advertisement


Audio Note DAC 4 or 5. Just how good R they?

Old Shatterhand said:
Excuse me, but what was the topic in this thread?
Audio Note DAC 4 or 5. Just how good R they?
Right?;)
Click to expand...

Yeah :)

They are very good, if my lowly one is anything to go by. If I was prepared to spend that much on a DAC I would have a 4 or 5 in a heartbeat. I'd also get pleasure from seeing it on my rack versus some of these "fag packet" types that are becoming popular :D:D:D:D
 
To paraphrase Rob Brydon's character from 'The Trip,' "...and our returning champion is Keith from Pedantry in the North of England..."
 
Funny I dem’d a pile of high end dacs a few years ago - MSB, DCS, Boulder etc. etc. There was very little difference in them, but the TotalDac was the best of the bunch.
Of the 5 guys I know with proper high end systems (£200-£500k), 4 of them use TotalDacs. Interesting....
 
I’ve read about the TotalDAC long ago. I would be interested to know how it compares to the Audio Note Fifth Element. Or even the DAC 5 for that matter.
 
Based on my experience with the Audio Note DAC 2 vs the competition at or around the same price. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Fifth Element came out on top. I have a hunch it is probably one of the best source components around. I really would love to demo it even if I can’t afford it. Lol
 
xtinct1 said:
Based on my experience with the Audio Note DAC 2 vs the competition at or around the same price. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Fifth Element came out on top. I have a hunch it is probably one of the best source components around. I really would love to demo it even if I can’t afford it. Lol
Click to expand...

Don't forget Audionote DAC's will be designed to work best with Audionote electronics. Performance might not be as good into low impedance solid-state electronics.
 
If you are looking at the Audionote DAC 5, I would get a Weiss DAC 1 MK-3 to listen to. It may sound like a strange recommendation but up until now I was very much taken by the NOS sound having built a multi Dac board DDDAC which out performed a tricked out ANK Dac 4.
 
I’ve heard ANK kit DACs do not compare favourably to Audio Note DACs. I’ll have a read about the Weiss DAC though.

I’ve also read that low impedance pre amplifiers don’t work so well with the Audio Note DACs. But my Naim NAC 52 works very well as it’s a 100k ohm input impedance.

Initially, I suspected my DAC 2 was not suitable with my pre for this reason but I later realised it was because I had it sat on sorbothane feet. When I plonked it on a solid surface the difference was astonishing. Much better timing and deeper fuller sound. Isolation and solid hifi racks are essential for good performance from any component.
 
xtinct1 said:
I’ve heard ANK kit DACs do not compare favourably to Audio Note DACs. I’ll have a read about the Weiss DAC though.

I’ve also read that low impedance pre amplifiers don’t work so well with the Audio Note DACs. But my Naim NAC 52 works very well as it’s a 100k ohm input impedance.

Initially, I suspected my DAC 2 was not suitable with my pre for this reason but I later realised it was because I had it sat on sorbothane feet. When I plonked it on a solid surface the difference was astonishing. Much better timing and deeper fuller sound. Isolation and solid hifi racks are essential for good performance from any component.
Click to expand...
Genuinely amusing.
Keith
 
A lot of opinions often touted as knowledge, Audio Note DAC 4.1x Balanced Signature user here with CDT 4 transport and sounds superb in my Audio Note based system. Obviously there is synergy as the amps are Audio Note M8 Phono pre-amp, AN- P4 Balanced power amps as well as Living Voice Argento etc, AN-E SEC Signature speakers and it ticks all the boxes in terms of different genres of music like Rock, classical jazz etc.

I do not take opinions seriously that are low ball trolling nonsense, I try, buy and enjoy the gear if it performs to my expectations and even whole solid state systems in my collection so all experience is empirical and opposite of imagined. Regarding "Audionote has stiff competition in terms of ‘goodness’." etc, I do not believe that all reviews are accurate and they are a set of experiences in a given context of listening environment, musical tastes and personal biases. So in my actual experience the Audio Note DAC 4.1x Balanced Signature sounds superb according to other listeners who have heard it before the lock down and I am not looking to upgrade to DAC 5 or any other anytime soon as I am more than satisfied with the overall set up.

There are many paths leading to musical enjoyment and it is not always one brand that ticks all the boxes in my experience, there are compromises in most situations but it is finding a suitable balance which is important to me. Even the "best system" will not help much with compressed recordings whether CD or vinyl etc so it is a matter of accepting the limitations without being prejudiced for or against NOS DAC's, valve based or solid state equipment in general as they all contribute to the final outcome sometimes in subtle or even very defined ways.
 
G T Audio said:
Don't forget Audionote DAC's will be designed to work best with Audionote electronics. Performance might not be as good into low impedance solid-state electronics.
Click to expand...

JA mentions this "shortcoming" in his technical evaluation of the CD4.1X:

The output inverted polarity and was sourced from a moderate output impedance of 650 ohms at 1kHz and 622 ohms at 20kHz.
The output impedance rose at low frequencies, however, reaching a ridiculously high 12k ohms at 20Hz.
This is due to the anode-follower topology and the necessarily finite size of the output coupling capacitor, and will result in lean-sounding low frequencies with preamps having low input impedances.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-note-cd-41x-cd-player-measurements
 
xtinct1 said:
I would like to have a laugh. Please tell me what I wrote that was funny
Click to expand...

Unlikely you'll get a direct reply. Keith doesn't really engage, rather he presumably finds some satisfaction or reward in the act of sprinkling what I assume he imagines are his bon-mots and insights into multiple threads at what sometimes appears to be at practically every opportunity. I imagine it's a somewhat solitary existence, as he silently waves another potential customer goodbye.

Basically he types a lot, but essentially says or contributes nothing in the vast majority of instances. Who is he? Who knows? Can you tell from his posts anything about what he's passionate about for instance? Peruse the archives and make up your own mind.
 
xtinct1 said:
Initially, I suspected my DAC 2 was not suitable with my pre for this reason but I later realised it was because I had it sat on sorbothane feet. When I plonked it on a solid surface the difference was astonishing. Much better timing and deeper fuller sound.
Click to expand...

xtinct1 said:
Isolation and solid hifi racks are essential for good performance from any component.
Click to expand...

I’ve no desire to debate the efficacy or otherwise of the furniture, but aren’t these bits of the paragraph mutually contradictory?

Sorbothane feet *are* isolators, n’est-ce pas?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top