Hi guys,
I generally prefer not to speak about my product personally and like to give people the chance to explore it on their own. I don't mind if people dislike the unit and make it known -- it gives people some convenient boundaries from which to form a subjective framework of the market landscape -- but it's common-sensical that the reader should form his or her own opinions whether the reviewer likes the piece or not.
I wanted to address this issue specifically for this thread, because there is cause for alarm when blatantly inaccurate offhand remarks such as this come about:
Well, I wasn't too far off. Even Chris said himself that he used Nixon's boards early on until one of his friends helped him find a "cure" for the DacKit's ills. It didn't work. And this is NOT just MY opinion.
I'm not sure from where this idea came that the dAck! is a "cure" for the DacKit's ills, moreover that the dAck!'s design was based on suggestions from a friend. How one could substantiate a claim such as this without knowing me personally, let alone having first-hand knowledge of the design process nor design choices made, is beyond me.
I'm sure the message was written as a quick response, likely without proofreading. But guys, watch the offhand remarks - there's enough inaccuracy and subjectivity in this hobby as it is.
If one must know, before designing the dAck!, I had been using this very über-player -- the glorious NAIM CD5 (in conjunction with the rather pricey Hi-Cap power supply) -- for years. The combination is stellar and absolutely attention-grabbing - it is PRaTty, resolute, dynamic, and detailed. It gives you a clear picture of what's going on. Ultimately, however, it is artificial. It requires your attention at all times. It has little tact and subtlety. And it is not accurate. The NAIM units are similar all the way up to the $20K flagship.
Ironically, one could say that the dAck! was actually a cure, instead, for the venerable CD5's ills! This little outboard unit has been designed specifically to seduce you over time, give you space to explore the music at
your leisure, not the player's. It is not flashy, it won't give you explosions and color. Live with it for a few weeks and then you might begin to realize its rich subtleties (a related
link). A lot of folks have found that they can't go back. This was the point of non-oversampling in the first place.
-Chris
P.S. - Hantra: it's a pity I hadn't known you would love the NAIM piece so much - I would have rung you up before I sold it and given you a good price. I just shipped it yesterday to its new owner. If you buy one, DO NOT use it without an external PS - it is only a "good" player at best when used alone. With the PS upgrades, it gets astronomically better, as you experienced yourself. Incidentally, if you ever end up with a CD5/FlatCap combo, the Hi-Cap will solve most of your bass woes, at the same time kicking the rest of the spectrum up a few notches. The Hi-Cap has a much larger transformer and more tightly matched regulators. Plus, it has split secondaries and can power a NAIM preamp or other stuff (perfect for DIY stuff like a gainclone). The older chrome bumper versions are more romantic by virtue of a no-longer-available transformer, but make sure that it has been re-capped, as some of the chrome bumper pieces are going on 15 years. One other thing - avoid the first year production where the transformer wires were bundled separately. For some reason, those sounded a lot worse than the later production which had a tight secondary bundle. Lastly, if you want to really hear this CDP sing, stick some big batteries on it, properly bypassed. NAIM hackers have been doing this for years with excellent results.
P.P.S. - Others: please note also that Nathan's dAck! was the last dAck!-it-yourself sold. While it probably has the same basic character, it is not representative of what is shipping from us nowadays.
P.P.P.S. - I just noticed this in passing, thought I'd comment. The Von Schweikerts have a soundstage-expanding rear-firing tweeter. With equipment that tends to emphasize the highs (for example, Ayre), you will get additional flashiness in the form of additional "air" and staging when used in conjunction with such loudspeakers. It can give you more ambience, but this isn't typical of most dynamic loudspeaker systems. It's the kind of thing that I've tried to get away from in the dAck!'s design.
P.P.P.P.S. -
...would appreciate it if you could provide a link on AA pointing to some of these "off-hand" remarks you said Chris Own and friends have made...
I would also like some links because it's not in my interest to bash a fellow industry member. I supposedly wrote some of these but what you're referring to is not manifestly obvious.
