HiFi Critic DAC shootout

Thank you, Mike. Since DACs were being fed via usb, do you know if the Atlantic and/or the 7 had the super-clock upgrades?
 
Moneypenny said:
I have to share my story of a high end DAC shootout. As Mike knows, I got to know him through Audioshark Forum. Elsewhere in this forum you can learn that Mike (Suncoast Audio) has finally put down brick and mortar. My wife and I happened to be traveling in Mid-Feb and made arrangements on a Friday to have a blindfolded shootout of 5 top DACs. first, I can't say enough about the Suncoast facility - it has to be one of the top spots in U.S. - absolutely fantastic. Mike replicated a version of my equipment (Ayre pre/amp, Aurender and Vandersteen Quatros - vs my Ayre ref Kx-R/VX-R and Carbon 5As. My wife and I were blindfolded through all but the final two selection. Going in, my wife was fully locked like Harry Potter "..Not Slytherin, not Slytherin..." but rather "....not Lampizator, not Lampizator..." due to the WAF factor.

Key results:
- Used my Dana USB cable on all DACs
- Tunes varied from Annie Lennox - Into the West, Brad Mehldau - Waltz for J.B., Stevie Ray Vaughn - Tin Pan Alley, Symphony #2 in E Minor Op. 27 - Budapest Festival Orchestra, Moondance - Van Morrison
- So here is how they sorted - first the eliminations:
- Ayre Qx-5 - was immediately eliminated as too bright for both of us. Sound was good and soundstage was clear but the hair raised on the back of our necks during the Annie Lennox crescendo ( note after the shootout, Mike mentioned he likes the QX5 with another USB
- Berkeley Ref 2 - this was my initial favorite but my wife felt it was mushy in the soundstage background. We did listen again after the shootout and enjoyed it more and the sound was excellent just not the top one
- Dave Chord - this one had amazing depth to the sound stage, excellent separation and clarity BUT it was also too bright. Mike tried another USB cable but alas, was still a bit too shrill for our tastes
- You guessed it - when we took off the masks - left standing were the B7 and Atlantic Lampizators - The music was warmer and more organic. For us, it sounded more analog and natural.
...And the winner is: after 6 1/2 hours with Mike and swapping tubes in the B7 and the Atlantic rectifier, the B7 clearly was the winner. The clincher was the Symphony #2 which was mesmerizing - truly one of the most emotional connections ever with the music. My wife is thrilled with the sound (and will live with the aesthetics) and swears there must be some type of gypsy magic sprinkled onto the B7.

We essentially ordered the B7 with the set up we loved ( tubes and wires) and included a Denali 6000T per Mike's recommendation.

As a couple who has shopped most Hi-Fi shops -on the East Coast we enjoyed our experience with Mike in his new shop. Mike is passionate and spends less time selling and more trying to find the right sound for us. He guided us in the process and adjusted as we reflected on each DAC. It's nice to have a guide on the trail. Truth of the matter, I think he enjoyed the shootout too.

What fun! Can't wait for the equipment to ship to our house.
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Hi Moneypenny very interesting your post. I'm very interested to know if Big 7 and Atlantico were being "fed" with PCM or DSD. I have no possibility of upsampling with HQ Player and 99% of my music is PCM and Tidal is PCM, so what I really care about is how good a DAC is, running PCM.
 
nonesup said:
Hi Moneypenny very interesting your post. I'm very interested to know if Big 7 and Atlantico were being "fed" with PCM or DSD. I have no possibility of upsampling with HQ Player and 99% of my music is PCM and Tidal is PCM, so what I really care about is how good a DAC is, running PCM.
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PCM only via Tidal. Moneypenny selected approximately 18 tracks ranging from classical to jazz to rock. Blindfolded for the entire shootout. Speakers with Vandy Quattro CT's with Ayre amp/preamp and Aurender as source. Client brought his own USB.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
After reading enough post, I think for PCM without upsampling and in a range of € 10,000 to € 13,000 the comparative I would like to do would be: Balanced Golden Atlantic vs Aqua Formula
 
Bal GA without volume control is circa 9k Euro. pre VAT. Both Dacs seem to be well received.
 
Yummy...
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Very Yummy...killer recti.
Any feedback to share?
Haven't heard the GA yet, though a pal of a pal will soon get one.
 
Sure! Tonally balanced but nice tight low end, lit from within very liquid sound in my system. Best DAC I've ever owned by a long shot.
 
Hi Arthurs. I see in your profile that you have Lumin A1 and U1. I guess the Golden Gate connects it to the U1. If so, how does compare Lumin A1 with Lumin U1 + Golden Gate.
 
nonesup said:
Hi Arthurs. I see in your profile that you have Lumin A1 and U1. I guess the Golden Gate connects it to the U1. If so, how does compare Lumin A1 with Lumin U1 + Golden Gate.
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I haven't done an A/B and I dearly love my A1 but will be selling it. The U1 into the GA is just a different thing altogether..
 
arthurs said:
I haven't done an A/B and I dearly love my A1 but will be selling it. The U1 into the GA is just a different thing altogether..
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I have compared my big 7 to two Esoteric K01s, a Trinity, my GG to Esoteric K01s, Aries Cerat, Nagra HD. Al rainbow has a 50k MSB stack and prefers his Big 7 (which he upgraded to GG I think). Many shift from Playback Design, Berkeley, none the other way reported, one guy in Singapore reported a trade-in of Vivaldi for Lampi, and I could go on. Be happy with what you have. When you feel discontented, get the GG
 
nonesup said:
After reading enough post, I think for PCM without upsampling and in a range of € 10,000 to € 13,000 the comparative I would like to do would be: Balanced Golden Atlantic vs Aqua Formula
Click to expand...

I have both the SE GG and the Aqua Formula into the SGM server. both are wonderful......but I think it depends on the system context and personal taste as to the preference.

with the SE GG, which has both the 512dsd dac, plus the latest RTR PCM dac, plus the superclocks, you can go either way (use HQ Player to upsample PCM to 512, or use 384 dxd to upsample all PCM).

with the Formula I use HQ Player to upsample everything to 384 dxd.

you can make a case for either at that price point. the SGM is the 'secret sauce'.
 
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