting to hear your views on the Yulong. It seems to use thru-hole components as opposed to SM as Anedio does. That seems to indicate more of an analogue approach to design rather than a digital. This is the same approach used by Audio-gd. It appears that designers in China are not comfortable with digital design techniques ( I.E. SM) As has been proven with Audio-gd, this can produce good results, but I suspect not as good as SM at the speeds at which digital circuits operated. We shall see. Would like some initial impressions ASAP. I am thinking of getting one of these puppies just on a lark, but hate to waste money if it is not a contender against the Anedio,which I consider the best DAC for any non-ludicrous amount of money. Kindest regards

I've only got a few days logged with the D18, so grain of salt, etc.  I don't think it is going to be a contender against the Anedio. I actually quite enjoy it, but it isn't on the same level. What it does do, it does extremely well - very much on the "musical" side but still with good detail retrieval.
 
I know that Yulong (the designer) does his designs "on paper" and then does final tuning through extensive listening, with many revisions and tweaks taking place. I can totally see how he arrived at this conclusion. This is a very intoxicating sound that I think would be popular in A/B comparisons. I also think it might be just the thing for people who aren't 100% on board with the "typical ESS sound". For example, user bobeau respected the Anedio for what it was, but ended up selling it because it wasn't exactly what he was looking for. I believe the D18 might be just the ticket for someone like him. 
 

 

[TwoEars]

Well Ladies & Gentlemen,
 
it's been very long since I posted anything in here, probably at least 6 months or more.
 
There could be many reasons for such a thing, but I'm not dead, and no - I haven't stopped listening to music.
 
The simple fact is that for the past year or so I've been completely and utterly happy with my system, something the D1 has no small part in I would say.
 
For those who don't know or remember my system is: [ Flac Audio --> Foobar2000 --> Titanium HD SoundCard --> Toslink --> Anedio D1 --> Burson HA-160 --> HD650 rev2 ]
 
So basically I just wanted to underline what a great product this is and say thanks again to project86 who brought it to my attention in the first place.
 
Choosing a DAC is very subjective, just like music it's a matter of taste. But at least for me I've found no better DAC for the money than the D1.