Eastern Electric DAC

goldlizsts · « **Reply #220 on:** 14 Feb 2010, 01:42 pm »

Quote from: John151 on 13 Feb 2010, 02:36 am

Did the DAC's arrive?

I/we certainly hope they have arrived in the US of A, and it's just that Bill has been toooo busy re-shipping to those who had ordered, so he can't post any update..... (don't need to if he's so busy!)

Gopher · « **Reply #221 on:** 15 Feb 2010, 02:25 pm »

I think Bill would have given us an excited update if they'd arrived.

I'm crossing my fingers they arrive/re-mail today so there is a chance I'll have mine for next weekend.

Bill@LakeGeorge · « **Reply #222 on:** 15 Feb 2010, 05:16 pm »

According to Bill they left Ohio last night and he expects them today or tomorrow.

sfox7076 · « **Reply #223 on:** 15 Feb 2010, 05:22 pm »

I am interested in one of these if there are any that are unspoken for or if someone wants to sell their preorder slot to me...

Shawn

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #224 on:** 16 Feb 2010, 05:28 pm »

A quick update as of 11:00am ct this morning. DHL needed me to fax them my fein number in certified document( 1120S form) to have the shipment released from customs in Cinncinatti Ohio

. I just did this so hopefully they will release and get them to me ASAP. This is the first time we used them for Air shipment so with a little luck they should be on their way to me. Sorry for the delay but , this is what happens all to often. I will keep you informed as I know it borders on the ridiculous but much scrutiny( which I don't have a problem with) to make sure our country is safe from those who wish us harm is enforced.
Kindest Regards,
Bill

Gopher · « **Reply #225 on:** 17 Feb 2010, 07:31 pm »

Any new word, Bill?

Is DHL out for delivery?

John151 · « **Reply #226 on:** 17 Feb 2010, 08:23 pm »

Quote from: Gopher on 17 Feb 2010, 07:31 pm

Any new word, Bill?

Is DHL out for delivery?

Just spoke with Bill - the DACs have arrived. I believe Bill is rather busy at the moment, so I took the liberty of posting on his behalf.

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #227 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 01:34 am »

Hi Guys,
The Air shipment arrived this afternoon and I have been packing and shipping the afternoon all the way until the UPS man came for our pick-up.
Most of them wwent out but I still have a days worth of shipping tomorrow to get all the Air freighted orders out.

You have to give me a day to notify as I had previous commitment for this evening.so I'll notify everybody tomorrow email wise with tracking numbers.

I will say,within an hour right out of the box it is very impressive. You've spent your audio dollars wisely grasshoppers.

Thank you all,
Bill

John151 · « **Reply #228 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 03:51 am »

Mine is up and running and I am quite pleased. Bill - Thanks so much for letting me stop by and pick up the unit after hours.

The first tracks I played were from Diana Krall (various CDs), and I immediately noticed improvements from my prev DAC, In comparison, the EE is open and airy, and subtle passages show greater detail.

The unit looks fantastic and appears to be very well built. Also, the small size is great as it fits perfectly on the shelf next to the SB3. The controls are very tight and have a quality feel when operated. The LED lights are visible in a well lighted room, and yet not too bright when the room is dark (a complaint I have had with many prior audio components, including the EE CDP). One complaint is the on/off button - you need to push it in firmly or it turns off again when you retract our finger.

It also plays both music and movie DVDs (prev DAC did not), which is great news for me as I recently purchased the new Oppo BDP-83 and did not opt for the SE version. Since I am only using two channels for my HT, the EE DAC eliminates the need to upgrade to the SE, nearly paying for itself on day one.

mchuckp · « **Reply #229 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 04:25 am »

Quote from: John151 on 18 Feb 2010, 03:51 am

Mine is up and running and I am quite pleased. Bill - Thanks so much for letting me stop by and pick up the unit after hours.

The first tracks I played were from Diana Krall (various CDs), and I immediately noticed improvements from my prev DAC, In comparison, the EE is open and airy, and subtle passages show greater detail.

The unit looks fantastic and appears to be very well built. Also, the small size is great as it fits perfectly on the shelf next to the SB3. The controls are very tight and have a quality feel when operated. The LED lights are visible in a well lighted room, and yet not too bright when the room is dark (a complaint I have had with many prior audio components, including the EE CDP). One complaint is the on/off button - you need to push it in firmly or it turns off again when you retract our finger.

It also plays both music and movie DVDs (prev DAC did not), which is great news for me as I recently purchased the new Oppo BDP-83 and did not opt for the SE version. Since I am only using two channels for my HT, the EE DAC eliminates the need to upgrade to the SE, nearly paying for itself on day one.

Looking forward to more impressions. I have an Oppo SE and LOVE it. I want a similar sound out of my SB.

Will the unit work when feeding SACD or Bluray through it? This is the limitation of my PS Audio DLIII DAC.

John151 · « **Reply #230 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 04:30 am »

Quote from: mchuckp on 18 Feb 2010, 04:25 am

Will the unit work when feeding SACD or Bluray through it? This is the limitation of my PS Audio DLIII DAC.

I don't own any SACD disks, and don't have any Blue Ray movies in the house at the moment. I will try the Blue Ray sampler disk shortly.

John151 · « **Reply #231 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 05:05 am »

I was able to play all of the sample tracks on the BD demo disk, including DTS HD, and Dolby TrueHD.

mchuckp · « **Reply #232 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 05:14 am »

Quote from: John151 on 18 Feb 2010, 05:05 am

I was able to play all of the sample tracks on the BD demo disk, including DTS HD, and Dolby TrueHD.

Thanks! That is AWESOME!

Love to hear some thoughts at some point of the sound of the EE DAC vs gear you are replacing it with. Glad to hear you are liking it.

grubyhalo · « **Reply #233 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 05:22 am »

Quote from: John151 on 18 Feb 2010, 05:05 am

I was able to play all of the sample tracks on the BD demo disk, including DTS HD, and Dolby TrueHD.

How did you connect the BD player to the DAC?

John151 · « **Reply #234 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 05:26 am »

Quote from: grubyhalo on 18 Feb 2010, 05:22 am

How did you connect the BD player to the DAC?

Oppo -> Optical
SB3 -> Coax

Greatly simplifies my config as well.

Wish I had a 3rd connector for the cable box.

I will be giving the USB connector a try with my Mac Mini in the future.

grubyhalo · « **Reply #235 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 05:54 am »

Quote from: John151 on 18 Feb 2010, 05:26 am

Oppo -> Optical
SB3 -> Coax

Greatly simplifies my config as well.

Wish I had a 3rd connector for the cable box.

I will be giving the USB connector a try with my Mac Mini in the future.

I was just curious as to how you managed to tap the hi-rez audio content to the DAC sans an HDMI interface. Maybe I got it all wrong.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #236 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 06:26 am »

John151....

Quote

The first tracks I played were from Diana Krall (various CDs), and I immediately noticed improvements from my prev DAC...

Which DAC would that be ? Thanks....

John151 · « **Reply #237 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 02:25 pm »

Quote from: lonewolfny42 on 18 Feb 2010, 06:26 am

John151....
Which DAC would that be ? Thanks....

LiTe DAC 62 from Pacific Valve. I have been very pleased with the DAC 62 as it made my SB3 sound soooo much better. Thus, I want to be very careful not to come across as being negative towards 62 - it is a great sounding DAC. In comparison to the EE, I would say the 62 is warmer, where the EE is more neutral. As an example, my system has historically had trouble with Amy Winehouse (insert jokes here). The bass on all of the tracks from Back To Black suffered from excessive bass, and it was really not enjoyable. Over the years, I have been able to reduce the bass, but it was still at a level that I would not listen to Amy. With the EE, the bass is clearly reduced and tighter. The bass is still very strong on Rehab, but no longer drowns out the vocals. I have noticed other tracks where the bass is also reduced, which the Jury is still deliberating on. Another track that my system has struggled with is Norah Jones. Not sure how to describe it, but her voice would spike at times, which was not very pleasant. Over the years, my system has been table to tame this, but not enough. The EE appears to have solved the issue with her voice spiking. My very first impression, listening to Diana Krall, was that her voice sounded more delicate and "airy" (is that a word?), much like the sound that I heard when I had the EE CDP and Maggies (a sound I have been trying to get back to for years).

Anyway, the unit is still breaking in, but my initial impressions are very positive. The ISOTEK CD has been playing all night, so I look forward to some more listening today. However, I leave town for Vail later today, so any further reviews will have to wait until next week.

John151 · « **Reply #238 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 02:32 pm »

Quote from: grubyhalo on 18 Feb 2010, 05:54 am

I was just curious as to how you managed to tap the hi-rez audio content to the DAC sans an HDMI interface. Maybe I got it all wrong.

I don't know that I tapped the hi-rez as the EE DAC does not give any indication as to the resolution. However, the EE DAC does play it, where my prev DAC would not. Note that the Oppo does indicate on the front panel that it is using DTS HD or Dolby True HD.

roscoeiii · « **Reply #239 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 03:09 pm »

John 151,

Are these impressions with the tube or op-amp output? Any chance to compare the 2 different output stages?