Best DACs comparison test result [[My Subjective Opinion]]

[Zappadaddy]

Welcome to WBF, Zappadaddy!

A member posts the most exhaustive comparative survey of any audio component I personally have ever seen: thirty-two (32) candidates. He even concedes at the beginning and at the end of his post comparing DACs that this is merely his "subjective" preference ordering. But he left one off the list?

Please tell us which of the 32 DACs on this list you have compared directly to the Mola Mola.

I like your system: 833 SETs driving Westminster Royal Golds! Please start a new thread and tell us more about your system!

Thank you for welcoming, I know I did not start very well, but this thread really is very interesting to me, actually it concerns more then you think. See I am just auditioning Mola Mola Tambaqui because I want to try something else then my 4mo old DAC/streamer Moon 780d. But my most favorite adept is Aries Cerat Helene. Unfortunately there is no any distributor of Aries Cerat in Czech rep. Since I read very very good review on Audiodrom http://www.audiodrom.net/en/digital-sources/detail/35-digital-sources/702-mola-mola-tambaqui , Tambaqui received 99 out 100 points and that result raised my interest. I decided to check it out before I decide if to go with Helene. And wow, its outstanding performance really suprised me. Now it made my deciding very hard. Tambaqui I heard , Helene not. I still think Helene could be better choice. My brain says Tambaqui, my heart says Helene.
And no, I did not compare any dacs on the list with Tambaqui, that is true. I am very new in digital streaming, just starting to learn and researching through reviews. Because of my interest about Aries Cerat I discover this great forum, you see there are not very many infos about this very interesting company elsewhere. This very knowledgeable group helps me to find more informations on other dacs. I am hoping that my wish of Mola being on the list did not offend anybody. The reason why I asked about Tambaqui not beeing on the list is my shockingly good experience with the performance of this dac which extraordinary qualities also supports the other thread on this forum about very excellent measurements of this Tambaqui! https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-mola-tambaqui-dac-and-streamer-review.10770/ I hope I cleared this a little bit. Next time I will be more restrained, I promise. If I have a time I will present my system in the future.

 

[highstream]

I saw no problem in your asking the OP about the Mola Mola, since it is available in South Korea, which was a requirement for being able to include it ( I don't know if it was available there in early 2019 though). My objection was to the tone of your post, as if the OP and his friends had failed unjustly in some way, but perhaps that was the result of English not being your native language. Welcome.

 

[Zappadaddy]

I saw no problem in your asking the OP about the Mola Mola, since it is available in South Korea, which was a requirement for being able to include it ( I don't know if it was available there in early 2019 though). My objection was to the tone of your post, as if the OP and his friends had failed unjustly in some way, but perhaps that was the result of English not being your native language. Welcome.

yes, my english does not let me say things more clerly, sorry for the mishup

 

[owen lawlor]

I'll be getting a Mola Mola Tambaqui this week and will report findings here. Just let my Lampizator GA2 go so no head to head but plan on taking the Tambaqui to two or three other high end systems, one having a stacked MSB Reference DAC and another Lampizator based setup. The third is possible but it's a seven-figure system that is a little less accessible. Fingers crossed...

 

[Zappadaddy]

I'll be getting a Mola Mola Tambaqui this week and will report findings here. Just let my Lampizator GA2 go so no head to head but plan on taking the Tambaqui to two or three other high end systems, one having a stacked MSB Reference DAC and another Lampizator based setup. The third is possible but it's a seven-figure system that is a little less accessible. Fingers crossed...

great, let us know

 

[RaChiK]

I'll be getting a Mola Mola Tambaqui this week and will report findings here. Just let my Lampizator GA2 go so no head to head but plan on taking the Tambaqui to two or three other high end systems, one having a stacked MSB Reference DAC and another Lampizator based setup. The third is possible but it's a seven-figure system that is a little less accessible. Fingers crossed...

Any updates on your audition and impressions ?. I have been intrigued with this and have heard great things about them. Let us know your impressions, please.

 

[owen lawlor]

Any updates on your audition and impressions ?. I have been intrigued with this and have heard great things about them. Let us know your impressions, please.

yeah the audition was short and now biased by some passage of time since I forgot to update here. Tambaqui is a revelation in terms of quiet, black backgrounds, musical detail and image density as well as soundstage size. They really built an amazing DAC here. I'm still on a quest for finding the best DAC but this is certainly a top contender. The only place I think the Lampi outshone it was on the magical, elusive "breath of life" that I felt the Lampi is just in a league of it's own (tubes?). Tone, texture, air. It's a super interesting contrast but the Lampi just seems to have "it" in that regard, even if the detail resolution and image solidity is not quite up to Tambaqui level. I really thought the Tambaqui imaged like no other DAC I've heard as well FWIW. In 3D in space wraparound stage and floor to ceiling soundstage. The Lampi threw larger vocal images but not as tight and dense as Tambaqui.

 

[RaChiK]

yeah the audition was short and now biased by some passage of time since I forgot to update here. Tambaqui is a revelation in terms of quiet, black backgrounds, musical detail and image density as well as soundstage size. They really built an amazing DAC here. I'm still on a quest for finding the best DAC but this is certainly a top contender. The only place I think the Lampi outshone it was on the magical, elusive "breath of life" that I felt the Lampi is just in a league of it's own (tubes?). Tone, texture, air. It's a super interesting contrast but the Lampi just seems to have "it" in that regard, even if the detail resolution and image solidity is not quite up to Tambaqui level. I really thought the Tambaqui imaged like no other DAC I've heard as well FWIW. In 3D in space wraparound stage and floor to ceiling soundstage. The Lampi threw larger vocal images but not as tight and dense as Tambaqui.

Thanks for the update. Thats what I have been hearing from people who have heard it. It is indeed impressive.

 

[musicfirst1]

Just received our first Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC for the store. It is no slouch out of the box, but GTT audio says it will take a full month to reach full song. I can hardly wait.
BTW, I already found, and Bill at GTT confirmed, it is best left on 24/7.

Out of the box:
Very Live sound - dynamic, intimate, immediate, air for days.

Huge Soundstage, depth and width - Check
Presence - check
Musically resolving - Check
Incredible low level detail to vanishing - check

 

[musicfirst1]

One week on the unit and just inserted the Mutec Reclocker stack (2xMC3+USBs externally reclocked with the Mutec REF10 120SE).

This is very exciting for me, the best my system has sounded by a large margin.
I read somewhere that the Tambaqui was essentially immune to external reclockers. This is definitely NOT the case here.
I'd estimate an easy 20-30% better with the stack than directly from the transport or server via AES/EBU.

The sound, while still changing is already an amazing combination of resolution, light (brilliance) and organic presentation. Yet without any digital artifacts.

Wow, just wow.

A longer report will come once the sonics stabilize.

 

[rbbert]

Do you think this is more of an improvement than spending ~US$10k on a different (better?) DAC?

 

[andromedaaudio]

Dont forget to take the top one in the comparison , i use the meitner MA 2 for transport only .

 

[musicfirst1]

Do you think this is more of an improvement than spending ~US$10k on a different (better?) DAC?

I think the nice thing about the MUTEC stack, is that it will always (?) be a relevant improvement to one's existing DAC. AFAIK there are very few DAC/source combinaqtions, if any that are not improved by an excellent reclocking solution.
The Tambaqui is substantially better than my previous DACs, but the MUTEC stack takes every digital source we've ever tried up a significant notch.
If I had to pick between upgrading to the Tambaqui from my Metrum, or purchasing the MUTEC stack, I'd do both...
Seriously the Tambaqui would be the more significant upgrade, but the Mutec stack is so meaningful in both DACs and with various sources, I could not live without it.

 

[Fsonicsmith]

I will put my SW1X DAC III Balanced up against any dac on the planet priced at 30K or less. I am still trying to let it all soak in and come up with a decent review. I have been comparing recordings played through the SW1X and my hot rodded Garrard 301/Reed 3P/ Lyra Etna Lamda/Manley Steelhead and in many ways I prefer, for the first time ever, my digital rig. The SW1X is awe-inspiring. It might well take me another month to put mere words to the emotion, fun, and perceived faithfulness to the source that has me listening more with a bigger smile than ever in my 40 year history of trying to achieve truly immersive listening in my own home. The price for this gem is about $12,500.

 

[rbbert]

I just got an email from GTTAudio re: Tambaqui stating that their demo program is suspended until July, and no new units until August

 

[TDX]

I hope you have heard Pilium Elektra as well? Where will you rank it in your list? Thank you!

 

[kodomo]

Does anyone know if I can use my Oppo as transport and use hdmi connection to mola mola tambaqui to play sacd?

 

[rbbert]

Does anyone know if I can use my Oppo as transport and use hdmi connection to mola mola tambaqui to play sacd?

Won’t work

 

[highstream]

Yes, if the Mola Mola uses HDMI connector format for I2S. See the Oppomod.com I2S card. I and others used it with a Directstream dac (mine is still there tho I now have a different dac). Have to cut the back of the 203. Take a look at this thread on PS Audio’s forum, starting with post 245: https://forum.psaudio.com/t/getting-oppo-dsd-output-to-the-direct-stream-dac/2744/250. Jaehong is more engineer than sound guy, but his card is decent and it works, and he’s a good guy to deal with. There are also external conversion cards on eBay that can be mounted in a box — I may still have mine — but the Oppomod card is better.

 

[rbbert]

According to the Tambaqui manual, DSD is not supported through the I2S/HDMI input (and although the pin assignment is in the manual I don’t know if that corresponds to the PS Audio “standard”)