wmedrz
100+ Head-Fier
I received the PCM63 K2 from TeraDak last week and it sounds really good! I was taken back on first listen. Didn't expect such a lush sound. I listened bit by bit daily but haven't had time to really AB with some classical and jazz to test it on pianos, violins, saxophones, and sit down to listen in my ideal environment.
First thing that came out at me compared with M7 was that it sounds thinner in the midrange, also has a different type of bass. The quantity is less than M7 but it is a little more airy. The M7 has this dynamic slam to its bass, while the PCM63 is open and soft sounding. It's like the low notes are more open while the M7 kind of hits you. PCM63 may actually articulate some low frequencies better. The highs are definitely brighter than M7, but I wouldn't say treble is hard or annoying. It's the same thing as the bass, it simply feels softer, at the same time brighter. The resolution is better on M7. There is a clarity to it that the PCM63 doesn't have. The vocals on M7 are also better. They're full bodied compared with the thinner presentation of the PMC63. I'm hearing this particularly on male vocals, while female vocals seem to extend well with PCM63. If I had to make an analogy, I would say the PCM63 is the equivalent of a carefully mastered and mixed CD, with peak limiting and compression, but engineered very well, while the M7 is the equivalent of the same mix but in a 176.4/24 format, uncompressed with no peak limiting.
Redbooks sound really good coming from it, although I did notice the midrange is more forward than M7, a little peaky in comparison. It provides more energy through the midrange. I can tell that for some of my CD's at least, I'm already preferring the PCM63 over M7. When I down sampled 96 and 192 material to 48/24 using J River it didn't sound too good: the range was compressed, ques were lost, lushness in the lows disappears, and the highs became harder. This is all of course compared with the M7 playing the same material at full 96/24!
The stage and dynamic are wonderful. My expectation was low when ordering... thought it would sound flat or have a boring "old school" sound. It turns out the sound is musical and engaging. Instrument imaging is good, at times I thought it may be better than M7 which I think is quite amazing.
Now that I've heard the PCM63 I can say with confidence the M7 and PCM63 really do have a distinct “R2R” sound and flavor. They are different than the d/s dac's I got to try. They sound more alike than d/s, which in turn sound alike to each other. R2R simply has a richer tone to it. Much more “analog” or whatever one wants to call it.
I asked the rep from TeraDak what their reasoning was behind the buffer, filter and op amp choices on this DAC. Among other things they said a well known PCM63 based dac with matured circuitry was used as a reference, and they tried different modifications to it such as SM58xx filter, going with what sounded better in the end. The only concern is the lifespan of the PCM63 chips since they're so old. I haven't done any real reviews and I don't really have a reputation on these forums, but trust me this DAC sounds really good! I'm certain it will sound better than anything D/S in the same price range and I don't think anyone getting this will be disappointed. Hopefully Purrin can one day compare it against his extensive PCM63 experience. And if this is one of the “worse” sounding PCM63 DAC's then I'm hard pressed to imagine what the “good” ones sound like.
(Listening to My God (early version) from Wilson's mix of Aqualung right now, my God!)
I'm grateful to Purrin for bringing this chip to my attention, and Currawong for bringing this DAC to my attention. Thanks guys!
First thing that came out at me compared with M7 was that it sounds thinner in the midrange, also has a different type of bass. The quantity is less than M7 but it is a little more airy. The M7 has this dynamic slam to its bass, while the PCM63 is open and soft sounding. It's like the low notes are more open while the M7 kind of hits you. PCM63 may actually articulate some low frequencies better. The highs are definitely brighter than M7, but I wouldn't say treble is hard or annoying. It's the same thing as the bass, it simply feels softer, at the same time brighter. The resolution is better on M7. There is a clarity to it that the PCM63 doesn't have. The vocals on M7 are also better. They're full bodied compared with the thinner presentation of the PMC63. I'm hearing this particularly on male vocals, while female vocals seem to extend well with PCM63. If I had to make an analogy, I would say the PCM63 is the equivalent of a carefully mastered and mixed CD, with peak limiting and compression, but engineered very well, while the M7 is the equivalent of the same mix but in a 176.4/24 format, uncompressed with no peak limiting.
Redbooks sound really good coming from it,
The stage and dynamic are wonderful. My expectation was low when ordering... thought it would sound flat or have a boring "old school" sound. It turns out the sound is musical and engaging. Instrument imaging is good, at times I thought it may be better than M7 which I think is quite amazing.
Now that I've heard the PCM63 I can say with confidence the M7 and PCM63 really do have a distinct “R2R” sound and flavor. They are different than the d/s dac's I got to try. They sound more alike than d/s, which in turn sound alike to each other. R2R simply has a richer tone to it. Much more “analog” or whatever one wants to call it.
I asked the rep from TeraDak what their reasoning was behind the buffer, filter and op amp choices on this DAC. Among other things they said a well known PCM63 based dac with matured circuitry was used as a reference, and they tried different modifications to it such as SM58xx filter, going with what sounded better in the end. The only concern is the lifespan of the PCM63 chips since they're so old. I haven't done any real reviews and I don't really have a reputation on these forums, but trust me this DAC sounds really good! I'm certain it will sound better than anything D/S in the same price range and I don't think anyone getting this will be disappointed. Hopefully Purrin can one day compare it against his extensive PCM63 experience. And if this is one of the “worse” sounding PCM63 DAC's then I'm hard pressed to imagine what the “good” ones sound like.
(Listening to My God (early version) from Wilson's mix of Aqualung right now, my God!)
I'm grateful to Purrin for bringing this chip to my attention, and Currawong for bringing this DAC to my attention. Thanks guys!
