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In Reply to: RE: after PCM1704 is gone, what about AudioGD? posted by paco on March 19, 2017 at 12:23:21
If I was in the market for another DAC right now, I'd be tempted to pick up one of Audio-gd's remaining Master 7 items, with 1704Ks.
I love the custom-built R2R movement. I'm less convinced about how everyone is consistently getting full 16 bit resolution from their solutions, let alone higher bit depths. Laser-trimming resistors on the scale required, and with the necessary, repeatable precision - even for custom levels of production - is not an easy business.
That's what makes DACs like the 1704 so special, from an engineering point of view, if you like their sound like I do. I wish them (all) good fortune and success, however!
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
Follow Ups:
I have both the Master-7 and the Master-11, versions of about a year ago.
One for every room of the house?
the Master 7.
The only reason I didn't choose it a couple of years ago is that I was actually in the market for a transport, bought the Lite Audio LT-One and found the Lite Audio DAC 83 was pretty good in its own right.
It's still on my radar...
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
If you are in the market I have a Audiogd Ref 7 I could part with...
Actually, I'm looking for info on the NOS Master 7, which seems to be a device tailored to getting the best from that configuration. Just not sure it would really be musically better than the DAC83 + Lifatec I'm curently driving.
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
I have both the Ref 7 and the Master 7.
I would say they sound very similar with the Master 7 being slightly more resolving.
I think the DAC83 can hold its own and would probably be a lateral move with a different flavor.
Thanks for your insight. It mirrors my hunch.
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
Edits: 04/02/17
Was considering the Lite Audio PCM1704 DAC as I have had really good luck the Lite Audio 'kit' 6SN7 line stage.
No, in that sense, the Audio-gd has an advantage in terms of choice of presentation. The DAC 83 sounds far from amusical, however.One thing the Lite Transport does have - which I have found intriguing as the only other company I know of that has experimented with this is Audio Note UK - are an implementation of very small output transformers for some kind of digital signal conditioning. You can see them (at least I think that is them - two small black cubes) near the rear of the pcb, adjacent to the outputs. Commentary has been extremely hard to come by, save in Google 'Chinglish' - " RA audio grade buffer transformer for intact wave shape ". They may just be part of the balanced circuitry, however. Just don't know.
The other thing, aside from I2S, that I liked in the DAC was the use of high quality output devices - the same ones used by Audio Innovations in their Alto amp (itself a homage to a Quad design, if I'm not mistaken). These produce a wonderfully full range sound of deep tonality.
[The encircled part is one which Lite Audio deliberately disguise. I'm guessing it relates to which particular filter they use for their unorthodox filtering arrangement - as discussed on a couple of HK experimental audio sites re the 1704K and upsampling techniques.]
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
Edits: 03/22/17
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