[Jon L]

If it helps, I auditioned the Audio Aero Prima II and the Altmann Attraction DAC was in a different league! Just think of the qualities of an excellent turntable, discount it a bit and you are talking about the Altmann Attraction DAC! I think a better comparison would be to pit it with phonos!!

Denjo

Is that Prima CDP or Prima DAC you're talking about?  Could you go into a bit more detail?

[denjo]

Jon L

Audio Aero Prima CDP, not the DAC. I would have setled for the Prima CDP with its strong virtues of a good midrange, and an almost analog touch but for some treble harshness and a slightly exaggerated bass. I was then auditioning the Benchmark DAC-1 and the Audio Aero. I was looking for something that I could listen for long without feeling fatigue. Without a doubt, I preferred the Audio Aero; perhaps the single tube succeeded in giving the player a more analog sound. I returned the Audio Aero as it fell one short of my 10/10. My search continued for this elusive player - and many CDPs later (Ayre, Cary, Consonance...) until I read Dick Olsher's review of the Altmann Attraction DAC. I know it may sound real strange that I settled for the Altmann Attraction without even a listen but Dick is one reviewer I respect and his description of the Altmann Attraction in EnjoytheMusic was EXACTLY what I wanted. It was as if he was describing what were the important virtues that I had always been looking for in a CDP/DAC. So, I bought on FAITH! The arrival of the Altmann Attraction DAC merely confirmed my faith. As Geoff had so succinctly stated, somehow you know when something is right. When you hear an instrumental piece through the Altmann Attraction, the instruments have that timbral accuracy - decay, sustain, reverb - giving the musical experience heightened realism. You can feel the nuance of every solo piano note (finger pressure on the key). You will not believe me when I say that I am only using a cheap 4 year old LG DVD player, that doubles up for movie playback on weekends when the family sits in front of the TV (of course with audio through the Altmann Attraction DAC). I must stress that I may not have auditioned all of the CDP players or even some of the more popular audiophile offerings, but who cares when I am listening to MUSIC. I have no desire to audition another CDP or DAC. I know that reading some of Charles' philosophy on music (mother-of-tone, special lacquer, etc) and the unconventional cosmetics of the DAC requires a BIGGER leap of faith. I am glad I took it!

[Spirit]

I just finished reading the very unique Altmann website.
One part tweaks my interest.
The battery section.
Interestlingly, some of you may be familiar with an audio manufacturer that made some
excellent digital gear up until 2004 called Camelot Technologies, a company owned by Mel Schilling
of Music and Sound fame, a true audio icon.
In 1992 Camelot introduced their first DAC called the Arthur which had a built in DC Power supply.
Through the 90's they updated the Arthur and actually had an outboard battery drive named the
Charm.  Their most recent digital marvel was known as the Uther, although I am not sure if that
unit was battery powered.
Marty de Wulf the Publisher of the audio newsletter Bound for Sound has commented that Camelot was
way ahead of its time, especially with its battery powered DAC and its jitter reducer and dither component
called the Dragon which I still use in my digital setup and, I feel, is still an amazing product.
I guess Mel had it right all those years ago.

[Paul_Bui]

The Altmann DAC arrived a week ago.  I immediately removed the AS NOS DAC, installed the new BYOB DAC with an Optima Redtop 34/78 fully charged battery and had a listen.  Associate components are:

Transport:  RWA modded SB2 running off SLA battery.

Digital links between SB2 & DAC is either 0.5m BNC/BNC+RCA adapter HomeGrown Audio Veritas (fully broken in) or Neotech 1.0m NEVD-2001 BNC/RCA (came days after the Altmann DAC's arrival, so it's very new).

DACs:  either AS NOS DAC (fully broken in) or BYOB DAC (new).  The former is AC powered, BNC digital input; the latter is battery powered, "full monty" version with JISCO, TOSLINK, S/PDIF, 192.

ICs between DAC & preamp:  0.5m AudioPath 8-wire silver.

Preamp:  Singlepower maxxed out MPX3 SE with several tube rolling options.  During this "reviewing" period a pair of cryo Tung Sol 5687s with adapter were used as power tubes, a 7n7 ($10 apiece) with adapter was used as input tube.

ICs between preamp & amp:  0.5m HGA SilverLace.

Amp:  AudioSector Patek SE.

Amp and preamp powered by Powersnakes Hydra.  Power cords are Virtual Dynamic.

Isolations are Mapleshade maple platform and skyland amp stands.

Speakers:  Less than 89db BB FTA-2000s with BSC circuitry.

Room:  24 x 14 x 10 (sloping to 8') with a moderate number of Decware diffusors along walls.

[Paul_Bui]

Like Dennis [denjo] I took a leap of faith when purching the Altmann DAC, and now it's here I have no regret whatsoever.  In fact, I consider it the most musical component I ever encountered since I learned how to love the audio.  Although I have not purchased the BYOB amplifier yet, I can say with confidence that the amp, like its DAC brother, will be a killer amp in terms of musicality.

So how does the DAC sound?  In short, I would be repeating what Dick Olsher and other [happy] users have said.  My personal impressions are as following:

- I like singing a lot and had some voice training so naturaly I am very critical with vocal performance of a component.  This DAC lets me hear different parts of a muiti voice songs mor easily and pleasantly.  A low distortion design and clean yet strong power supply must be the contributors for that.

- Fast transient:  just like Mr. Olsher said.  It's a real pleasure to hear Dean Peer's electric bass cruising up and down the fretboard, pluck instruments, Gladiator soundtracks.  Violins, cellos, piano, those hard to reproduce instruments just flow out from speakers like music should sound like.  The same can be said about bassoon, clarinet, etc., and I am talking about ordinary CDs that have been long ignored because I thought they were inferior sonically.  Time to revisit ALL OF THEM!

- Details (related to fast transient):  Nicely presented, subtle but a champ anyway.  I agree with Dick when he said it's like a microscope into recordings.  And what a musical device it is.

- Extensions:  Bass is, considering other "team members", pretty much like there's a very tuneful yet powerful subwoofer is in force.  Subjectively, it makes the entire system seemingly reaching down deeper and fuller.  Highs were sweet with HGA Veritas (fully broken in), initially and occasionally bright with Neotech NEVD-2001 (but getting more tamed down yet overally still very detaild and full lately).

Toslink and 192kHz options let me enjoy DVD movies a lot, especially classical and opera DVDs.  I think action and thriller DVDs will be impressive, too.  Both digital are very good, one being more relaxed (HGA), the other [Neotech] more robust (physically and sonically).  Just replacing the HGA with the Neotech makes the sound louder (you may not believe it, I know).

Charles has been a patient, concise, and helpful gentleman through the process.  I plan to buy the BYOB amp, but first I need a more efficient speaker to begin with.

[miklorsmith]

Glad to hear it.  I ordered mine last week.  I love the NOS sound and have owned battery-powered Monica-2 and Ack! 2.0 machines.  I could have probably lived with the Ack! for the long term except for two things:

I had heard the rumblings about the Altmann being spectacular.  Then I found out it will accept a 192 khz sample rate.  My TacT 2.2XP does all its digital processing at 192.  In order to send a signal out to the Ack!, it had to downconvert to a lower rate, send that converted signal to the Ack!, which then would convert to analog.

My thought is I will reduce digital conversions from 3 to 2 and have a killer NOS DAC to boot.  Woo Hoo!

[Paul_Bui]

Did you say "rumblings" and "spectacular"?  Those two words, among others, very correctly describe the DAC when it plays dramatic material.  And if I had Zu Defs speakers like yours, I would try the BYOB amp too.

You will be pleasantly surprised upon hearing music flow from your speakers.  Better get a Redtop 34 battery now.

[miklorsmith]

I sent an e-mail to Charles about the red top.  Is this the giant car battery shown on the Optima website?  Crimeny, you can't need one that big.  Can you?  I can do it if needed but Radio Shark has a 12v, 12 amp battery for $50.  It looks like the DAC draws 200 milliamps.  So, wouldn't this equate to 60 times the delivery capacity needed from the DAC?  I'm not so bright at this stuff, but a full-on car battery really seems like overkill.

I'll forward whatever Charles sends me on this.

[Paul_Bui]

Yes, that 30 lb beastie, seated right in yours truly bedroom.  I love overkill stuff that has a distinct purpose, as it usually turns out isn't overkill at all.  Charles will probably tell you different batteries will sound differently, or I would have and could have asked Vinnie to make me a more convenient 12v SLA battery enclosure. 

[Vinnie R.]

My thought is I will reduce digital conversions from 3 to 2 and have a killer NOS DAC to boot.  Woo Hoo!

Hey guys,

Is the Attraction DAC a NOS dac? 

Crimeny, you can't need one that big.  Can you?  I can do it if needed but Radio Shark has a 12v, 12 amp battery for $50.  It looks like the DAC draws 200 milliamps.

Hi Miklorsmith et all,

That battery is probably rated at 12V, 12Ah (not 12 amps).  Ah is the Amp-hour rating, which is the capacity of the battery.  If the dac draws 200 milliamps (mA), the only difference between using a 5Ah, 10Ah, or a hugh 60Ah (like a Optima battery) is that the larger battery will play longer between full charges.  The dac will never draw more than 200mA, so NO you don't need a higher capacity battery unless you want to play for a long time (days) between full charges.

Note, the Ah rating of the battery does not tell you the max current it can output.  In the case of an automobile battery rated at 60Ah (like an Optima Red Top or Blue Top)... it can supply MUCH more than 60Amps at a given time.  Cranking over a big engine with a starter require big amperage at 12V.  Sometimes you'll see something like "600 cranking amps."  This is SERIOUS power and you must be very careful not to ever short that big battery (especially if it is in your home) because BAD things will happen (fire, explosion, etc.). 

Even the 12V SLA batteries that I use in some of my products can easily output more than 10amps... of course if you are constantly drawing 10 amps the battery voltage will drop down a lot sooner than if you are drawing 200 milliamps 
But for peaks in the music (used in an amplifier), the SLA battery delivers the current!
A 10Ah battery should easily be able to play the Altmann dac for 24 hours between full charges.  If you play all day long and charge before you go to bed, it should be full charged when you wake up in the morning (using a 2000mA charger).

Also, the Optima battery is a sealed battery, like an SLA, it is non-spillable.  Convensional car batteries can leak.  You can hear the liquid splashing around when you shake them.  Do NOT put this type of battery in your home....nasty stuff!

-Vinnie

[hum4god]

yes vinnie it is NOS.
switchable sample rates are CD & DAT & DVD-A 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 / 176.4 / 192 kHz sample-rates SPDIF
the only NOS with 192 khz sample rate.
more info here:

http://www.mother-of-tone.com/attraction.htm

i love attraction dac and use a yellow top battery which is a deep cycle compared to the red top.
malcolm

[Vinnie R.]

i love attraction dac and use a yellow top battery which is a deep cycle compared to the red top.
malcolm

Hi Malcolm,

Cool... so you are off the grid too with the Altmann + Sig 30 combo 

The Yellow Top is a bad-ass battery!   

If it wasn't so big (and heavy and expensive), I'd put it in all my products 

Cheers!

Vinnie

[miklorsmith]

As predicted. . .

Hi Michael,,

this will work with the DAC, but don't ask me how it sounds, as every battery will sound different and I have only tested with the Red Top, which is what most of us use.

I think you will get a new Red Top at about twice the price on ebay. Do you think its too big ?

Your DAC will ship today.

Charles

Nonetheless, I'm going to try the big RatShack anyway.  It's $60 with charger instead of $200.  If it stinks, I'll just have to figure out how in the world to fit a car battery in my rack.

[Vinnie R.]

Nonetheless, I'm going to try the big RatShack anyway.  It's $60 with charger instead of $200.  If it stinks, I'll just have to figure out how in the world to fit a car battery in my rack.

Hi miklorsmith,

How about getting one of these:

http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=SLA-12V10-F2

and one of these:

http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=ACC-12BC1000D-1

Cheaper than Rat Shack (well, I have no idea what shipping will cost ya).

[miklorsmith]

Too late.  Dammit.

So. . .The DAC has been shipped and should be here in about a week.  How's the production schedule on the 70's?   

[Vinnie R.]

Too late.  Dammit.

So. . .The DAC has been shipped and should be here in about a week.  How's the production schedule on the 70's?   

Still waiting on the enclosures

I should have them by the end of next week.  Then the action starts! 

I hope to be able to start shipping in mid-November as planned.  I'll keep you all posted on the RWA forum...

[Rob S.]

Hey guys,
     I'm a little behind the curve on this digital tech. stuff.  Can this Attraction DAC be hooked up to a 10yr old adcom CD player to get excellent results?  I can spend 1-2K on a digital front end.  Liked the concept of the battery powered DAC, but will it stomp all over a stand alone cdp in the 1-2k range?  Would love to audition it.  I'm a little wary of glowing reviews of print mag's as the only reference before the purchase of a small circuit board.

Don't think my current player is all that great from a transport, but with the additional options like jitter reduction type stuff of the Attraction DAC, will that help the signal before it hits the DAC?  Any help would be appreciated.

Rob S.

[Paul_Bui]

Too late.  Dammit.

So. . .The DAC has been shipped and should be here in about a week.  How's the production schedule on the 70's?   

I didn't realize you go for RWA Signature-70s.  If so, you're all set even without a preamp.

[Paul_Bui]

Hey guys,
     I'm a little behind the curve on this digital tech. stuff.  Can this Attraction DAC be hooked up to a 10yr old adcom CD player to get excellent results?  I can spend 1-2K on a digital front end.  Liked the concept of the battery powered DAC, but will it stomp all over a stand alone cdp in the 1-2k range?  Would love to audition it.  I'm a little wary of glowing reviews of print mag's as the only reference before the purchase of a small circuit board.

Don't think my current player is all that great from a transport, but with the additional options like jitter reduction type stuff of the Attraction DAC, will that help the signal before it hits the DAC?  Any help would be appreciated.

Rob S.

IMHO it's a $3K DAC killer, but YMMV.  The JISCO circuit helps shorten the gap between a very good transport (e.g. RWA SB2) and a dinosaur DVD player (e.g. Pioneer DVD-515).  If you expect a day-and-night difference when the JISCO is switched on, you'll be disappointed; the DAC design has to be very good in the 1st place w/o any help from an anti- jitter filter.  It's a matter of choices.         

[miklorsmith]

Hey, Rob - Here's a nice little comparison of some non-oversampling DACs

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0506/zero_oversampling_dac.htm

Having heard none of these, I can't judge.  But, having owned two other battery-powered DACs, I know they sound very musical to me.  They also will sound different from what you have.  They are not about precision of imaging and ultimate detail retrieval, rather focusing on tone and soul.  A lot of folks here really like the NOS sound but obviously it's not universal and there's no guarantee you'll prefer it.

The Altmann has a proprietary circuit termed JISCO that supposedly kills jitter, rendering differences between transports trivial.

Paul, I'm not exactly set.  The Def. Pro's need equalization and a separate amp for the sub array.  I'm using a TacT which also allows setting the XO between the main and sub arrays.  It's fun but it sure isn't set-and-forget.