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Figured I would start a new thread now that mine has arrived.
I still have my Grant DAC....a truly versatile piece. I'm using a AUNE solid state one now but the Grant will be a backup or a starter for my kids systems. I also have a TADAC I got from ajzepp...by the way mcgsxr the Grant Dacs always have a snug tube fit. The first time you pull on is scary but they loosen over time......enjoy!!!!
To get the basics covered, the following is an outline of my room, and the largely mid fi gear I use currently.• Yamaha RX-797 receiver. I use the cd direct input which kills the display, takes all the tone controls out of the signal etc.• Totem Model 1 biwire speakers. Dayton 24 inch stands filled with kitty litter.• Yamaha SW100 subwoofer. Old, but does the trick for ~60Hz and down. Model 1’s run full range.• Vortexbox VAMP player. A Pogoplug hacked with Linux running Logitech s/w.• Dedicated netbook running Logitech Media Server, 2TB hard drive with FLAC files.• IC’s are DIY shielded with Belden wire.• Speaker wires are Monoprice CL2 4x14g wired as 2x11g Room is an untreated basement space. Roughly 20x25x7.25 (OK, it is actually 25x25 but with a 5x8 bathroom in one corner, and stairs jutting into another corner on the same side I figure it plays out as approx. 20 down that wall). Furnished as a family room with a pool table at the end opposite the system. Floors are wall to wall berber over subfloor (5/8 T&G plywood over Delta MS).My system is located in one “corner” of the room. Basically the pool table and the stairs take up the “back” of the room. In one other corner is the 5x8 bathroom. In the last “corner” is my HT and 2 channel setup. The room shares the 2 channel and HT gear, but is not connected together. The entire room is open, so although I listen over in that one area, there are no walls between it and the other areas in the room. I currently have the speakers 15 inches off the wall ( wall to rear of speaker cabinet), and 6 feet apart. I listen 7 feet from then plane of the front of the speakers. Due to the layout, there is no wall on the left side of the space, but the right speaker is located 32 inches from the wall on the right. I toss fleece blankets on both couch and loveseat, and 60 inch plasma for serious listening.Yes, I take significant abuse from my family for this odd need to cover the plasma when I listen to music, but I can survive it!The Grant TubeDAC-11 arrived in a nicely packed box, and included a variety of cables. Nice touch for sure. All the other reviews I have read comment on the build quality. I expected it to be lighter or less solid, but it is nicely built. The case was easy to open, and the tube was simple to roll. I did find that the Gold Lion tube took some effort to fully seat, but once in there you know it is not going anywhere.After allowing the Grant DAC to break in 24/7 for 6 days, I figured it had stabilized in terms of changes.I started out with a 21 song rotation of 16/44.1 FLAC.This list comprises some of my favorite tunes, and some that are very well recorded. A few might qualify as audiophile fav’s, and a few might raise a few eyebrows! All were chosen as I am familiar with them, and happen to like hearing them so listening to them all over a couple of days would not drive me nuts.1. Duke Ellington – Blues in Orbit – Pie Eye’s Blues2. Everything but the Girl – Best of – Apron Strings3. Massive Attack – Protection – Better Things featuring Tracey Thorne4. Rebecca Pidgeon – The Raven – The Raven5. Rebecca Pidgeon – The Raven – Spanish Harlem6. Rebecca Pidgeon – The Raven – You got me7. Jerry Mulligan with Jane Duboc – Jazz Showcase – Paraiso8. Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Winton Marsalis – Plays the Music of Duke Ellington – Jump for Joy9. Ali Farke Toure – The Source – Cinquante Six10. Eva Cassidy – Live at Blues Alley – Stormy Monday11. Alison Krauss and Union Station – Lonely runs both ways – Gravity12. Cowboy Junkies – Trinity Sessions – Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)13. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes – Oliver James14. John Mayer – Continuum – Gravity15. 54-40 – Radio Love Songs The Singles Collection – Ocean Pearl16. Beastie Boys – Ill Communication – Get it Together17. Cracker – Kerosene Hat – Take me down to the Infirmary18. Groove Armada – Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) – Superstylin19. Jack Johnson – Brushfire Fairytales – F stop blues20. Cheryl Crow – KBCO Disc 1 – Favorite Mistake21. Eva Cassidy – Songbird – Fields of GoldI find that the Grant DAC brings some tube mellowness and bloom, with a sense of reduced transients, but not necessarily in a bad way. The change in transients is felt to me most with sax, where the initial bite no longer borders on harsh at certain volumes.The tube mellowness allowed me to more fully enjoy “Stormy Monday”. This song starts out quietly, and builds well to a big section in the middle where it has full participation on the part of many, and can be tough to unravel. With solid state DAC’s, I often have to reduce the volume during this peak, as the top end gets too harsh for me. Not so with the TubeDAC-11. I can let the “eagle fly on Friday” right through the piece. Cymbals are nicely differentiated when different ones are struck, and the tone of the plucked guitar just sounds right.One thing that the TubeDAC gets right is the tone of acoustic guitar. Songs that have 2 or more acoustics really bring this DAC to life. Cheryl Crow – Favorite Mistake stands out really well for this. So does Rebecca Pidgeon’s “You got me”. More great fun with “I thought it would be easier” by Shelby Lynn. You can pick any of the guitar parts and follow them and their interplay throughout. The slap and pluck of the playing is front and center. The pick across the strings reaches out.All these songs allow the music to flow out of the speakers as though they were not there, and bring the tone of good guitar right to you. Lots to love here with the tubeDAC.On “Gravity” by Union Station with Alison Krauss, it is the air and decay of the instruments that catches my attention. The cymbals decay beautifully, and the sound of the fingers on strings is clearly heard, but does not draw undue attention. Her voice just hangs in the air. Good recordings like this are always good, but tubes bring something extra. MOAR my brother would say.Rebecca Pidgeon’s “The Raven” album is what got me into hifi to begin with. I had been into surround sound (gotta love Dolby in the mid 90’s!) when I wandered into my first real audio store in the University town I lived in during school. I spent most of my time wandering around the lower budget rooms, but there was this sound coming out of a room in the back that drew me. A siren song indeed. In that room back there was a full sized set of Magnepans (no idea which), running VTL tube mono’s and a Micromega Stage 3 cd player. I was staggered by the realism. I was smitten. I bought the cd, it was all I could afford from that room! That store is where I bought the Totem Rokk and Sugden integrated that put me on the path I am on now.SO, returning to that cd year after year, I still love just about every track, but 3 stand out for me. I often hear “Spanish Harlem” at audio stores or shows, or gatherings and I still enjoy it. Both my daughters sing along with it when I play it at home, it gets that kind of rotation. Through the Grant DAC it fills the air nicely, and smoothly. The initial bass line never wavers, and most of the detail is available. I find that some is lost though. The Dragonfly allows for more of the pick on the guitar strings as an example. The HRT allows for a little more body on the instruments. The Grant brings her voice more to the fore. That just might serve as a summary for the 3 DACs to be honest.Audioquest Dragonfly V1 – detail oriented, and hifi pleasing.HRT Music Streamer II – brings body to instruments, was my reference for 2+ years.Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-11 – a black background, great tone, a taste of tube bloom, and leatherman tool flexibility on a budget.So, is the Grant Fidelity TubeDAC the perfect DAC? No, not even close. Can I think of better value around $450 new, including a good tube rolled into the mix? Nope. Especially considering it can be a preamp, and a headphone amp in the future as my needs change.
