The T+A DAC 8 has been in my audio system off and on for several months. There was something about this DAC that just didn’t sound right for much of this time period. I knew the DAC 8 was engineered very well with several user adjustable settings and DSP unique to the T+A brand, so I continued using the DAC in between reviews of other products. I had faith in the DAC 8 but admit at one point I even started writing an email to prep T+A for an unfavorable review. Roughly two weeks ago I decided it was time to fish or cut bait. I couldn’t hold up the review any longer. In my last ditch effort to squeeze better sound from the DAC 8 I re-read the user manual and discovered I wasn’t using the correct digital filter for my musical taste. This entire time I thought I’d set the DAC up to use its pure Bezier interpolator for better timing and dynamics. To my dismay I’d accidentally selected the Bezier interpolator with IIR filter that produces a highly analog sound similar to vinyl records. There’s nothing wrong with the Bezier interpolator with IIR filter but it was far from my expectations of accurate playback. Once I selected the pure Bezier interpolator all was right with the world. I’d found the magic I knew was inside the T+A DAC 8 and couldn’t have been happier.
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At the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show Meridian very quietly and behind closed doors introduced a new pocket-sized USB DAC / headphone amplifier named the Meridian Explorer. I was very excited by the external and internal look of the Explorer. The extruded brushed aluminum enclosure and the six layer circuit board containing giant Nichicon caps, an XMOS L1 processor, and audiophile grade components throughout were extremely impressive. The specs were also superb. Notably the asynchronous USB input, support for all popular PCM sample rates up through 192 kHz, fixed and variable analog output, optical output, and digitally controlled analog volume attenuation. I declined the offer to listen through the Explorer in the Meridian suite because the conditions were less than good. The ambient noise, unfamiliar headphones, unfamiliar music, and limited time wouldn’t have helped me develop an accurate first impression. Thus I flew back to Minneapolis and awaited the Explorer’s arrival. My first impression of this $299 DAC’s sound quality in my system was excellent. Throughout the review period I compared the Explorer to a $249 competitor by listening through my Ultimate Ears 11 Pro, Etymotic ER4-P, and Sennheiser HD600 headphones. As each listening session passed I liked the sound of the Explorer even more. The Meridian Explorer has entered this market segment on top and is definitely the portable USB DAC to beat.
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I heard about the Astell & Kern AK100 portable music player from iriver a few months ago and was impressed by its appearance online. The player looks really nice compared to almost every other player available including many mobile phones. Shortly after perusing the Astell & Kern website I moved on to other items of the day and completely forgot about the player. Fortunately iRiver contacted me a couple weeks ago offering the Astell & Kern player for review. I happily accepted. Since its arrival I've been like a little kid who received the latest game console for the holidays. I can't stop listening to my favorite music through the Astell & Kern AK100. The sound is so much better than my iPhone 5 that I really can't go back to such an unresolving and muddy sounding device. I'm rarely this excited about a new audio component. My excitement reminds me of the times when I've purchased a new component or pair of speakers and I couldn't stop listening to all of my favorite tracks just to hear them in a new way. I'm absolutely hooked on the Astell & Kern AK100 and I couldn't be more thrilled.
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The MAN301 is an ambitious attempt by Weiss Engineering to create a music server capable of numerous digital and analog configurations and a totally unique user experience through its own custom iPad application. I applaud Weiss Engineering’s ambition and willingness to chart its own course in music server design rather than follow the herd. The MAN301’s ability to pull music from an unlimited amount of storage via Ethernet is great for music aficionados with gigantic multi-terabyte music collections. Weiss’ inclusion of its award winning DAC inside the MAN301 is also terrific for audiophiles looking to combine feature sets or reduce the number of boxes in their listening environments. In typical Weiss fashion the MAN301 features coarse analog and fine digital volume control, audio routing from digital in to digital out, digital in to analog out, Ethernet in to analog out, and many other configurations on several interfaces like RCA, XLR, S/PDIF, USB, and FireWire. As expected the Daniel Weiss designed audio features of the MAN301 are top notch. However the custom iPad application and music server functionality need a bit more fine tuning to make the product a competitor with the best solutions available. Fortunately in the several months since I received the MAN301 I updated its software a few times and was very pleased by the progress Weiss Engineering has made toward better features and improved functionality of existing features. Overall the Weiss Engineering MAN301 sounds very good and its functionality will only improve with time.
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Today is Cyber Monday. The day when everyone purchases gifts online for the upcoming holiday season. Readers still on the fence about which DAC to purchase may find this review of the ASUS Xonar Essence One helpful. It's impossible for me to know what every reader listens for in a DAC. As such it's difficult for me to sway readers one way or the other unless a product is absolutely terrible. For example if I say a product is bass heavy that statement may rule a DAC in or out for some readers. I also have zero interest in persuading readers to purchase any product whether it's Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or some other marketing creation of a day. I simply tell it like I hear it. If my reviews help a reader make a purchasing decision that's great. If my reviews only prolong a reader's analysis paralysis with an endless list of DACs to audition there's nothing I can do to help bring remedy those atrophied ears.
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The word Value is frequently mentioned in high end audio product reviews no matter what the product under review actually costs. Value is incredibly subjective. I often cite my Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 2 as a great value at $5,000. My non-audiophile friends would likely cite off-brand $5 iPod replacement headphones designed and assembled in China as a great value. The EMM Labs DAC2X I'm currently captivated by costs $15,500. It's the best DAC I've heard in my listening room to date. Labeling the DAC2X as a value is a much more difficult task for me even though its performance is outstanding. Rarely is a product introduced that meets nearly every audiophile's definition of value. I can't even think of such a product in recent memory. This year AudioQuest released what I consider the highest value product I've ever used, the $250 DragonFly DAC / Headphone Amp. In addition to my opinion about the DragonFly's value it's pretty clear an overwhelming
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