Teddy Pardo TeddyDac DAC review
- Thread starter marley3
- Start date
russel
./_dazed_and_confused
Businesses stop activities that are no longer profitable.
steveinspain
pfm Member
Having just got my first dac, an old benchmark dac 1 and read this thread I'm curious to hear if anyone has compared both, or can offer any thoughts.
I'm amazed at how much the benchmark has improved what I'm hearing and the pleasure I'm getting, and may be tempted to try a second hand TP dac if I can find one.....
I'm amazed at how much the benchmark has improved what I'm hearing and the pleasure I'm getting, and may be tempted to try a second hand TP dac if I can find one.....
Sure
But manufacturers usually take some action regarding price and cost-down to meet profit demand
Marketing is another factor
As I understand TP had a good reputation among some Naim owners
rontoolsie
pfm Member
CAVEAT....
If you are using the Teddy DAC....do NOT (as I did initially) plumb everything in with cheapo Amazon Basics optical or coax cables. After the extended run in I sometimes felt the overall sound sounded a tad 'sat on' and softening the leading edge that can grip ones attention.
So today I got some second hand decent cables... A 1m Audio Magic Illusion QL coax ( probably sold for about a kilobuck new) and a 1.5m run of Audioquest Vodka optical (circa $300 new). I had a brief initial listen to each and compared to the Amazon Basic cables there is a significant improvement. And I mean SIGNIFICANT!
Right now I'm listening to the Audioquest optical that is used between the TV and the DAC. Even though this is just a downloaded compressed BR rip of the brilliant Classical Destinations series from 2008, the tonalities of the instruments are much, much richer and sonorous, and Simon Callows narrative floats in the air with greatly improved articulation. My mother who watches this series with me commented on how much easier it was to follow his speech which in places is rushed...and if some 80+ year old ears can pick that up, it is not a trivial improvement.
Similar improvements were immediately obvious with the coax too that joins the SBT/linear PS to the Teddy DAC.
Yes it is easy to spend as much as the DAC cost on cabling but the results are splendid. I would say my initial impressions give maybe a 30+% improvement. At least.
Many DACs may be relatively insensitive to the digital wiring, but the Teddy DAC certainly is not among those. If you use aTeddydac you really owe it to yourself at least trying a decent cable. I got a great price on mine and could easily resell them for what I paid...but I won't!
If you are using the Teddy DAC....do NOT (as I did initially) plumb everything in with cheapo Amazon Basics optical or coax cables. After the extended run in I sometimes felt the overall sound sounded a tad 'sat on' and softening the leading edge that can grip ones attention.
So today I got some second hand decent cables... A 1m Audio Magic Illusion QL coax ( probably sold for about a kilobuck new) and a 1.5m run of Audioquest Vodka optical (circa $300 new). I had a brief initial listen to each and compared to the Amazon Basic cables there is a significant improvement. And I mean SIGNIFICANT!
Right now I'm listening to the Audioquest optical that is used between the TV and the DAC. Even though this is just a downloaded compressed BR rip of the brilliant Classical Destinations series from 2008, the tonalities of the instruments are much, much richer and sonorous, and Simon Callows narrative floats in the air with greatly improved articulation. My mother who watches this series with me commented on how much easier it was to follow his speech which in places is rushed...and if some 80+ year old ears can pick that up, it is not a trivial improvement.
Similar improvements were immediately obvious with the coax too that joins the SBT/linear PS to the Teddy DAC.
Yes it is easy to spend as much as the DAC cost on cabling but the results are splendid. I would say my initial impressions give maybe a 30+% improvement. At least.
Many DACs may be relatively insensitive to the digital wiring, but the Teddy DAC certainly is not among those. If you use aTeddydac you really owe it to yourself at least trying a decent cable. I got a great price on mine and could easily resell them for what I paid...but I won't!
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I am using an Acoustic BBQ USB cable to connect my TeddyDAC to my source. I also purchased TeddyPardo's USB cable which is reasonably priced and will compare the two once the DAC itself is fully burned in. A good cable for digital transmission is a must but one doesn't have to break the bank.
I am on day 5 of break-in for the TeddyDAC. I have been leaving Foobar2000 open on my computer with a playlist on repeat to continually send a signal to the DAC. The most massive changes were in the first few days but I feel it is still gradually changing. I listen for an hour or two each day to take note of the improvements. I am confident at this point I will be keeping the TeddyDAC. It is smaller than my previous DAC, cheaper, can be left on all the time as it doesn't use valves, and the sounds suites my preferences better. I hope to have a full handle on the sound once a few more weeks have passed.
I am on day 5 of break-in for the TeddyDAC. I have been leaving Foobar2000 open on my computer with a playlist on repeat to continually send a signal to the DAC. The most massive changes were in the first few days but I feel it is still gradually changing. I listen for an hour or two each day to take note of the improvements. I am confident at this point I will be keeping the TeddyDAC. It is smaller than my previous DAC, cheaper, can be left on all the time as it doesn't use valves, and the sounds suites my preferences better. I hope to have a full handle on the sound once a few more weeks have passed.
steveinspain
pfm Member
Yup, I too would like to know how it all goes.
Having only just discovered what a dac can do I'm now wondering about a Teddy dac or a chord Qutest, and just how much better either will be than my benchmark dac 1..
Having only just discovered what a dac can do I'm now wondering about a Teddy dac or a chord Qutest, and just how much better either will be than my benchmark dac 1..
Spencer Spicker
New Member
Not sure if this is the right place for this question, but it seems focused on TP. I have a Teddycap+ which powers my Naim 72. It also has a NAPSC supply a with a 2 pin output which is 18v. I want to change my the PS on my Mac Mini to an external DC 12v - min 4.5 amps. My guess is that if I can make this work the TP will be an optimal PS for my Mac Mini which is a dedicated music server. Teddy makes a cable that converts the output to the required 5.5/2.5 barrel jack. Can one of the electrically savvy members tell me if it would be difficult to drop the output on the NAPSC output only from 18v to 12v. Here is the description on what is required for the PS. The 12V input connector to the MMK is a high quality 5.5mm x 2.5mm DC barrel jack (center pin positive). To boot and operate a Mac mini that has been converted with an MMK requires a 12V power supply capable of delivering at least 4.5 amps.
I really like the TeddyDAC-VC and have had mine for about 5 years now. After break in I found this DAC to have a very analog sound, but not a warm and rolled off sound like people normally think of when you say 'analog'. No, all the detail and nuances are there but digital fatigue and harshness is reduced.
I'm not sure what the magic is here doing this. It might be Teddy's use of his inhouse super regulators treating all the power elements, very important in a DAC. It could also be I am so used to the Sabre sound, and this is one of few DAC's to use Wolfsen chips in a relatively audiophile/high end design. Probably a combination of these two things.
I hope Teddy is working on an improved model, or maybe a higher end model that is not just manufactured to meet the affordable price point.
I'm not sure what the magic is here doing this. It might be Teddy's use of his inhouse super regulators treating all the power elements, very important in a DAC. It could also be I am so used to the Sabre sound, and this is one of few DAC's to use Wolfsen chips in a relatively audiophile/high end design. Probably a combination of these two things.
I hope Teddy is working on an improved model, or maybe a higher end model that is not just manufactured to meet the affordable price point.