To start I would like to thank Wesley Miaw for allowing me to participate in the Neko Audio D100 DAC audition done through Canuck Audio Mart. Otherwise I would very likely never have been afforded the opportunity to listen to this great piece of gear. Hopefully other manufacturers of audio gear will offer up similar auditions in the future.
I won’t bother reviewing the technical design merits and build quality aspects of the Neko D100 as they are well known and previously described elsewhere. The unit I auditioned was the $1295 D100 (not the Mk2 version which apparently has a higher gain output and which might be preferable to some as this unit is quite low in the gain department)
I set the Neko up in my main rig and compared it to my Universal Audio 2192 and my Metric Halo ULN2 (used in standalone mode). Music was served from my dedicated computer via Squeeze server 7.4.1 to my Squeezebox Transporter which acted as the DAC’s transport in all tests.
All files were encoded in redbook FLAC format and noted below. I didn’t bother testing DAC performance with poorly recorded music (ie classic rock) since I tend not to use my main rig to listen too such material.
Gear used was all the same and noted below.
All sources were level matched by sending a 3K test tone from each device and measuring the voltage at the speaker terminals.
I listened to the Neko first. My initial impression was very favourable. Very analogue sounding was my first reaction. Smooth and polite are two adjectives that best describe the sound of the Neko. Musical and involving would be others. Female vocals shone though and were very engaging with little harshness or stridency. The 2nd chorus on “When I Dream” was one of those goosebump moments as Carol Kidd was actually there, in front of me, to touch. The realism of plucked guitar instruments was there in all of its glory. The Neko resolved “Keith Don’t Go” track very impressively with nary a concern for aggressiveness as is often times the case on this track with lesser units. More complicated music (Le Cid) was performed without serious fault though if I had any complaint it was that the Neko might not be the greatest in terms of either frequency extreme. This seems to be the trade-off for the polite and non aggressive sound. But for many people this may well be the lesser of two evils I suspect. A smaller complaint of mine has to do with what I consider a restricted and shrunken soundstage and image produced by the Neko.
Compared to the Metric Halo ULN-2 the Neko is the more analogue sounding unit. It’s less aggressive sounding and renders music in a polite way but, seemingly, at the expense of frequency extension up top and below. I found the Metric Halo preferable with lower frequency resolution. Beeftink’s “Improvisation” had more impact and immediacy played back through the Metric Halo than the Neko for example. Both units will have their fans depending on what they deem most important to their musical experience. The digital fans will probably prefer the Metric Halo while the analog fans will likely prefer the Neko.
Comparing the Universal Audio 2192 to the Neko was much more difficult as they don’t differ much in sound. Both tend towards the softer side but the UA might be a tad bit better in the lower registers than the Neko. Sorry, not much of a difference to justify much of a writeup comparison.
In summary, the Neko D100 is an excellent DAC for anyone who prefers their music to be presented on the warmer side of neutral and who doesn’t mind if they don’t get the last few hertz extension on either side of the frequency spectrum. At this caliber of DAC the choices are many and really amount to what the listener prefers more than anything. I think at the price point of under $1500 the Neko D100 is a bargain and should be on anyone’s must listen too list.
I extend my congrats to Wes for producing and offering such a glorious sounding DAC for so little $.
Music
It`s Just The Motion - Clair Marlo
Poinciana - Shelly Manne
When I Dream - Carol Kidd
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - Barb Jungr
Let's Go Get Stoned - Carmen Gomes
Ballad Of The Runaway Horse - Rob Wasserman & Jennifer Warnes
Keith Don't Go – Nils Lofgren
The Great Soul – Migraine
The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
We're All One (Unplugged) - Boz Scaggs
Don't Let Your Right Hand Know - Sonny Boy Williamson
Bring It On Home To Me - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
Just Like A Bird Without A Feather - R.L. Burnside
Johnny & the Devil - Hans Theessink
Ask Me Now - McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson
Body And Soul - Beets Brothers
Viola Fora De Moda - Ana Caram
Improvisation - Bernard Beeftink
Poem of Chinese Drums - Yim Hok Man
This Is Tomorrow - Ed Mann
Way Down Deep - Jennifer Warnes
Catapult - R.E.M
Lay Your Hands on Me - Peter Gabriel
The Moon Represents My Heart - Jeremy Monteiro & His Orchestra
Blues Stay Away from Me - Jorma Kaukonen
'Le Cid' Ballet Music - Birmingham Symphony of England
Gear
Martin Logan CLS IIa speakers on Arcici stands
Quicksilver Silver 90 Mono Power Amps
Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 Pre amp
Slim Devices Transporter
Cardas Hexlink Golden 5C speaker cable
Cardas Golden Cross IC
Cardas Lightning 15 digital cable
Aurora power cords
- Kerry
