The very best DACs today...

[LL21]

I never heard the Fith Element as a Stand Alone DAC. So I don´t know how it sound. I heard a complete Level 5/6 Chain from AN.

Very close to Live Music. You listen only to the music, not to bass not to middle not to highs. I can only tell you that the DAC has the same Quality as the AN TT3 with IO Ltd Cartridge.

This one: http://www.audionote.co.uk/products/analogue/tt-3_01.shtml
http://www.audionote.co.uk/articles/reviews/HFC10_AN.pdf

Thanks...if you ever get a chance to do a shoot-out with other digital, please let us know. Most intrigued!!

 

[wisnon]

the price is €17.000

OK, not so bad!

 

[redsquare]

I preferred the CH Precision C1 over Trinity finding the Trinity too soft and mellow. Metronome C8 was very musical but CH is so fast, quiet and linear - it just stood far above the rest for me; though must be used with the optional X1 power supply for ultimate performance...

 

[Joel]

The Aries Cerat Kassandra dac looks very impressive. What is the price?

Joel, did you heard the dac against more known brands like lampi or totaldac?

I had the opportunity to listen to the Totaldacs at home. I consider Vincent Brient as a very talented designer but he has not come yet to such a crazy project like the Aries Cerat Kassandra. I had also the opportunity to listen to the same speakers in the same room in Munich one year with the full Aries Cerat combo and one year after with Totaldac.
The Totaldac performance was good but the Aries Cerat result was outstanding...
I have no listening experience of Lampizator gears. But this big 7 seems promising. Cheers.

 

[mcduman]

hi joel,

any plans to review the kassandra? i am seriously considering it as my next dac. (i will pay extra to have the logo removed). do they sell direct?
next in my shortlist is the totaldac...

 

[wisnon]

I had the opportunity to listen to the Totaldacs at home. I consider Vincent Brient as a very talented designer but he has not come yet to such a crazy project like the Aries Cerat Kassandra. I had also the opportunity to listen to the same speakers in the same room in Munich one year with the full Aries Cerat combo and one year after with Totaldac.
The Totaldac performance was good but the Aries Cerat result was outstanding...
I have no listening experience of Lampizator gears. But this big 7 seems promising. Cheers.

Yes, I see you like the Dacs with waaaay overspecified PSUs. I tend to agree.

The Big7 also benefits from the big bottle DHT tubes....so much ease.

 

[LL21]

I had the opportunity to listen to the Totaldacs at home. I consider Vincent Brient as a very talented designer but he has not come yet to such a crazy project like the Aries Cerat Kassandra. I had also the opportunity to listen to the same speakers in the same room in Munich one year with the full Aries Cerat combo and one year after with Totaldac.
The Totaldac performance was good but the Aries Cerat result was outstanding...
I have no listening experience of Lampizator gears. But this big 7 seems promising. Cheers.

Fascinating...thanks for taking the time share this with us. I had not heard of this until this thread. Are you able to share a few details about what makes it so outstanding in comparison with DACs which are already so good? Thanks...most curious!

 

[Worldcat]

Big 7 or Totaldac? I wonder if they have been compared?

 

[bonzo75]

Big 7 or Totaldac? I wonder if they have been compared?

I know someone who did, he also reviews, but this was not for a review. So I can't quote him.

 

[wisnon]

I have the Big7 and have heard the TotalDac. I assume you should know my opinion already. TDac is very good, Lampi is better.

 

[Worldcat]

Yeah i know your opinion lol!

I have the Big7 and have heard the TotalDac. I assume you should know my opinion already. TDac is very good, Lampi is better.

 

[wisnon]

Yeah i know your opinion lol!

LoL

It will be yours too once you do the comparison. Hehehehe

 

[paul79]

Which Totaldac are you speaking of?

Totaldac gets allot better if you jump in to the full suite, as in the Totaldac Server, or Reclocker and your favorite source.

If you are looking for an always romantic source, these may not be the best for you. I am not saying that the Lampi is this or that, as I have never heard it. I do find the Totaldac's to be very transparent to the source. Whatever the music is, it is. They are very fast and very precise, yet never harsh if all in the system is correct. As you move up the line, you get more clarity, more of everything really, but they are all very damn good.

The Lampi Big 7 is getting some mighty fine endorsement, and I would love to try one some day. It would have to do some amazing things to rid me of the Twelve DAC though

 

[wisnon]

This setup, the full Monty…I got to hear one and a half albums of my own demo tracks. It was very good.

 

[paul79]

Nice. Shows never sound as good as in the listening room IME, but I bet that did sound great. I particularly like that Vox Pre!

Looks like the D1 Dual or maybe D1 Tube and Server.

 

[bonzo75]

I have the Lampi 7 and won't change dacs anymore. If I do change it will be for a different thing, like a multichannel dac, maybe inbuilt in a multichannel processor like Datasat or Trinnov. Where you downgrade in audiophile terms but upgrade on overall sound because of combo of dac and room corrector. Different philosophy though. My uncorrected stereo search is at an end. Dac from Poland, Preamp from Serbia, Amp either Serbian or American, Speaker from Greece. I am from India, living in London, and my girlfriend is Brazilian.

Edit: And valves mostly russian

 

[edorr]

I have the Lampi 7 and won't change dacs anymore. If I do change it will be for a different thing, like a multichannel dac, maybe inbuilt in a multichannel processor like Datasat or Trinnov. Where you downgrade in audiophile terms but upgrade on overall sound because of combo of dac and room corrector. Different philosophy though. My uncorrected stereo search is at an end. Dac from Poland, Preamp from Serbia, Amp either Serbian or American, Speaker from Greece. I am from India, living in London, and my girlfriend is Brazilian.

Edit: And valves mostly russian

No such trade off compromise is needed with the trinnov. You can use the digital outs and use an array of audiophile outboard dacs. Or use your lampi for the mains channel and blend with trinnov dacs for other channels when playing MCH. This is what I did (MSB for mains, fed by Trinnov digi out).

 

[bonzo75]

No such trade off compromise is needed with the trinnov. You can use the digital outs and use an array of audiophile outboard dacs. Or use your lampi for the mains channel and blend with trinnov dacs for other channels when playing MCH. This is what I did (MSB for mains, fed by Trinnov digi out).

So do you see a jump in quality if you add MSB to the Trinnov out, vs feeding Trinnov straight to the power amp?

 

[Joel]

Fascinating...thanks for taking the time share this with us. I had not heard of this until this thread. Are you able to share a few details about what makes it so outstanding in comparison with DACs which are already so good? Thanks...most curious!

Humm... it's not easy to explain in a few words.
Considering the R2R design, I like the LP-like analogue sound but with most of existing ladder dacs, I often felt a small lack in dynamics and also a kind if "earthian" sonic fingerprint. The MSB flagship (dac & PSU) don't have these small drawbacks, but still sounds a little bit digital to my ears. Aries Cerat Kassandra is in my opinion as accurate as the MSB Diamond but in a more analogue presentation.

 

[Joel]

So do you see a jump in quality if you add MSB to the Trinnov out, vs feeding Trinnov straight to the power amp?

Of course, there is a difference according my own experience with Trinnov ST2hifi. The difference should be more subtle with the Trinnov Amethyst but still there. Important thing remains IMO to avoid A/D conversion within Trinnov...

My two cents.