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In Reply to: RE: Is Timbre Audio still in business? posted by Quint on May 25, 2007 at 15:20:29
If I could have predicted the path digital "technology" was going to take in the next ten years, I wouldn't have even thought about parting with my Timbre Technolgy TT-1. This was IMO the best-sounding "mid-priced" commercially-sold DAC I've come across. It was *barely* edged-out at the time by the Prism Sound DA-1 (which is a "pro" DAC), in which either that or the DA-2 has been my reference ever since.
Although the TT-1 did not have the ultimate resolution of the Prism, I thought the TT-1 was exceptional in two areas- Listenability and the rendering of percussive attacks and decays. (The first element in spite of never using it with an optical link. Maybe *the* best DAC I've come across in this regard.) The latter made it fabulous for orchestral works, where it was the Prism's equal, in my humble opinion. It would be my suggested DAC for those who cannot tolerate the artifacts of digitized playback, and also for those who value the palpability and "fleshed-out" quality of acoustic music.
I still remember how this DAC resolved the climax of the Szell/Cleveland Brahms "Academic Festival" overture (Sony)..... It resolved both the cymbal and the triangle, in which the triangle actually sounded like a real triangle (where other DACs make it sound like digital "sizzle"), which together with the Orchestra in full force, was goosebumps. Not many DACs can resolve that "Cleveland sound" in its full glory. I miss the TT-1 for that musical passage alone. (Non-OS DACs fail miserably with this orchestral passage, by the way.)
The Lavry DA10 "Black" DAC sounds very close to the Timbre in overall sonic character, but I do think the Timbre was truer in rendering acoustic instruments. The Prism DA-2 is more linear, and maybe less spectacular (in a good way), but its resolution kind of robs the "magic" from that same orchestral "climax" mentioned earlier. The Timbre also had a slight sense of "blast" with dynamic rock recordings, which made me opt for the Prism. This last item was still well above average with the TT-1, and a parameter recent designs IMO don't do well at all.
I think what killed this DAC was the "disappointing" (and somewhat strange) measured performance in Stereophile, which scared away a lot of prospective buyers. (It also killed the original MSB Gold DAC, which to me was the linearity champ back in the early 1990s.) At the time, I personally didn't have much grasp of the implications of measured digital performance, so I was at a loss in regard to how a DAC could sound so good yet measure so poorly. In fact, my lack of understanding at the time was what made me part with the TT-1. Not to mention backing off prospective purchase of a used Wadia 7/9 rig.
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