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Audio Note Cobra

kjb

kjb

Proof reading not always a strength
Its 2021, so Audio Note and just catching up with 2016 and have launched a new entry level amp with built in DAC and, for the first time in their range, a remote.

I heard about this yesterday in an Audio T email and this seems to be the only review so far.

Audio Note Cobra tube amplifier Review (hifinext.com

I'm not sure it will tempt me away from the Leben and Audio Note DAC for the Rega CD player but I'd love to hear it and it would further reduce my box count. My current AN Dac only has one coax input so I could run the CD and streamer through this. Looks pretty, too.

I don't fully understand the 16 bit stuff - can anyone decode it? It seems to imply it will be limited as a DAC for HR streaming. Any idea how that compares with their entry DAC 0.1??
 
kjb said:
I'm not sure it will tempt me away from the Leben and Audio Note DAC for the Rega CD player but I'd love to hear it and it would further reduce my box count. My current AN Dac only has one coax input so I could run the CD and streamer through this.
Click to expand...

Why do you want to reduce your box count?

In electronics, you never get something for nothing, reducing the box count will reduce audio performance...
 
G T Audio said:
Why do you want to reduce your box count?

In electronics, you never get something for nothing, reducing the box count will reduce audio performance...
Click to expand...

I've a rather irrational obsession with reducing clutter - although you may not be convinced if you visited the house. So far the move from multiple Naim boxes to the Leben has been a positive result all round and I've been tempted to swap out my Saturn for a Saturn R and move the DAC on - although I'm also tempted by a transport only CD - a CEC machine may have my name on it into the AN.

Id be interested t hear first hand what the Cobra sound like and whether there is a pay off
 
FWIW I've found that a well implemented TDA1543 can keep up with surprisingly more expensive/recent/advanced DACs.

The 16bit thing isn't really an issue other than in technical terms, and if it makes an audible difference to you. Chances are it won't, at least not massively in this kind of setup.

For streaming, just set the max bit rate in the app/streamer to whatever the max of the input in question is (i.e. coax input 24/176.4, optical 24/96, USB 16/48). If you're using coax or optical, those rates are high enough that it shouldn't make any appreciable difference to SQ IMO. The vast majority of material you'll encounter will be less than that max anyway.

I'd be curious to hear one myself, so do report back if you go ahead with a demo/purchase.
 
kjb said:
I don't fully understand the 16 bit stuff - can anyone decode it? It seems to imply it will be limited as a DAC for HR streaming. Any idea how that compares with their entry DAC 0.1??
Click to expand...

AN use old TDA1543s in all their DACs, I think. Perfectly fine for CD resolution, but not for high res audio. The benefits of HR seem negligible to me, at best, so I wouldn't worry about it.
 
sideshowbob said:
AN use old TDA1543s in all their DACs, I think. Perfectly fine for CD resolution, but not for high res audio. The benefits of HR seem negligible to me, at best, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Only in their lower level DACs. The majority of the range are Analogue Devices 18-something-or-other I believe.

But yes, agreed otherwise.
 
For a brief period I had a TDA1543 AN DAC fed from a Marantz CD94. Eventually, I decided that the Marantz sounded better on its own. It was the basic AN day though. But still, put me off the chip.
 
I've been using TDA1543 DACs for years, a 47 Labs Shigaraki for 15 years, and a Lite AH now (which uses 8 chips in parallel). Never found anything I prefer, although the Chord Mojo I tried for a while was pretty good.
 
I've been putting a TDA1543-based Starting Point Systems DAC 3 up against an array of much more expensive DACs (i.e. costing thousands) over the past few months.

Thus far, nothing has slapped me round the face as night and day better, at least nothing that didn't also bring in its own set of compromises/matters of taste. It's been eye-opening, in fact to the point of being frustrating, as I'd got myself all ready for a nice new toy. If I do go for one of the posher models, I think it'll be preference rather than anything having embarrassed the plucky little bugger.

YYMV, of course, but my point is that there's no reason at all not to give the Cobra a really good chance to account for itself if you're that way inclined.
 
G T Audio said:
Why do you want to reduce your box count?

In electronics, you never get something for nothing, reducing the box count will reduce audio performance...
Click to expand...

Yer know I was just going to say the same thing... people seem obsessed by this! It's a non issue here.

I disagree that reducing box count will necessarily reduce performance though... it may... or may not.. depending on loads of different things.

I've yet to hear anything from Audionote that sounds even decent to me...
 
Arkless Electronics said:
I've yet to hear anything from Audionote that sounds even decent to me...
Click to expand...

My Oto sounds lovely - for what seems like the 10 minutes between blow-ups that is. It's currently languishing up the loft in disgrace after not even lasting a year before blowing up the last time it went back to Audionote to be serviced etc. I'll forgive it again in a couple of years I'm sure.
 
I've heard one of these, and although it didnt come close to my Prima Luna EVO, its really nice. The included DAC is 'ok' but it's nothing special, however as a semi one box solution, its definitely worth a consideration.

It's a little 'monotone' , very midrange orientated, and very pleasant to listen to. It's not going to blow your socks off, but if you want a nice detailed relaxing sound without any surprises then its a good call. Little pricey if I being honest.
 
kjb said:
I've a rather irrational obsession with reducing clutter - although you may not be convinced if you visited the house. So far the move from multiple Naim boxes to the Leben has been a positive result all round and I've been tempted to swap out my Saturn for a Saturn R and move the DAC on - although I'm also tempted by a transport only CD - a CEC machine may have my name on it into the AN.
Click to expand...

I can certainly see your reason re the multiple Naim boxes, but the Leben is lovely and you should keep that, and the CEC transport is probably the best sounding transport on the market. CEC transport > into a good DAC (preferably R2R) > into the Leben. That is the way I would go.
 
My Audionote Dac 1 was the most beautiful, musical, sweet sounding dac I have ever owned. I have regretted selling it so many times and now I cant afford to replace it. I've never heard any of the amplifiers.
 
kjb said:
Its 2021, so Audio Note and just catching up with 2016 and have launched a new entry level amp with built in DAC and, for the first time in their range, a remote.

I heard about this yesterday in an Audio T email and this seems to be the only review so far.

Audio Note Cobra tube amplifier Review (hifinext.com

I'm not sure it will tempt me away from the Leben and Audio Note DAC for the Rega CD player but I'd love to hear it and it would further reduce my box count. My current AN Dac only has one coax input so I could run the CD and streamer through this. Looks pretty, too.

I don't fully understand the 16 bit stuff - can anyone decode it? It seems to imply it will be limited as a DAC for HR streaming. Any idea how that compares with their entry DAC 0.1??
Click to expand...

Unlike other AN CD players and DACs, both the Cobra and the DAC 0.1 use the low(er) performance 16-bit Philips TDA1543 D/A chip which according to the datasheet is an economy version (of the TDA1541).
There's no point in feeding it more than 16-bit (extra bits will be discarded) but the Cobra will take high sample rates depending on the input.
It may sound good to your ears though, considering that you already own an AN DAC.
 
sideshowbob said:
I've been using TDA1543 DACs for years, a 47 Labs Shigaraki for 15 years, and a Lite AH now (which uses 8 chips in parallel). Never found anything I prefer (...)
Click to expand...

I had the Shigaraki DAC for a while and my opinion is the opposite of yours.

Ultimately it's a matter of taste.
 
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