k90tour
pfm Member
I thought some might appreciate this note about a DAC I recently purchased.
Alex S on here spoke about his Audial TDA1541 DAC and it made me consider my digital side. I imagine I would use vinyl less as I got older.
Some scooting around the internet took me back to Abbingdon Music Research who used to make a valve NOS TDA 1541 CD player.
This newer unit uses a relative of the TDA1541 and is a non-oversampling valve processor with analogue volume control.
Two inputs use AMR's re-clocking feature, there are two further non-relocked inputs, a USB input and two line inputs.
The manual says to burn in for 300-500 hours and some internet reviews said not to judge the unit before run-in.
I was using a Linn Numerik or a Merdian 207 (even better) in to a Music First Baby Classic pre -amp with analogue from a Technics SL1200G and Leema Agena phono stage.
In early comparisons the new DAC sounded thin and the analogue via the line stage equally so. The Music First had much more body for both digital and vinyl.
I had scheduled an Ebay listing for the Music First preamp to allow me time to choose whether or not I would keep it. I forgot that it had gone live and someone snapped it up.
So I was committed to the AMR DP-777.
Just so happens that after weeks of around-the-clock burning in we had passed 500 hours so with the Music First removed I played a vinyl recording of Bruckner 3 (Karajan) via the line input of the new DAC.
It was amazing. More detail and energy than I'm used to. And a follow up the next day of the Julliard Quartet playing Bartok a special experience also.
And now the digital side is great too. I'm using the Meridian 207 as a transport.
So two boxes replaced by one and I consider an improvement for both digital and vinyl.
Buying this was a leap of faith. It was second-hand from Germany and I paid about £1450 for it.
It arrived in as-new condition.
So if you want a DAC with pre-amp functions, this might be worth consideration.
Alex S on here spoke about his Audial TDA1541 DAC and it made me consider my digital side. I imagine I would use vinyl less as I got older.
Some scooting around the internet took me back to Abbingdon Music Research who used to make a valve NOS TDA 1541 CD player.
This newer unit uses a relative of the TDA1541 and is a non-oversampling valve processor with analogue volume control.
Two inputs use AMR's re-clocking feature, there are two further non-relocked inputs, a USB input and two line inputs.
The manual says to burn in for 300-500 hours and some internet reviews said not to judge the unit before run-in.
I was using a Linn Numerik or a Merdian 207 (even better) in to a Music First Baby Classic pre -amp with analogue from a Technics SL1200G and Leema Agena phono stage.
In early comparisons the new DAC sounded thin and the analogue via the line stage equally so. The Music First had much more body for both digital and vinyl.
I had scheduled an Ebay listing for the Music First preamp to allow me time to choose whether or not I would keep it. I forgot that it had gone live and someone snapped it up.
So I was committed to the AMR DP-777.
Just so happens that after weeks of around-the-clock burning in we had passed 500 hours so with the Music First removed I played a vinyl recording of Bruckner 3 (Karajan) via the line input of the new DAC.
It was amazing. More detail and energy than I'm used to. And a follow up the next day of the Julliard Quartet playing Bartok a special experience also.
And now the digital side is great too. I'm using the Meridian 207 as a transport.
So two boxes replaced by one and I consider an improvement for both digital and vinyl.
Buying this was a leap of faith. It was second-hand from Germany and I paid about £1450 for it.
It arrived in as-new condition.
So if you want a DAC with pre-amp functions, this might be worth consideration.