I just got the UD-301 yesterday, and I'm promptly returning it today. It was one of the worst sounding pieces of audio gear I've ever owed over the last 20 years and is only the 2nd piece of gear i've ever felt was bad enough to return along with a cheap sony avr. The sound it put out was biased towards the highs and came off piercing and shrill. Very disappointed in this product.
I just got the UD-301 yesterday, and I'm promptly returning it today. It was one of the worst sounding pieces of audio gear I've ever owed over the last 20 years and is only the 2nd piece of gear i've ever felt was bad enough to return along with a cheap sony avr. The sound it put out was biased towards the highs and came off piercing and shrill. Very disappointed in this product.
Is it possible that its defective? I like mine a lot compared to my Bifrost MB, Bifrost Uber, Modi2uber, and Teac AH-01. I've also done some comparisons to UD-501, Topping D30, MHDT Pagoda, Metrum Musesett, Master 7, and a few other DACs and at no time did the UD-301 sound like how you describe.
It very well could be defective. I can get similar sound from my krell preamp, audioengine d1 dac, and my marantz sr7008. They all sound pretty much the same to my ears. I've even hooked my audioengine d1 and my Krell to the same set of speakers and amp and hot swapped a song using 2 computers with jriver in sync between them i could tell absolutely no difference in sound quality between the Krell and audioengine. Tha'ts the best way to tell if you really are getting a difference in sound quality because it essentially defeats the placebo effect. The TEAC is so obviously biased and grating in the highs its unbearable as you increase volume.
I did read a couple of reviews that pointed the shrill highs out though. Those were in the minority though. My ears are very sensitive to high frequencies though so that might be part of it. Every ones ears work differently and also as people age their ears loose the ability to pick up those higher frequencies. Its the same thing with that laurel and yanni debate. I heard Yanni, but also could force myself to hear laurel if i focused on the lower frequencies.
@BrotherKathos ,
What gear are you using it with? As DAC and headphone amp ? Stereo usage?
I could see this sounding really pretty bright in certain all solid state systems. I'm using mine into a Yamaha R S7000 and ELAC B6. In this system it sounds very good. The ELACs definitely do roll off some of the highs.
I'm also running it into another system through Klipsch. And the Klipsch sound terrific not at all bright or fatiguing.
I'll confess I don't know if I've used it as a headamp for more than a few minutes, so can't speak to that. I've only used as a source into my stereo system.
I just got the UD-301 yesterday, and I'm promptly returning it today. It was one of the worst sounding pieces of audio gear I've ever .... The sound it put out was biased towards the highs and came off piercing and shrill. Very disappointed in this product.
The differences between DACs is subtle so for the UD-301 to stick out so much seems a bit like it could be defective but I'd suggest returning it anyway.
I had it hooked to a Essence dpa-440 power amp. Its a high end class d amp and even those to my understanding still don't produce high frequencies that well. I've tried it with def tech sm55 and paradigm atom v7 bookshelfs. Also the same result with my sennheiser hd 558 and 598cs headphones. Harsh shrill highs.
Unfortunately I had to send back my UD-301 also. I received it last week. Connected to PC. Played music for maybe 10 minutes and later without any sound... So it appears that probably the same problem like others - burned fuses?
I sent it back and I am waiting for money return.
Do you know maybe whether UD-501 has the same problems like UD-301?
Maybe Aune S6 could be solution here?
For this moment Teac is huge disappointment for me.
Unfortunately I had to send back my UD-301 also. I received it last week. Connected to PC. Played music for maybe 10 minutes and later without any sound... So it appears that probably the same problem like others - burned fuses?
I sent it back and I am waiting for money return.
Do you know maybe whether UD-501 has the same problems like UD-301?
Maybe Aune S6 could be solution here?
For this moment Teac is huge disappointment for me.
My UD-301 gets used at the office, with my MBP and iPhone as sources via optical (MBP) and usb (iPhone). I use it with Senn HD6XX and my Grado RS2e cans...nothing but love for the 301 after about 2 years of use!
My UD-301 gets used at the office, with my MBP and iPhone as sources via optical (MBP) and usb (iPhone). I use it with Senn HD6XX and my Grado RS2e cans...nothing but love for the 301 after about 2 years of use!
I use this DAC with my Hard drive and ipod with amp, preamp and tower speakers,sounds phenomenal. Highs DEFINITELY NOT harsh. Warm, accurate, detailed, full, powerful sound is all .Better than alot of other DACS I have owned. No real issues with it. Have not tried the headphone amp though.
Has anyone here tried modding their 301 at all? I've thought about swapping the op-amps for some newer, higher-spec ones. Still not sure what would be best and / or better than the Muses already in it, though. Would say the OPA627AU x 2 (two already pre-soldered onto a Brown Dog-type adapter) work in place of the Muses 8920s? I've got a few of them I could try somewhere...
Has anyone here tried modding their 301 at all? I've thought about swapping the op-amps for some newer, higher-spec ones. Still not sure what would be best and / or better than the Muses already in it, though. Would say the OPA627AU x 2 (two already pre-soldered onto a Brown Dog-type adapter) work in place of the Muses 8920s? I've got a few of them I could try somewhere...
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