Now the happy owner of the Mani and the mb Gungnir!
I was running my Music Hall mmf 7 turntable through the Stax SRA 12-s phono, into the Woo WA5 ( very first (2008) WA5 on the market, now using fist run Elrog 300b's this last year w/no failures). The Stax broke, so no lp's for over 2 years. The Mani arrived last week, hooked it up to the WA5, and was I happy. The overall sound was remarkable, soundstage, clarity, smooth, lifelike sound...and for $129?...amazing.
I was so taken with the quality of sound, I decided to give the Gungnir MB a try, helped by all the stellar reviews and posts here and on the web. I have never heard a modern dac in my system before. For prob close to 20 years, the dac's I have been using were the EAD 7000 mk iii, and an Aragon (factory prototype) D2A. It was time.
OMG, what I have been missing with my CD's! Detail I have never heard before, a realism that is so close to live, it's uncanny. Bass, mids, and treble all beautifully rendered. Soundstage width and depth seemed limitless through the speakers depending on the recording This is through the rca's...I wonder what balanced will sound like?!
Am running the Gungnir into a Sony Xa7es using the digital 75 coax, then to the WA5 with my AKG K1000. You all know the k1000 sound, airy, lifelike etc so non-fatiguing, it's addictive if you like that kind of presentation. With the WA5, out of this world.
The 2 way speakers I have are incredible!...they are
way out of this world. Am a pro- classical musician, been all around the world doing my thing, so I know good sound...these speakers have it . Handmade in LA, unusual design, they should cost much more than they do.... Wavetouch Grand Teton SE's. Bought them last year, and have never looked back! The Schiit's through these speakers are simply out of this world. The speakers literally disappear.
I have not even tried my rebuilt Threshold S200 amp yet, I'm so taken with the way the WA5 sounds with the Schiit's.
Am also very happy withe this passive pre into the Threshold, called "Lightspeed" made in Australlia...amazing sound from a pre-amp...can't wait to try those with the Schiit's!
What do they say, "audio nirvana" well I am knee deep in it and in Schiit!