Aries Cerat DACs vs. other brands

[Hyperion]

In this price range it is the shark in the carp pond,
he likes to eat excellent DACs, it's his favorite dish.
But please order the model with switchable tube or transistor output and listen to it.

Métronome c/AQWO - DAC - Jetzt kaufen bei AURA HiFi

Erlebe High-End Sound mit Métronome c/AQWO - DAC. Jetzt für nur 21000 bei AURA HiFi kaufen!

www.aura-hifi.shop

We actually did carry Metronome earlier, but not anymore. A lot of things have changed since then though.

/ Marcus, www.perfect-sense.se

 

[my2sons52]

Hello,
Has anyone compared Aries Cerat Dac's to the Reference WADAX Dac and if so what was their impressions?

 

[Zappadaddy]

Oh … Good for you , Certainly worth a visit if logistics would allow.


View attachment 133882

What do you think about the synergy Clarisis/Aries cerat? I wonder what you think, Me too have some AC with Clarisys no amps so far though. I tried Essentia for couple days, not bad.

 

[Zappadaddy]

We actually did carry Metronome earlier, but not anymore. A lot of things have changed since then though.

/ Marcus, www.perfect-sense.se

What do you think about Metronome and Aries cerat dacs?

 

[Synaxis]

What do you think about the synergy Clarisis/Aries cerat? I wonder what you think, Me too have some AC with Clarisys no amps so far though. I tried Essentia for couple days, not bad.

It's going to depend on which Clarisys and which AC (I've had them both here).

The larger Clarisys are easier to drive than the smaller ones.

Also, it depends on are you talking about the SET or Triple FET AC gear as they have different strengths.

 

[byrdparis]

What do you think about the synergy Clarisis/Aries cerat? I wonder what you think, Me too have some AC with Clarisys no amps so far though. I tried Essentia for couple days, not bad.

im Running Clarisys audio auditorium with Full AC electronics. amps are quintessence.
this is the Very best system i ever had (and i had a shit load).

 

[mitch2+]

I am using a NOS R2R DAC, Mojo Audio’s Mystique X SE with nano-crystalline chokes and AD1862-Z chips (2 of them), which are said to be just as good (or better) than the AD1865 chip. I have directly compared all the Metrum Acoustics DACs, the Tambaqui, the Merason DAC1 MkII, and others, and I have not yet found one I like better than the Mystic X SE NCZ.

I will soon have a chance to compare again as I have an Aries Cerat Helene on the way. I appreciate all the positive comments you Helene owners have made, and I would appreciate any further insights about how to achieve the best sound from the Helene, such as whether tube changes can make a significantly positive difference (I hope not), the benefits (or not) of changing the bias, and where to buy new tubes (especially since they suggest leaving it powered up all the time).

 

[morricab]

I am using a NOS R2R DAC, Mojo Audio’s Mystique X SE with nano-crystalline chokes and AD1862-Z chips (2 of them), which are said to be just as good (or better) than the AD1865 chip. I have directly compared all the Metrum Acoustics DACs, the Tambaqui, the Merason DAC1 MkII, and others, and I have not yet found one I like better than the Mystic X SE NCZ.

I will soon have a chance to compare again as I have an Aries Cerat Helene on the way. I appreciate all the positive comments you Helene owners have made, and I would appreciate any further insights about how to achieve the best sound from the Helene, such as whether tube changes can make a significantly positive difference (I hope not), the benefits (or not) of changing the bias, and where to buy new tubes (especially since they suggest leaving it powered up all the time).

Find the best 5AR4 rectifier you can.

 

[mitch2+]

I inquired about purchasing a back-up set of tubes and was told to buy directly from Aries Cerat, or a USA tube dealer I trusted. Are any of you Helene or Kassandra owners buying tubes directly from Greece and if yes, is it easy? Also, I thought I would pick up a lower priced back-up set just in case a tube died unexpectedly. and I found Russian 6J11P-E pentode tubes for just a few bucks and JJ GZ34 / 5AR4 rectifier tubes for $22, so a full retube (emergency) set for about $35.
Beyond that, do any of you have recommendations for tubes in the middle ground between cost and performance, something reasonably inexpensive without giving up too much in sonic quality to better tubes. I have read recommendations to leave the Helene powered up all the time for various reasons like reducing cycles of tube rush and because of a long time required to warm up the unit before it sounds its best. If I keep it powered up most of the time, I don't really want to spend $300 per tube. The rectifier tubes seem to be mostly under $100 but then jump up into the $300'ish zone for better NOS tubes. The input tubes (E280F) can be expensive and harder to get. I understand it is possible to also use E180F, E810F, 6J11P, and D3A tubes with pricing covering a wide range. What are you all doing?

 

[morricab]

I inquired about purchasing a back-up set of tubes and was told to buy directly from Aries Cerat, or a USA tube dealer I trusted. Are any of you Helene or Kassandra owners buying tubes directly from Greece and if yes, is it easy? Also, I thought I would pick up a lower priced back-up set just in case a tube died unexpectedly. and I found Russian 6J11P-E pentode tubes for just a few bucks and JJ GZ34 / 5AR4 rectifier tubes for $22, so a full retube (emergency) set for about $35.
Beyond that, do any of you have recommendations for tubes in the middle ground between cost and performance, something reasonably inexpensive without giving up too much in sonic quality to better tubes. I have read recommendations to leave the Helene powered up all the time for various reasons like reducing cycles of tube rush and because of a long time required to warm up the unit before it sounds its best. If I keep it powered up most of the time, I don't really want to spend $300 per tube. The rectifier tubes seem to be mostly under $100 but then jump up into the $300'ish zone for better NOS tubes. The input tubes (E280F) can be expensive and harder to get. I understand it is possible to also use E180F, E810F, 6J11P, and D3A tubes with pricing covering a wide range. What are you all doing?

Get the best rectifier, a Phillips or Mullard metal base from the 1950s. These cost over $500 but trust me they are really worth it. I use E280Fs in both my Incito and my Protos. I tried the 6J11P-Es in the Protos but much preferred the E280Fs.

 

[mitch2+]

Get the best rectifier, a Phillips or Mullard metal base from the 1950s. These cost over $500 but trust me they are really worth it. I use E280Fs in both my Incito and my Protos. I tried the 6J11P-Es in the Protos but much preferred the E280Fs.

Thanks for the advice. I am ok buying an expensive rectifier tube if that will result in noticeably improved sound quality but, without a standby circuit in the Helena DAC, if I leave it powered up most of the time then how frequently will I be buying $500 tubes? In your experience, assuming the DAC is powered up say 300 days per year, which is around 7,000 hours, will the rectifier tube last a year, six months, or less?
I guess this is why my system has been all solid state for the last 10 years. It seems there is always a tube beyond what the manufacturer uses, and that tube beyond always seems to be a lot more costly. I guess I am still holding out hope that even with something like a $300 - $400 investment in the three tube set, the Helena will still sound better than most of the DAC competition.

 

[Aries Cerat]

Thanks for the advice. I am ok buying an expensive rectifier tube if that will result in noticeably improved sound quality but, without a standby circuit in the Helena DAC, if I leave it powered up most of the time then how frequently will I be buying $500 tubes? In your experience, assuming the DAC is powered up say 300 days per year, which is around 7,000 hours, will the rectifier tube last a year, six months, or less?
I guess this is why my system has been all solid state for the last 10 years. It seems there is always a tube beyond what the manufacturer uses, and that tube beyond always seems to be a lot more costly. I guess I am still holding out hope that even with something like a $300 - $400 investment in the three tube set, the Helena will still sound better than most of the DAC competition.

Hello

We recommend not leaving the units on 24/7, but turn off after each day's last session.
With Helene, the only tube that will need replacement more often is the rectifier, as the E280F go for 9-10000h.

NOS recitifiers are costly, but from experience they last longer. New production are (still) cheap so get a few spares.

Cheers

 

[mitch2+]

Hello

We recommend not leaving the units on 24/7, but turn off after each day's last session.
With Helene, the only tube that will need replacement more often is the rectifier, as the E280F go for 9-10000h.

NOS recitifiers are costly, but from experience they last longer. New production are (still) cheap so get a few spares.

Cheers

Thank you for the good points. I never listen before early afternoon and some days not at all. I can significantly limit the time the Helene is powered up by turning it on mid-morning but only on days I am likely to listen, and then turning it off at night on the days I do use it. I will likely be keeping at least one of my current SS DACs in my system and so I could limit my time with the Helene to only days when I will have a significant block of time to listen, and use a SS DAC during days when my listening time is unplanned and/or sporadic.

I have found reasonable quality new production rectifiers for about $60, and also NOS Mullard, Genalex, RCA, and Amperex rectifier tubes ranging from about $200-$400. I will have to experiment.

If I wanted to explore purchasing NOS E280F tubes from Aries Cerat, who would I contact?

 

[Aries Cerat]

Thank you for the good points. I never listen before early afternoon and some days not at all. I can significantly limit the time the Helene is powered up by turning it on mid-morning but only on days I am likely to listen, and then turning it off at night on the days I do use it. I will likely be keeping at least one of my current SS DACs in my system and so I could limit my time with the Helene to only days when I will have a significant block of time to listen, and use a SS DAC during days when my listening time is unplanned and/or sporadic.

I have found reasonable quality new production rectifiers for about $60, and also NOS Mullard, Genalex, RCA, and Amperex rectifier tubes ranging from about $200-$400. I will have to experiment.

If I wanted to explore purchasing NOS E280F tubes from Aries Cerat, who would I contact?

You don't necessarily need to buy E280F from us. The good thing of this type, as it is not mainstream audio, there are no fakes and replicas out there in contrast to the usual audio tubes(that you need to know where you are getting them from) . Any ebay listing , in my experience, is a 99% positive hit