Phishphan
Active member
I’ve heard the dacx2 when I was shopping for DACs. Ended up with the K1. The DA2 is light years ahead. Next time you’re in MN stop by
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Esoteric migrating off of AKM Dac chips for flagship D1X?
- Thread starter mdp632
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I’ve heard the dacx2 when I was shopping for DACs. Ended up with the K1. The DA2 is light years ahead. Next time you’re in MN stop by
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Jack
Active member
Chris of CA also had both the 2x and the 2a in house and agreed the 2a was far surperior.
Well, he also thinks the TAD speakers sound good, so he sure loves that hyper detailed digital sound, so I’m not surprised.
I’ve heard or owned many Meitner/EMM DAC’s over the years. They’ve all been hyper detailed, impressive at first, then fatiguing after a while. Not my cup of tea.
I’ll prefer the likes of MSB, Luxman or the Chord combo.
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Jack
Active member
And that's why there are so many brands, everybody gets to like what they want within the constraints of what they think makes financial sense to them.
Absolutely.
BlueFox
New member
I agree with this, and it makes me wonder why people keep saying hi-fi is dying.
Jack
Active member
Bud I think because if part of the younger generation doesn't step forward with more of an interest than they've shown so far when those of the generation that go to the shows or events like Mike has at the store are gone the business of "High End Audio" is going to be precarious for manufacturers and dealers alike. A sign of that is all of the "High End" manufacturers that have been bought out in the last several years by companies like Samsung, LG and Far East companies most of us outside the Tech Industry have never heard. They may just see them as tax write-offs. My family is a prime example. Between Judy and I we have three kids that are 28,30 and 40 yoa. Even the 40 year old who grew up with audio gear all around him has no real interest other than movie soundtracks or background music. The other two are part of the iPod generation and didn't even want systems when I tried to give them to them.
bzr
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I also believe that part of the era that we were taught from as we grew up was that things matter. We were taught to recognize things & the difference matters. Now.... not so much, "hell, thats an old school thing huh?...", "we do it this way now"... Sad, but, we will be overrun by culture. The next great generation hasn't got the time...
Rob181
Member
Geez - I have the opposite problem - my youngest daughter (who is a computer geek) has been harassing me for my vinyl as late as today - I replied with when you get the agreement of your siblings - who are waiting for me to "fall off the perch" so they can divvy the HiFi spoils - we are all off to another concert together in the New Year (a quick 2500 kl round trip for me to get there) - music is in our blood - and I couldn't be more proud
Just read two reviews on the EMM DA2. Soundstage and CA. CA puts it above the Berkeley and below the dCS Rossini. Both describe it with having lots of detail and resolute highs, but lacking the weight of even the dCS (which I don’t consider “weighty”).
To me, that’s EMM to a tee. Wouldn’t be my style. If someone likes things forward and hyper detailed, this is probably a good DAC. I prefer not to have my ears assaulted when I listen. I guess I prefer unamplified acoustic live or even tape and vinyl as good references for good digital.
As for the industry, I talk to “young people” I would say 10-15% of the time. Not a lot, but they are out there and energized young folks are the best weapon to introduce other young folks to the hobby. The ones I speak to are interested in high end, but some of the old stodgy companies and dealers have no clue how to reach them. We are trying some unique strategies to reach a younger audience at the Florida Audio Expo. Time will tell as to whether it works.
To me, that’s EMM to a tee. Wouldn’t be my style. If someone likes things forward and hyper detailed, this is probably a good DAC. I prefer not to have my ears assaulted when I listen. I guess I prefer unamplified acoustic live or even tape and vinyl as good references for good digital.
As for the industry, I talk to “young people” I would say 10-15% of the time. Not a lot, but they are out there and energized young folks are the best weapon to introduce other young folks to the hobby. The ones I speak to are interested in high end, but some of the old stodgy companies and dealers have no clue how to reach them. We are trying some unique strategies to reach a younger audience at the Florida Audio Expo. Time will tell as to whether it works.
If you want to reach the younger crowd, start with vinyl and headphones to get them interested in high-end audio. Once they’ve embraced it, their tastes aren’t too much different than us oldsters and they don’t need to be taught how to use computer audio.
Ken
Ken
Good question. I would say “under 40”, but really “20 somethings” is what I’m talking about with respect to our FAE marketing and when I have the youngsters in the store for headphone listening. I ALWAYS make them listen to a hi-end system before they leave the store. They all make the same comment: “dude, now I understand why you’re not a big headphone fan. This is awesome.” Exposure is the first step.
Maybe next year I will say “under 50”. LOL
Rising prices for the ultra high end indeed.
But at the same time, we see affordable gear becoming better and better.
My dealer says his business survives because of brands like Naim.
Their all-in-one solutions are good!
Let's hope a lot of their customers get the upgrade bug later (which is also when the funds become available).
Mike, could you please explain what you mean by 'hyper detailed'? I always hear tremendous micro-detail of sound in live concerts of unamplified music, especially sitting close to the performers. I want to hear all that detail at home, the more of it the better, with nothing glossed over for the sake of 'easier listening'. Or do you mean artificial etching of detail?
I mean that the highs are much more prominent than the rest of the frequency spectrum. They don’t blend in with the rest of the spectrum, they attack you.
Highs are “forward” sounding - like turning up the treble 6 notches in the old days.
I completely understand why some people like “bite” in the high frequency. My friend Jerry loves bite because he’s lost so much of his upper/high frequency hearing. I would be shocked if he can hear above 10Khz. Maybe some designers are in the same situation.
I’m not there yet.
pdub
New member
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I
I completely understand why some people like “bite” in the high frequency. My friend Jerry loves bite because he’s lost so much of his upper/high frequency hearing. I would be shocked if he can hear above 10Khz. Maybe some designers are in the same situation.
I’m not there yet.
I was just wondering what your ears tested out to. Never tested mine, but never been accused of not being able to hear speech/ambient noises that others are hearing. Don’t know that there’s any correlation between distinguishing voice/sound in real life to upper frequency hearing, however.
Parker