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DAC tour

I have had the DAC for a week or so now, and have been using it for all digital duties in place of the Halide HD and it is an impressive little unit.

I am rubbish at explaining what I hear, but it is a big improvement. The overall sound is very well balanced and the increased detail seemed to suit my tastes and system very well. There was no real standout in what it did. Where I noticed the biggest change was in the really high res stuff the detail retrieval of the DAC really brought out the best in the music. As I mentioned above, even the wife commented on how good everything sounded and how much ‘more’ of everything there seemed to be. It has made me realise that the soundstage/imaging side of things is something I really value and will be looking to optimise in my modest set up.

I don’t have a huge amount of experience with DACs, but if you are in the market for a new DAC, you should give this a try. I will be trying to shift a few things around in my set up to accommodate one.
 
Great, Richie, glad you liked it - your listening impressions is all I ask of people who audition the DAC, doesn't have to be flowery or positive.
 
Hey John - is Swissieland to far for this unit to travel (we met once at Frans place when I was in Dublin, your products have moved on a bit since :)).

Thanks, Richard
 
Hi Dowser - yes, I remember meeting in Frans - good to hear from you again - always developing a better device :D

Sure Switzerland is fine - it's next stop should be Germany if I hear from OOfiete & then you (send me your address via PM) - haven't heard again from MagnusH who is in Sweden
 
Hi, would this device work from the USB output from an Aurender N100H?

I’ve had one of your previous DACs a few years back running out of a Mac Mini and it was excellent.
 
In which case may I be added to the tour list in return for sharing listening impressions and amateur comparison with my DDDAC?

I’d need a PSU if possible?
 
Here are my impressions after a week with the Iso-Dac:
My equipment is: Auralic Aries mini (SSD and Tidal Hifi) with linear PS to Iso-Dac to Audiolab 8200A Integrated to KEF xq40.
I owned a Mdac modified by John Westlake and have a Pro-Ject Pre Box digital S2. Both machines are excellent in their price regions and soundwise. The Iso-Dac doesn't look sexy but ok I can live with that. Plug in the Iso-Dac and the music becomes more "realistic".Timing and dynamic are excellent. Bass is very detailed deep and the fade outs let me hear details I never listen to before. I then switch back to Pro-Ject and being
disappointed. Yes, rich and crisp sound (thru different filter settings with different nuances) but after listening to Iso-Device something is missing. Bass is not so rich deep (or dark). It is very difficult to describe. The high frequencies of the Iso-Dac are in my opinion in the normal harmonic region nothing spectacular but don't misunderstand me - real good. In this region the Pro-Ject sounds brighter and crisper. But the deep frequencies, bass and "silence" the Iso-Dac is the best I ever listened to.
Summing up I can say the Iso-Dac is great fun to listen to music. I find out new details in beloved tracks. Bass is phenomenal, deep strong but controlled. This seems to let the music sound more realistic. There is no digital harshness. My be I can describe it with the listening experience when listening to MQA tracks. When you listening to Hotel California in MQA with this ISO-DAC you know everything sounds perfect. I recommend this device
 
Hello - German PFM'er here - would it be possible that the Iso-Dac goes to me before leaving for Switzerland (or what the current destination after Germany was made to be)?

I could test it with a Soekris R2R dac and an M-DAC.
 
Thanks for your post, 00fiete - glad you liked it.
Yes, one of the best ways to evaluate audio device is to get used to/live with the sound for a couple of days & then switch back to your previous device. We seem to build an internal model of the sound (auditory research calls this the gist of the sound) & when we switch back we compare to this "gist".

IMO, this reveals the important differences in sound i.e. which one are we more happy to live with & will satisfy.

Even though we may not be able to consciously put our finger on exactly what is the difference in sound between the two devices, our auditory perception is picking up some aspect in the soundfield (the overall gist) which gives more sense, more realism to the audio illusion that is being created by our playback system.

As I've said before (I think), most digital audio DACs present the right notes in the right order but don't reveal the inner texture & nuances on the recordings - the stuff that reveals the real performers behind the notes. That's why a number of people steadfastly maintain that there's no difference between DACs - they haven't heard this quality digital source before - it normally requires very expensive, high-end DACs to achieve this.
 
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@Achim, I have PMed 00fiete to see if he can send it to you next?
Sorry, Jonee, I know you were next on the list but as it is in Germany, it makes sense to allow Achim in before you - hope you understand & can audition it the following week?
 
00fiete sends the Iso-Dac on to me, then by the end of next week from me to Jonee.

Thanks everyone!
Achim
 
I'm interested.

I have a jk 32 running from my mbp to my RSL 72/250

I bought the jk32 from a fish who was upgrading to the ciunas.

V interested about a possible upgrade myself.

His would a ciunas compare to a mojo?
 


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