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Teac Reference Line UD-501 USB DAC "DSD"
Jun 10, 2013 at 5:59 PM Post #63 of 550
Quote:
eraserxiv said:
 
Can you elaborate a little on how the D18 is superior? Been looking at the TEAC for the price, but the new Yulong DA8 pretty much negates any DSD advantage that the TEAC had (though at a $400 premium).
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I am very interested in this DAC as I am looking for a natural sounding machine, detailed but mostly musical with sweet mids and overall body. The Yulong may have a similar character STRICTLY on sound. Why do you think the Yulong is better? More beefy, warm sound? Please tell me.
 
Thanks
 
Jun 13, 2013 at 8:05 PM Post #66 of 550
Yeah, that would be nice. So we can actually hear impressions about audio gear rather than buying and shipping process
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Jun 13, 2013 at 11:52 PM Post #67 of 550
  Sorry about that I was just beeing impatient with the delay.I received the unit today.Initial impressions are positive.The unit appears to be well built.The download process was pretty smooth and seemed to be pretty simple.This was the first piece of equipment that I have ever done a download  on so I can not make any comparisons on the process but it was not difficult.
  I am using the unit to play netflix programming through my decco 2 preamp to my emotiva airmotiv 5 active speakers on my desk top setup.
The sound was initially a bit non descript but after about four hours it seems to be smoothing out a bit and is starting to open up abit.But this is just a initial impression.
  Further impressions will be forthcoming.
 
Jun 17, 2013 at 11:05 AM Post #68 of 550
 Well after three days I am discovering the wealth of flexibility that this design brings to the table.Initially I hooked it up without any filters in and no upsampling.The sound did not seem to change that much in the first day of use but I listened sporadically watching netflix movies on my desktop computer soundsystem.The system consisted of the ud-501 dac feeding a decco 2(using one of the line inputs) to a pair of emotiva 5 active monitors.Things got a bit smoother but still sounded closed in.I listened to my desktop system the next morning with more netflix sourced video and the sound was still somewhat closed in.I was curious to see what the dac would sound like with one of my dedicated headphone amps so I hooked it up to my burson ha-160 amp using my onkyo sacd/cd player as a transport.I left the teac optioning the same at it had been in my desktop.The sound was still closed in on the headphone system and a little hashy using my akg 701s.I thought I would try experimenting with the dac options to see what effect they produce as compared to the straight un upsampled settings.First I engaged the upsampling which from what I had read in some of the reviews had hinted at an improvement in sound.After switching the upsampling in and out several times I concur that the sound does improve becoming noticeably more listenable and less fatigueing.Next I explored the filter setiings on the pcm side since I am just spinning cds for the most part.I engaged the slow filter and found the sound to be markedly more listenable in a musicality sense.Things sounded a lot less digital sounding than a fair amount of the outboard dacs that I have listened to.
  The change was much for the better and made a lot of marginal sounding recordings much more enjoyable.I listened to a few cds with the slow filter engaged.I liked the sound but felt that while the sound was certainly enjoyable I felt that the dynamics and the bass were perhaps a shade towards beeing reserved.So I set the pcm filter to the sharp setting and listened to the same cd.Well now the dynamics were more pronounced and the bass took on a much more solid presentation.I listened to the cd recording of the lost world soundtrack and I have to say that I do not ever recall hearing the bass so well defined.The sound had more heft than I have ever heard in my set ups.Curious about the bottom end performance I hooked up my denon 3930 ci univeral player as a transport and fired up the lost world soundtrack and listened again.The sound took put on a whole new perspective of bottom end heft and dynamics.I have never heard the bass end on the lost world cd as well defined in my setups.The teac ud 501 is a definite keeper IMO.
  On day three I began listening to the headphone amp section more seriously and things have smoothed out a bit and have become less congested than what I had heard on the first day.Though the sound is getting better I am sure the dac/amp has a ways to go before it becomes completely settled in so I will post further observations.I can not make any judgements on the headhone amp it does sound pretty decent considering the 100 mw rating of the amp.Compared to the burson ha-160 the burson does sound better beeing more dimensional sounding but the ud-501 is not fleshed in completely yet.The teac does sound more upfront, the burson having more air around the performers and a better resolved soundstage.
  Oh I did forget to mention that I am using a very good power cable on the ud 501 and that I have not tried it with the stock leash yet.I am using a kubala sosna emotion power cord on the ud 501.So any observations are based on what I have heard with the power cord upgrade.
 
Jun 17, 2013 at 6:13 PM Post #69 of 550
 Well I have been listening to the 501 all afternoon thru the headphone amp on the teac and the sound has settled in somemore.I have to say that I am surprised at how well the 501 drives my akg 701s for an amp that has a output rating of only 100mw.Though it lacks the dimensionality of my ha-160 amp it provides a very satisfying listening experience with my 701s.
   I must say that the 501 has a unique ability to involve the listener and sheds light on certain aspects of the musical performance that makes one want to play recording after recording to reveal those musical aspects that at least in my experience have never been exposed.The particular combination of those aspects makes listening to this dac a measure of true pleasure.Some dacs may have more resolution, air or ultimate soundstage but none that I have heard has the musical ability that the 501 has that makes the listening experience a truely pleasurable experience.I have heard dacs that are way more expensive that are a lot less musically compelling to listen to.
  I find myself running to my cd stand and pulling reference favorites to play on the 501.And it seems everytime the results are the same I hear aspects of musicality in those recordings that I was unaware of.It is like listening to those recordings and really hearing them for the first time in a musical extent.
  I just hope things get even better with time but after only 3 days the dac is already sounding majestic.I can only imagine how great this dac will sound when I eventually upgrade the stock fuse to a hifi tuning supreme fuse.
  Next up is the ha-501 headphone amp but it still is on backorder waiting for shipment.If the headphone amp section in the ud 501 dac sounds this good I suspect the seperate headphone amp will deliver the promise of more power and greater dimensionality and the ability of balanced drive (between the dac and seperate headphone amp)that will complete my nirvana.
 
Jun 18, 2013 at 12:46 PM Post #70 of 550
Unlike buson160man, I have 0 desire(or space on my desk) to get separate HA-501 amp. Build in one has to be good enough for me or Teac is going back to the Big River
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Still trying to decide. It seems amp is definitely good with easy to drive cans such as my HE-400 or D600. But probably for nothing more demanding (not that I'm planning to purchase any other cans soon, except PS500)
 
Jun 24, 2013 at 9:38 AM Post #72 of 550
Well I pounded the dac all weekend long with cds and the units performance has really improved a lot.The sound is becoming more refined and the musicality is just marveloous.The headphone amp is really showing itself to be a capable performer as well.I wish it had a bit more power say as much as my ha-160. If it did this would be bunker busting value of a dac/amp.I have been breaking it in mostly on head phones playing cds but I think I will be hooking it up in my living room set up.From what I am hearing it should be a stellar dac with my living room rig.
 
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