Well, the final verdict is in - My TacT 2.2XP and Altmann Attraction DAC are not compatible. I'll not get into too many of the mucky details, but a month of downtime, $150 in shipping, and significant shipping damage to the Altmann's structure resulted in exactly zero improvement to the problem and situation.
Both parties say their equipment is working perfectly and that they are not obligated to take any returns or provide restitution of any kind. Indeed, the Altmann DAC seems OK hooked up to anything but the TacT and the XP seems to work, well, not with either of the DACs I've tried but certainly on its own. I assume the XP has a 16-bit compatibility issue of some sort, though they say they tried a 16-bit unit that worked fine.
Both parties feel the other is to blame. Who is at fault is not my primary concern, which is to get great sound. I don't have that yet. My solution is another DAC, the Lessloss, which has 192 khz processing at 24 bits natively. I'm really hoping this fills the bill.
Presented with all this, Charles Altmann passed along his best, to which I replied the following:
First off, I'll be sending the Attraction back to you for repairs. Part of the spruce board was smashed and I'd say the used condition went from a 9 to a 4. This is unacceptable to me, as it represents probably $500 on the used market.
The TacT is staying. My speakers have a main array and passive subs in the boxes. I love the speakers, but I use the sound contouring features frequently. I could probably get most of the same sound from passive EQ, but that would require separate boxes and yet another element in the signal path which also isn't that great. I may wind up there but I'm not prepared to do that now.
As far as fault, I don't really care who's fault it is. It seems we have here two otherwise perfectly functioning pieces of gear which just don't agree with each other. I guess I'm looking at this as part of the "cost of doing business" of an audiophile searching for nirvana.
Boz is blaming the DAC, which works great with everything else, you're blaming the TacT, all of it is ultimately unimportant to me, as the sound is still broken. It is surprising to me that between the two of you digital experts no solution could be found.
I'm sure I could sell the Attraction, I would guess for $1,200 usd, which would be about a $500 loss. This to me is a significant loss. However, to be real, that loss has already occurred. Therefore, I'm in no big hurry to sell. I will likely keep it around to show off and use in my second system. I would never have expected to do such a thing but there you have it.
It seems I will have two different amps for my main rig, as I couldn't get myself to sell my Yamamoto SET amp upon getting Red Wine's new Signature 70's, which also are excellent.
Ultimately, my solution is to buy a new DAC. I found a Lessloss used in France for $2,000. You should check that one out, they have a really cool and informative website. It uses the 1704 chip, features 192 khz/24 bit resolution, and battery power for the output stage. It also uses filtered AC mains for the digital section, which they said worked better for them.
Boz said he had some 16 bit DAC that worked fine with the TacT and that his measurement equipment measured no noise from the digital output. So, I'm hoping it's merely a compatibility issue and both pieces can live out their useful lives peacefully. Consider it a divorce after a brief, tempestuous marriage. It saddens me, but I am left with no viable choice.
Is it a defeat or opportunity? Had I not found the Lessloss, I would have considered this a profound defeat. Not having heard the Lessloss, I'm hopeful it will be as good as the Attraction. If it is no worse, I will think of this as an unlucky and expensive detour on my road to musical bliss.
I wish I had at least gotten to the bottom of the problem, solution discovered or not. As it is, I would happily recommend either the TacT unit or Attraction DAC to prospective buyers, but there's this compatibility cloud that I will have to include in every recommendation. Is is a 24-bit limitation in the Attraction? Should people beware of 16-bit DACs in the TacT? Is it really Just This Particular Combination that is to blame? I never will know.
Anyway, I will probably send the Attraction back to you after the Holidays for what will surely be an easy repair for you. I think the spruce board needs to be replaced and that's it - the rest of the unit seems perfectly functional.
Thanks for all your help,
Mike
I can't wait to hear the Lessloss!
