[Armaegis]

We have these custom made because the ones you buy off the shelf short the pins, as you have indicated.  No transformers inside.  We have used the transformer based adapters, but they add some distortion and you lose DC coupling that way.  Measurements have indicated that balanced is a few dB better in the SNR department, but THD+N is about the same.  Output voltage is 2.5VrmsFS using the adapters and 5VrmsFS without.  Thanks.

So if yours doesn't short the pins, I'm assuming it is a resistor based attenuation for the rca output then? Or is it a lift on one of the pins?

[AmpDesigner333]

So if yours doesn't short the pins, I'm assuming it is a resistor based attenuation for the rca output then? Or is it a lift on one of the pins?

Just center to pin 2 and ring to pin 1.  You can build your own if you like.  Thanks.

[AmpDesigner333]

Pre-order with a thirty percent discount?   Not for long.

Hard to imagine how rapidly word got out.  It was only a few months ago that we started offering these, new boards, but no logo on the new enclosures.  Yes, the second round will have the Maraschino Cherry logo.

DAC DAC TL (tube-like) is almost allocated at one month out.  HS (high-spec) in stock.

These DACs sound amazing in any system, balanced or single ended.  That's according to pretty much everyone who's heard one.  New reviews out soon, so:
http://www.cherryamp.com/#!digital-source/c1rwc

[mittg]

I  built a Shelf unit for my Digital Amplifier Company equipment. The three shelves are 31 x 12 x 2 one piece Red Oak. I made the posts out of raw red oak that I split with tools. I am proud of this piece because it compliments the beautiful Digital Amplifier Components. On the first shelf are the Golden Cherry Monoblocks with an Audio Mirror t-61 tube preamp. On the second shelf are the Golden Cherry power units with the DAC DAC in between. I power a pair of Magnepan 3.6r'. The sound is smooth as silk and textured as Fondue Chocolate. The blackest background. The best instrument staging. So precise and beautiful. Tommy O' you do excellent work. Thank You!!!

[jseipp]

That is beautiful work, befitting your gear.  I can only imagine how refined must be the sound of the combination of the Digital Amplifier Company equipment with the Maggies -- a combination I'd love to hear one day.

[AmpDesigner333]

I  built a Shelf unit for my Digital Amplifier Company equipment. The three shelves are 31 x 12 x 2 one piece Red Oak. I made the posts out of raw red oak that I split with tools. I am proud of this piece because it compliments the beautiful Digital Amplifier Components. On the first shelf are the Golden Cherry Monoblocks with an Audio Mirror t-61 tube preamp. On the second shelf are the Golden Cherry power units with the DAC DAC in between. I power a pair of Magnepan 3.6r'. The sound is smooth as silk and textured as Fondue Chocolate. The blackest background. The best instrument staging. So precise and beautiful. Tommy O' you do excellent work. Thank You!!!

Beautiful job on your shelf unit, and thanks for the compliments!

-Tommy O

[AmpDesigner333]

Has anyone compared the DAC DAC (HS or TL) to any of these?

• Schiit Yggdrasil
• PS Audio Direct Stream
• Dangerous Music Connect 2 dac
• Mojo audio mk3 dac
• Audial model S mk3 dac
• Metrum Acoustics Pavane dac
• EC designs UV dac
• Playback Design Merlot dac
• Chord audio Dave dac
• Berkeley Audio reference2 dac
• Fore audio Daisy 1 dac
• Aqua Hi Fi Formula dac

[kedoades]

  I am interested in how it compares to the ps audio direct stream dac

[groovybassist]

I have a Mojo Audio Mystique v2.0 DAC and would be happy to do a comparo if I could get access to a DAC DAC.  It wouldn't be a completely apples-to-apples comparison as the Mystique is single-ended output and USB input.

I use an Auralic Aries, so I could stream coax to the DAC DAC and USB to the Mystique, and my amp has balanced and single-ended inputs, so I can accommodate having both plugged in simultaneously.  Again not an apples-to-apples comparison, but could give my subjective assessment of how the DAC DAC fits into my system and sounds with the rest of my gear vs. the Mystique.

[AmpDesigner333]

I have a Mojo Audio Mystique v2.0 DAC and would be happy to do a comparo if I could get access to a DAC DAC.  It wouldn't be a completely apples-to-apples comparison as the Mystique is single-ended output and USB input.

I use an Auralic Aries, so I could stream coax to the DAC DAC and USB to the Mystique, and my amp has balanced and single-ended inputs, so I can accommodate having both plugged in simultaneously.  Again not an apples-to-apples comparison, but could give my subjective assessment of how the DAC DAC fits into my system and sounds with the rest of my gear vs. the Mystique.

30% off web price available for the next few days (less than $900).  30-day trial, too.  So if you're not majorly strapped for cash....

[groovybassist]

I'm not in a rush to make a change, but will think about it.

[OzarkTom]

My buddy Rex ordered his Dac Dac today. 

He has owned several of the $4-7K dacs in the past.

[OzarkTom]

Has anyone compared the DAC DAC (HS or TL) to any of these?



PS Audio Direct Stream

Rex owns the Sony Hap-Z1ES, an owner on Computer Audiophile  said his Sony and PS Audio was a dead heat.

[kedoades]

  so I know from all the reviews that the dac dac is a perfect match with the maraschino amps but is it as good with the older cherry amps as well.  My search for a tube preamp is not working out like I had hoped and now I am considering trying the tube like dac dac.  Another thing for me to consider is that I will also have to get another balanced cable because my dac is connected by an i2s hdmi cable (which ps audio recommends as the best hookup).  I guess I need to make my mind because I don't want to miss out on the summer sale.

[jseipp]

I'm one of those who have hooked the DAC DACs directly to Maraschinos, so I am afraid that I can't speak directly to your situation, but considering how tube-like the Maraschinos themselves sound to me, I think that the DAC Tommy specifically calls tube-like should live up to its name in your system.

Yes, the DAC DAC input is S/PDIF coax.  One of the things that I found with it is that it plays great with almost anything upstream.  I've had mine connected directly to both a player and, now, to a source that is connected through a 25' optical cable with a converter at the end.  That source now sounds better than I thought possible.  The one place I have found the DAC DAC to be sensitive to cables is at its output, but I easily found some reasonably-priced balanced cables that do the trick.

The sale is a great opportunity to give it a try!

[AmpDesigner333]

The sale will be ending this week.  Only a few TLs left in our next lot.  Thanks, all, for the kind words.

-Tommy O

[AmpDesigner333]

Get a DAC DAC High-Spec or Tube-Like Demo Unit while you can for more than 60% (!) off list price.  We only have a few of these....

2-Day special starts 8AM EST Friday and concludes 8AM Sunday:
http://kck.st/2p77yos

[AmpDesigner333]

I recently received these questions and answered them.  It occurred to me that these answers may be helpful to anyone considering a DAC DAC that is unsure if they'd like the TL or the HS version better....

Is there a significant difference between HS and TL?  Would most wives notice a difference?

Depends on the wife.  Women do have better hearing than men in many cases, but they are not as likely to have "trained" ears enough to spot specific differences.  I have women listen to systems occasionally, mostly to get a better/not-better reaction or just a flat out "how do you like THIS?".  Almost every woman I know has heard a demo on my system at least once!  I haven't done any DAC comparisons with female listeners for that purpose alone, so let's put it another way....

HS sounds very precise and just as clean at any level.  That's why it's particularly good for systems that skip the preamp.  TL sounds rounded when the music's loud but pretty much like the HS when it's not. The HS is a touch quieter (blacker background), too.  By turning the volume down that feeds the DAC ("media player" volume), and turning the preamp gain up, a TL can sound nearly identical to the HS version, but not as quiet.  The ratio between "digital gain" and preamp gain determines the amount of tube effect.  Full scale digital data (0dB digital attenuation) results in maximum tube effect, and if feeding the amplifiers directly, has the tendency to make the system sound like you're using tube amps which also sound cleaner at low levels, but "smoother" at high levels.  The DAC DAC TL output level is tuned to produce just the right amount of tube effect per level when used with Maraschino amplifiers.  The new MEGAschino has higher gain ---- in line with the increased output power, so it sounds like you're using a higher power tube amp when coupled with the DAC DAC TL.

Which do you prefer and why?  Which one sells the best?

I personally use the HS nearly all the time.  It's just that it's as close to perfect as I've experienced with any DAC (mine and others).  Beyond quiet, and so very clean.  The TL version sells better, probably because it's unlike any other DAC on the market.

At RMAF, we had a demo going on the second day after switching DACs to the TL.  A few people commented that the system sounded better on day one.  We switched back to the HS and agreed the sound was better.  Note that this was with the DACs driving the amps directly, so the tube effect was effectively at "maximum".  With a preamp, we could have tuned down the tube effect by attenuating the digital stream and amplifying the analog to the amps.

[RCduck7]

I was going to choose the TL versions once the kickstarter project ended. but i'm not planning to use a preamp, just volume control. i'm using LDR based volume control and i'm thinking to go for the HS version right now. I tried a tube buffer in my system and while it had a positive effect on voices and midrange it had a negative effect on dynamics. Highs were rolled of a bit and bass impact not so impressive. Not sure there is any truth in that with the TL version dac. It's just something i suppose i can expect.

[AmpDesigner333]

I was going to choose the TL versions once the kickstarter project ended. but i'm not planning to use a preamp, just volume control. i'm using LDR based volume control and i'm thinking to go for the HS version right now. I tried a tube buffer in my system and while it had a positive effect on voices and midrange it had a negative effect on dynamics. Highs were rolled of a bit and bass impact not so impressive. Not sure there is any truth in that with the TL version dac. It's just something i suppose i can expect.

The TL effect is not frequency dependent, so there's no roll off issue.  Thanks for your kind post.
-Tommy O