[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by xtreme4099 cables, sources, were good ...

What were the sources and cables? The M-Audio Revo or AP2496?

 

[Sean H]

Quote:

Originally posted by ppl The Art uses 9 volts ac so this would imply that battery power is not useable however i am open to sugestions on how power supplys that would bring the Art into it's own.

Wow, that's pretty cool stuff, ppl.

 

[ppl]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan What were the sources and cables? The M-Audio Revo or AP2496?

AP2496 for both DACks so what ever the source put out good or bad would be the same for each DAC.

 

[momerath]

AOS just finished his first PACE (paul and andrew complete edition (ppa+battboard+dac)) and there are pics on his site
I'm getting one for my birthday! (may 1st)

 

[kugino]

sweet...maybe that's the upgrade for me...does anyone know if the DAC will be upgradeable? say, if there's a better DAC chip in the future?

 

[aos]

I have designed a version with CS43122. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll get to make one.

DAC chips aren't like opamps, it's fairly rare to encounter pin compatible models - though there have been some examples rarely. Even then, given the SOIC chip packages, it's not really feasible to replace the chips. You can reuse the PCB design though and build another one with new chip without having to redesign.

As long as the visible parts (switches, jacks) aren't moved, it'd be possible to replace one DAC board with another without much more than resoldering about 8 wires. Given that the DAC board is actually the cheapest part it's probably the way to go.

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally posted by momerath AOS just finished his first PACE (paul and andrew complete edition (ppa+battboard+dac)) and there are pics on his site I'm getting one for my birthday! (may 1st)

Impressive!
Aos has done some really nice work!

 

[momerath]

Bumpity bumpity

Anyone else heard the dac daughterboard? I'm particularly interested to hear from anyone who's heard it with a portable source and/or battery board.

 

[minya]

Jon Beilin bought a PACE, but I don't think he's received it yet.

Jon?

- Chris

 

[xtreme4099]

im going for some listening tests at larocco sometime soon ... ill let you know how it sounds ....

 

[dngl]

yeah i got the first pace from aos. should arrive in a week. got some extra op-amps for some rolling fun... might end up doing a bel canto dac2 v aos dac comparison... that should be fun.

pardon the lack of eloquence, but it's finals week so head-fi prose takes a backseat.

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Beilin yeah i got the first pace from aos. should arrive in a week. got some extra op-amps for some rolling fun... might end up doing a bel canto dac2 v aos dac comparison... that should be fun. pardon the lack of eloquence, but it's finals week so head-fi prose takes a backseat.

A Bel Canto DAC2 vs AOS DAC comparison would be awesome. Looking forward to it.

That PACE is one piece of fine work...

 

[sbulack]

I received my Piccolo DAC from AOS about three days ago, and the analog audio it produces from the optical digital output of my Terratec EWX 2496 is of very fine quality. The spaciousness of its soundstage, the solidity and tightness of its bass, the richness of its midrange and the refined clarity of its highs make listening to 256 kbps and up mp3s, redbook CDs and DVD soundtracks from my computer an engrossing-to-transporting experience. It is both a revealing AND an involving source. It is an excellent value for improving the analog sound quality from computer sources.

 

[philodox]

I have also considered a PACE for quite a while... waiting to hear impressions first... would it be possible to get a PPA+DAC+diamond buffer+external PSU setup rather than a PPA+DAC+battery daughter board setup I wonder???

I think I would only use this as a home amplifier, so it seems kind of silly to have the battery board... and we have been hearing such good things about the diamond buffer...

[edit: a compairison between the PACE and the grace 901 headphone amp would be interesting... since they are basically the same thing]

 

[dngl]

The PACE is a very good product. I'm still working on the full review, but here's a quick run down vs bel canto dac 2: (remember that the dac 2 is a $1300 DAC and the pace sells for $730 headamp included)

so here are some loosely collected thoughts:
the PACE sounds like a DAC 2 "light". The DAC 2 is paced better, has more dynamics and focus, and slightly more details... at twice the price + the cost of ICs. Tonality and frequency balance are very similar between the two. The PACE does smack around the ART DI/O, but I certainly was never a member of team DIO. The DAC2 is significantly better than the PACE but well let's look at the price difference. I'd say that the 333ES is a bit cold sounding compared to the PACE/DAC2.

As a headphone amp, the PPA is a great choice. Lots of details, highly dynamic, large soundstage, very musical. Some might say it has slightly metallic highs but it's not bad at all. What is very attractive is opamp rolling- one literally can almost completely customize the sound of the amp. I found putting the AD8610 in the l/r channels and the OPA627 in the ground channel to be a great combination for a very solid sound for all types of music.

If you fit in any one of these categories, I would recommend that you strongly consider getting a PACE:
* student/travelling person who wants to take the stereo along for trips/summer break
* anyone looking to get quick & affordable great sound from a computer
* people with HD-DAPs with digital outs

will i keep my PACE? It depends on whether I keep the DAC2. The DAC2 is nice but I certainly wouldn't have an emotional crisis if I were forced to sell it and use the PACE instead.

Also, I must mention that AOS was extremely friendly and responsive before, during, and after the transaction. Anyone who does business with him is in good hands.