I posted this on the Paradisia thread, in response to something-anyway I think it makes sense over here also, Go Nick
(updated slightly)
this only realtes to 2 channel audio-what they are doing in HT world, could not tell ya.
Well Tan has the Promi DAC in his system and is burning it in now so we who are always curious and searching will be enlightened shortly on an extremely affordable NOS SS DAC that should be quite excellent. it should certainly be seriously an easily considered.
I have been using a Birdland since 2002 that is an
Up-sampler, that I have been quite pleased with it bumps 16/44 k to 24/96. But it has been my only external DAC so I have not heard the others yet- so my research has been limited to reading others feelings on the sound of the different ones. But I have put in effort trying to have a basic understanding of how they work or at least the intension behind them.
I am trying an
Oversampler this time and in short order and I have every intention to also try a
NOS DAC in the future, that way i can have a good feel for how they each sound to my ears.
Oversamplers do not bring 16/44 up to 24/96, its just a different design than
NOS its goal is the same more pure - get back to our roots kinda thing. the 2 camps will argue their respective positions I will let my ears pick my gear. Any of the 3 can sound good it depends on implimentation and design.
The promi is low risk, super price and if its Nicks I am sure it sounds quite good, doubt few people but the very pickiest would be disappointed.
1-early CDPs were
NOS 1982 about
2-nxt gen were
Oversamplers i believe these began in 1985ish
(x2,x4,x8 oversample to help improve the the sound)
3-then came the
Upsamplers (as a reaction to the seeming DVD-A and SACD revolution to bump 16/44 CDS to 24/96 to maybe sound as good as the new formats), some love it some don't.
Some experts say a transport for DVD-A and SACD is really not at all optimal for CD sound, for what thats worth, although they are available and on the highend also. Everything REdbook/CD now is being reavaluated cause Up-sample DACs were a reaction to SACD/DVD-A, which most agree by this time is essentially a failure, not bad sound but company wars and few music choices have taken a large toll.
Now we are in the best time of all a true vortex and a crossroads where many have found really good redbook/cd can be better than DVD-A or SACD (it had potential it looks like a Betamax kind of market problem and with this its still so new we have not even learned to begin taping the possibilities there cause with the new formats came new bigger more difficult math problems, and the CD math problems have still yet to be really well solved). So now really good designers are using any of the 3 DACs but from a different vantage point. They all have the window of history and all the accumilated knowledge/experince and even newer technology to re-explore with and implimiment from.
So the
NOS of today is not the NOS of 1982-3, its cutting edge and the
oversampling today is also much better informed also. they all sound different and anyone of them can sound very good. its a party, not a problem
From what i understand many get Up and Oversample confused (my self included, hense this post as a check point, I am sure I do not have this perfect) they are similar very losely in technique - application in the math of the design (which is infact quite complex is also different), but the intended outcomes are quite different, no matter the math. 1- (upsample) to get to 24/96 from 16/44 2- (oversample) - to rec what ever comes in the door and spit it out at the same type of #'s (despite messing w it). 3-(nos) has the same goal as #2.
Few people agree whats better, so there is no better. From the really expensive stuff, one company Dodson uses I believe at one point at least both Over and Upsampling in the same DAC, Levinson generally uses Oversampling and Audio Note uses NOS w transformers (like Nick's DACs)in their really good stuff, all can work well, depends on who's driving the buss.
The really interesting thing I am waiting to hear is how the Promi SS NOS (using Trannies in its design) compares to the SS NOS Altmann (which could be considered extremely pure in its design).
Many agree the Altmann is incredibley good, smooth analogue and is killing lots of compititors up to 3,000. quite easily. So will the 340. Promi SS NOS kill the 1,500. Altmann SS NOS (guessing the price here). For me this will be the test. Its the super bowl for the budget audiofile.
Hope all this helps rather than confuses- that was my intention, I am trying to get a simple working understanding of each, for my own clarity. OK carefull with those's
's this is how I understand it, thus far.
