[eclein]

I took delivery of Grant Fidelity Tube DAC-09 on 5/21 and have been using it since, here are my thoughts after almost 2 weeks.

 1) The unit really came into its own about 36 hours into my ownership of it, the sound just opened up, the soundstage widened and
the musicians and they're instruments felt like they were performing literally feet away. The sound for me in a 5.1 setup was all around me with excellent placement of each instrument as intended by the recording and mix placement.

 2) I know what drums sound like, I sat behind a kit for years and base all my listening around what drums that are recorded sound like. If the drums and cymbals sound real the rest falls into place for me. I was struck by the realism of the cymbal sound, the unmistakeable metal inflection and the detail and clarity of the snare and toms. I thought about how one would describe such a sound and could only liken it too what a gleaming gold bar looks like in animation-golden, rounded, gleaming.

 3) Wow-somebody please slap me, I can't believe I just wrote that, made me gag rereading it....LOL.
Bottomline for me is this was the perfect economical way to bring a tube sound to my 5.1 setup. I was sharing with someone that even MP3's sounded good and they do, they are now tolerable. I really found a wonderful sound quality using my PS3 slim as a transport via toslink to the DAC and into my receiver, its awesome!! My SB Duet with its linear power supply really sounds excellent playing wav files from my laptop and using the unit as a line level DAC has really given my setup new life.

All in all the best money I've spent toward my system and when I get bored or restless with the sound I can just swap out a tube and get a fresh start..gotta love it!

[kip_]

How are you getting 5.1 sound from a 2-channel DAC? Some kind of surround processing like Dolby Pro Logic?

Nice review, heard a lot of good things about this DAC as well as its Maverick cousin.

[eclein]

My receiver does multi channel stereo, its actually not 5.1 technically sorry, the speakers are setup in that configuration, L,R,Ctr,SL,SR,Sub. I can also monitor in Analog direct mode which is str8 up 2 channel stereo. I pulled the DAC out of the setup earlier to listen to what I was using right before it arrived and couldn't deal with it the old way, even though my receiver probably does its thing to the signal the unmistakeable tube sound is there. I'm diggin it!!!!

[silver_strings]

Great Dac's for the money I use to own one, I upgraded from it to a tadac and a xindak dac-5. I definitely prefer tube dacs over SS ones.

[eclein]

Great Dac's for the money I use to own one, I upgraded from it to a tadac and a xindak dac-5. I definitely prefer tube dacs over SS ones.

silver_strings, I have since added to my system with a Virtue Audio TWO.2 integrated and a Grant Fidelity B-283 Tube Buffer, those pieces along with my JBL 4312A's just sing!! I'm most definitely a tube guy..!!!

[Light-Echo]

eclein, where in the chain of equipment have you placed the B-283? After the DAC-09 and before the Virtue amp? How are you using the DAC-09 - with the tube or SS out? What are your sources and which input do you prefer? I'll post this over at AudioKarma also.

Thx
Dave

[eclein]

I was using the buffer after the DAC and before the amp, I was using the tube pre-out. I have since reconfigured my setup and only use the DAC-09 as a pre-amp/DAC again using the tube pre-outs and then into the Virtue TWO.2...I love the combination. Getting the -GE Red 5 Star- tube really brought this unit to a nice new level, amazing what one tube can do!!!
Sources are Virtue Piano M1 CD Player into the analog input of the DAC and Squeezebox Duet using both Coax and Optical inputs on the DAC...I tend to use the optical more often than not.