Rating: Hot: Ability to detach the computer source from the system is an extremely liberating experience. Digital output extends wireless capability to other standard DACs. Cold: Maximum sample rate is 16-bit/48.1kHz, no digital inputs, unable to partner DAC with existing CD players/transports. Decent enough sound, but hardly outstanding. Encore: The DAC 1 is not just […]
Rating: Hot: It may be a single-trick pony, given the Ayre’s QB-9’s single (USB) input, but what a trick! Two filter options are the only sonically configurable setting, geared respectively towards accuracy in the time and frequency domains. It accepts native 24/96 signals from your PC source, and setting up with your computer is a […]
Rating: Hot: Clean-sounding, uncoloured overall sonics. Taut and weighty bass. Transparent midband and extended highs without being strident. Lack of colouration may lead it to be branded as “sterile” but its timing and pace provide good drive to music. Headphone output is well thought out, and not just an afterthought. Can capably drive any pair […]
Rating: Hot: No holding back on detail here, and add to this, an agile presentation with decent slam and weight. Neutral in tone and timbre, but unlike its ancestors, cannot be accused of being sterile. Yes, it can be captivating within the right system, while the filter choices allow fine tuning of certain nuances. With […]