I felt really lucky to join the group for the DAC shootout listening session, thanks Danny. It was great fun hanging out with the guys and all that wonderful equipment.
Before I start to describe my opinions of the sounds of these DAC’s I would like to remind everyone, there is no replacement for hearing one of these in your own system. I went into this comparison with a good knowledge of the sound of Danny’s system so it was next best thing to hearing them in my own system. So if your in the market for a DAC, always try to get a 30 day return option if possible so you can have plenty of time with your choice in your own room and system.
Just so you will know my listening preferences, I love good imaging and a smooth upper midrange above all else. I use open baffle speakers, Orion’s, because of their imaging quality. 99% of my music collection is 16/44 files stored on a Drobo and played on a Macbook laptop via iTunes. My previous DAC was a Cambridge DacMagic, it’s now sold and I’m currently using a Music Streamer II.
I feel for some people the looks and or features of a particular piece of equipment is just as important as the sound. So I will give a brief run down on what I heard in these machines and my opinion of their “high-end” looks starting in alphabetical order.
Ayre QB-9 USB DAC.
This unit for sure has a high-end look to it, medium sized and the review sample was in silver, not sure if black is available. Only one input, usb asynchronous and a very nice display to inform you of the sampling frequency of the input signal.
As for the sound...........I could not stand this thing. It was by far the worst sounding unit in the bunch. Very dry, flat, vocals recessed and absolutely boring. With Eagles Hotel California live, the sound of the audience sounded more like bacon frying, not the sound of a large group of people. This really grated at me, throughout that entire song the sound of the audience was just an irritant that reminded me of white noise. Enough said.
DB Audio Labs Tranquility DAC.
This unit is somewhat small, nicely built but not an extreme high-end chassis and comes in basic silver. The buttons to push, well there aren’t any really, since it has only one input, usb.
The sound on the other had, which is the most important part for me, was nothing short of amazing. I had heard this DAC in Danny’s system before but didn’t realize just how far it was above the others until this shootout. The Tranquility has 3D imaging that is to die for, much more analog sounding than the other DAC’s in the group. And that audience on Hotel California Live, completely 3D, I felt as though I was in the audience, the most real sounding DAC I have every heard. I don’t mean to carry on but the audience sound really caught me off guard, completely immersive. I could live very happily with the Tranquility.
HRT Music Streamer II.
This unit was my own personal unit and was not scheduled to be a part of the shootout, it was included at the last minute at my request. I got the unit from Amazon and had been playing it 24/7 for one week before the comparison. When it was cold and first plugged into my system I felt it was something special for only $149.00, this was my reason for asking the guys to include it.
As for looks, there isn’t any really, very tiny, hide it behind your computer or anything else because it’s nothing to look at. Inputs, only one, async usb and 24/96 capability. I felt the other guys first judged it by it’s looks and didn’t really think it would “measure up” to the other units on hand. I found it to be better than I had previously thought. No it’s not as good as the Tranquility, I would give it 3rd place in my opinion, just a tiny bit too bright compared to the Tranquility or PS PWD, but amazing for only $149.00.
Onix DAC.
Nice looking piece with multiple inputs and has a headphone amp built in.
I had previously had the chance to hear this unit in my own system so I knew what it was capable of. Nice sounding unit, just not the last word in refinement, but overall a very good DAC for the money, I ranked it forth.
PS Audio Perfect Wave DAC and Perfect Wave Transport.
These units have good looks in spades and way to many features for me to list. As for looks and features they are my favorite. For sound they come in second for me. Now with the Transport as the source feeding the DAC it first floored me, more than almost anything I have ever heard, with it’s 3D, super deep center stage imaging. But that is where the fun ended, the sound stage was only between the speakers all though very deep. When the DAC was feed from the Mac the sound took on an entirely different character. In this configuration the DAC gave a wider soundstage but not as deep as before. I found the sound of this unit to be first rate only edged out by the Tranquility in the area of “real sounding”. I could live with the PS DAC if it was just a little cheaper, given it’s level of performance and it’s price compared to the other units, 3G’s just seems a little tuff to me.
One last thing to include was the DB Audio Labs USB cable. I have always felt the “high-end” usb cables to be nothing but snake oil products, I was wrong. We did all of our listening with the DB Labs cable and then switched to a higher priced, highly rated cable and the sound........went way down hill, closed in and flat compared to the DB Labs cable. I’m going to purchase the DB cable for sure even though it cost more than my Music Streamer II.
All of this information comes with two of the modern worlds most famous CYA policies. Some assemble required and your milage may vary.