Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Thank you Steve for the details. I have read about Hynes PS's for things like Mac Mini's. With an OffRamp 5 and a Mac Mini, maybe Hynes could make a custom PS to drive both. I will enquire with Hynes on this.

Jafox - literally every linear supply on the market as well as many SMPS are just too slow reacting to be interesting for digital. The regulators just dont compare to the Hynes technology. Most aupplies dont have very good input noise rejection either. Another area where Hynes tech shines.

The supply upgrades for my Off-Ramp and Synchro-Mesh are Hynes tech linears also.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Guido, it was more of a generic question regarding CD transport versus computer

Hi Agear, good question... But I suspect that various Esoteric transports might yield different results into a given DAC... E.g. X-01, X-03, K-01, K-03, P-02, P-01 Grandioso have different transport subassemblies, different electronics, and different mechanical packages.

G.

I have never bought anything from Steve, but I have spoken with him on several occasions and he is nothing but professional and generous with his time. There are a fair amount of dysfunctional audio companies out there, and his is not one of them...

On another note, I have had several people go back to CDPs from computer audio claiming improved SQ. I wonder what the Esoteric plastic spinner would be like into the Aeris versus your Mini?

Thank you Steve. It's always good to hear when a designer puts out a great performing product at a lower cost. For your products, did you ever try using linear power supplies from such companies as Lambda or HP and were they ugh more affective than the wal wart supplies? Was there something lacking that motivated you to design your own external PS as an option?

I actually have a more affordable DAC in my plans, that supports DSD (and native) for the masses that must have this. Its probably a year off. Too many other things on my plate right now.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Steve and Matt, thanks for the answers. That's what I thought. I feel that if a designer is designing cost no object products that they should put the best on or into them, however in cases like tubes or cords, maybe they should do what Steve just did and say in my system and to me, I used XYZ cord and only heard a small difference. You can try it, but if you use what I ship it with, then you will get well over 99% of what it's capable of. I get it that folks have to tinker, but I know a lot of guys who own very very high end systems, because they know how much they love music AND they know there are great stores out there to help them. They are not audiophiles and have no desire to roll tubes or play with cables or cords. I just bought a whole new system at Audio Connections. Johns on here and Matt goes there on occasion. I ended up going with him because I just wanted a system that sounded right together. He knew the cords, cables and limits of my speakers and we went from there.

The biggest take away from what I just posted is that in this thread so many of the posts are about changing what Matt is doing to 'get the most' out of something. What is the most? It's what Matt deems it to be since it's his deal. He has laid down the parameters and they seem fair considering what this is. You can chose to agree or disagree with his ear, however I find it interesting that folks keep telling him that he didn't use a product properly etc.... I know it never stops and I understand your posts and all, but at some point in time there comes a moment that you have to say I'll make my decisions based on what's sold and what I have. This thread says a lot more than just what high end DAC Matt likes. Some of you play in this league. Most of us on here probably don't. I personally would love to have any of the DAC's he's trying out. IF I were to spend that type of coin on any of these, I can promise you that I'd audition them all in my rig, like Matt is doing in his. I really hope that what he posts doesn't hurt any of the manufacturers as you are all small. There are no larger high end manufacturers anymore. You all need the business and I hope you all get it. EVen if I didn't like your products (I'm sure I'd love them), I'd still want you to be successful so the competition is still out there to keep this hobby/business strong. Thanks again to all of you and Steve, thanks for answering your questions. I know it won't happen, but it would be neat to see you use your expertise and make a more affordable DAC (I know the higher end the better the sales right now). Hope I haven't hijacked.

Sorry for the persistent double posts.

I admit that if I had the time, money and even more patience and persistence then I already gave this, then I should have spent time with each individual unit fine tuning, tweaking, tube and cable rolling, accessory rotating and generally squeezing the absolute best I can out of each. I know that many reviewers will do that with a review.

I don't have a closet full of power cords of different manufacturers, a big cardboard box filled with tubes, a drawer filled with isolation footers/dampers, or the patience to go through them and get that last little bit of performance. At least, not in the brief time it takes to evaluate a piece of gear.

And more importantly, I wasn't just reviewing one unit. I was "reviewing" 4 (5 if you include my original Perfect Wave 2).

To those who asked, Alex IS providing me with the cables (PC, USB) that he believes make his DSD-S DAC sound the best; I think that's fantastic. I will compare his to mine, just because I'm curious. I will report is all.

And if John lends me a particular PC, interconnect or tube because he believes it will improve the performance of the Romulus then I will happily use them (and compare them to my cables as well).

I intentionally ran every DAC with the same everything to keep all variables out of the equation except the DAC itself. Same rack, same power cables, same interconnects, same ancillary equipment, same ears, same obsessive compulsive mentality. I listed all the equipment at the very start of the thread. All top tier cables, rack, accessories, etc.

I used my Shunyata ZiTron Alpha Digital power cable. I found that anything I put Shunyata ZiTron PC's on sounds its best. I believe it is because what Shunyata does better then most is filter out noise caused by and affected by other equipment in my system. My power from the wall is very clean and very consistent. I live in a pretty suburban/rural area with few on my grid.

Obviously there will be those that feel a piece I tried is better suited to another PC or interconnects; and it very well may be. But I tried to use the best, most musical and resolving cables and accessories I could afford to get the very best from my gear and my shoutout. The power cord and interconnects (added up) connected to the DS cost about 1/2 to 2/3 of the DAC itself. I do not feel I gave any of the equipment an unfair advantage or disadvantage with the cables or accessories I used. I also don't think I would have gotten dramatically different results with other cables or power cords; sorry.

I cannot speak for other DACs, but due to extensive use of Hynes regulator technology, I found that putting an expensive power cord on the Overdrive SE only helped a tiny bit. I still use one, just because I have it. I really don't believe its necessary though.

Maybe Matt tried more than one cable on it?

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

One thing that has been brought up by all is a basic cable. Question for said designers, why don't you just get the best cable for your product and ship with it?

What's best? What's best for some but not others. Same reason why MOST companies don't use rare NOS tube for stock. They know end users will roll what's BEST to their ears.

yes they do belong elsewhere, however you can't have it both ways. It's a forum on the internet and folks will post their feelings on things. If folks buy based on what they read.....sorry, that's just MY pet peeve I guess. I didn't love reading the debate either, but why can someone get hammered for posting what he did and then someone else can bash PS Audio by saying they got bashed, when in fact, that's not at all what Matt posted. They are all trying to make an honest living. Matt and others need to be free to post their thoughts, good or bad. Dealers who chose, should be able to defend themselves if they feel they want to, but on this thread or not, it's going to be out in the public and we should make our decisions based on what is best for us.

This thread has been and is awesome. I'm not playing in this league, but I've gotten to hear a few of these DAC;s in my travels. I've heard many others in these price ranges also. They all seem to have plusses and minus's to my ear. They all seem very system dependent. As much as any other product. One thing that has been brought up by all is a basic cable. Question for said designers, why don't you just get the best cable for your product and ship with it? I know a few speaker manufacturers who use a specific companies cable internally or in their crossovers (external). For a power cord, I would think that you could just build that into it. One reason I love Ayre products is that they build some sort of circuit to clean the AC. I have heard a few of their components with various cords and they just dont' make a huge difference to me nor have they to the people I've listened with.

Does the power cord make a big difference with the DAC's you like Matt or was it just the PS fans who said theirs needs a better power cord? Thanks.

And like Ozzy I'll also bow out now.. Matt I've enjoyed your writing and hard work, enjoy your ODSE, it's a really nice piece..Time now to figure out how to get your rooms acoustics improved :-)

Joecasey.. I didn't read it like the DS was crushed I read it that Matt liked the ODSE better.. I wish he'd spent a bit more time listening to it, and spent some time reloading the firmware or getting help to resolve the firmware issue but honestly his thoughts on the DS's sound quality don't really matter to me, what matters to me is how the DS sounds in my system. Also I spent way way less $$ for my DS then he's spending for his ODSE.. so I'm good with my decision..

Additionally I found the DS is quite sensitive to power cables and interconnects.. So if he'd chosen to I suspect he could have gotten it to perform at another level, also consider that the ODSE has a built in off ramp thingy that if added to any of the other Dac's might have swayed him in another direction. But in the end it's his ears and his choice, I've just enjoyed his journey..

As for PSA firmware issues no question the Bridge is flawed but so are lots of other software driven products.. I had a bridge for a while and also gave up on it (planning on an Aurulic Aries soon) so I'm not a PSA fanboy by any stretch.

And I thought all along that Ozzy's beef with Nugent should have been private.. But if you are a manufacturer who uses a public forum for among other things promoting ones products ( frequently) then one needs to be prepared to take some flack from time to time. To Empirical's credit there doesn't seem to be too many folks that are un-happy, so he/they must for the most part be doing the right thing by their customers..

Yes, I am a difficult customer. Customer service is extremely important to me. Items should work as advertised and Companies should back there products.

I applaud Matt for doing this comparison and I have no doubt that with his system he is giving an honest evaluation in sound quality.

I will bow out of this thread, for I agree that it is about the Dacs Matt is reviewing and I am sorry if I got it off course.

It's interesting the 2 Audioengr critics are owners of PS Audio Direct Stream. Is it possible they're a LITTLE upset DS got CRUSHED!!!! in Mattnshilp's shootout? Did I say got CRUSHED!!! Is it a coincidence? LOL!

Erikminer, I have no problems with manufacturers defending themselves especially an ONE man operation. Any negative rumor can break their business so they have to explain their side of the story.

Ozzy, you mentioned Audio Advisor no longer want your business due to your 30 day trial program usage. Did you abused the system? You even joked about ... sounds like you're a customer from hell. BTW, did you requests a refund from Audioengr after the trial period?

Mattnshilp DS sonic description is consistent with many I've heard. I'm NOT surprise DS crashed after firmware updates since I have experience with PWDMKII/bridge. PS Audio give software a bad rep.

I like dealing with small, one man companies. Almost all of my gear comes from such a business. I find a big correlation between these types of creative and talented folks and great sound quality. I also learn a ton more about the piece as they more often share much more over the phone and by email.

I like the relationship I can have with the owner/creator. My experiences have been wonderful with " one man" companies, but like everything in life, others may have had a different experience.

I don't think this is the place to gripe on an experience however. That should be done by the two parties off-line .... Period.

Rhanson739, What other reason would I have???
I have been a long time Audiogonner and "I states it as I hears it", to share my experience with others.

Matt, Audiogon is a bit of a "homegrown'" posting system... There is an ability for editing a post, kind, sort of, and it depends... That is... The thread must be on a single page, and your post to be edited must be the very last post on the thread... If your post is on page 2 or beyond, Or someone posted after you, you are out of proverbial luck.... I have communicated the problem to Audiogon more than once, and met with summary dismissal of my concerns. G.

Ozzy said, "I posted my actual experience with dealing with Steve."

Actually, no. You were having a terse conversation with Steve within this otherwise useful thread. I don't believe that you objectively reported on your experiences for the benefit of others here.

My opinion is that it should have been taken offline with Steve directly. Instead, we all had to bear witness to your frustrations.

I even hesitated to post this, as it, too, detracts from Matt's fine work here. I recognize that.

I thought the OP started this thread to describe his comparison of products? Complaints about one-man shows etc. belong elsewhere.

Ozzy, thanks for your input!

Matt is correct that several negative posts can hurt such manufacturers like Steve and me.

After what happen back in the days, I worked very hard to improve customer satisfaction, and I think I did it. :-)

As for PS Audio, such company cannot be compared to what Steve does, for example. We are talking about pure all-hand-made boutique that is made with the best possible components, free of any budgets. At least this is how I feel about this subject.

As for servicing, the Electronic Express service center in Chicago is fully authorized to service all of my products, both warranty and out-of-warranty, and they have done a great gob over the past few years. So I think there are no worries about that.

Best wishes,
Alex

Matt,

I posted my actual experience with dealing with Steve. Others may have had different experiences.
Before you crown a winner, I just thought it would be important to note that you are dealing with a one man show subject to any conditions he wants to impose.

APLHIFI, Alex, is another one man show that I have purchased products from. Excellent designer, fantastic products. He always treated me fair with no problems. However, he got sick and way behind on his production.
Some people waited for over a year for his products!
There was an extremely long thread on Audiogon about this.

One should compare that to other companies such as PS Audio that have actual service and customer service departments.

Of course, as I stated earlier these were my actual experiences and YMMV.

I have also found Steve to be very responsive and helpful.

FWIW, I've worked with Steve for a couple of years now, and have always found him responsive, fair, and above all, very knowledgeable. Are we best buds? No. Do I appreciate his insights and presence? Absolutely.

Does anyone know if there is a way to edit a post after it's submitted? My occasional typos are driving me nuts! And sometimes I think of something to add to a post I just submitted and then need to post a second time.....

Erikminer- I can only speak from my own experience.

Before I started the thread and before there was any secondary gain for Steve, he was responsive (like same day) to his emails and phone calls, and he was clear and specific about his payment and return policies. He was (and is) quote confident about his gear and is very honest about the upgrades and what they accomplish. He also told me that he is constantly tweaking and fine tuning his gear and offers improvements to his established customer base as they are available; for a minimal fee.

He is clearly a talented and passionate audiophile engineer. His fund of knowledge, very well laid out policies and quick email response led me to try out the OverDrive SE. And boy am I happy I did!!!

Ozzy - There are always 3 sides to every story. Theirs, yours, and the truth.
Be careful to criticize someone when their livelihood is at stake. You may do more damage then you intended. Especially on a Forum.

That all being said. I have not owned long term and do not know Steve's policies or how he handles an issue or problem after the warranty is up...

All I know is that he makes a hell of a DAC!!!

Thank you for the Esoteric arcana Alex... Did not know that X-01 SPDIF out was transformer coupled... At some point in the future, I might replace X-01 with a music server.

Saluti, G.

Back and forth over this Empirical Audio product ( Ozzy vs S. Nugent) doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy... This is a perfect example of why manufacturers probably should stay off public forums...

Hi Guido,

The SSD is indeed superior to HDD, however, a linear 5V power for it is a must, otherwise it sounds somewhat mechanical to my ears, especially noticeable at the upper mids and highs.

The Esoteric X-01 is sure transformer coupled at the S/PDIF output, but since you already have a transformer inside your DAC, this is not that important. The main objective of a pulse transformer at the S/PDIF is ground isolation.
The Esoteric runs on twin R-Core linear supply, so actually a transformer-less digital transmission might be better since the transformers sometimes introduce unwanted artifacts.

Saluti,
Alex

Hi Matt, very nice that your MacMini already on SSD. Friend of mine made comparison in last couple of days between hard drive (do not remember brand) and Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD... He asserted that the SSD delivered harmonically denser images... I believe he may be using a MacMini re-hosted to Windows 7 into a Teac UD-501 DAC via a Prana USB cable.

Here are some additional twists for the permanently obsessive.... Does the SSD technology standard matter? 2.5 inch, vs MSATA, vs M.2... What about the SSD controller? What about the SSD brand, series, model? All things that potentially we can obsess about.

Admittedly, I am still a dinosaur... I am feeding Aeris SPDIF through the Esoteric X-01 coax output.... I do not believe X-01 SPDIF to be transformer-coupled. I will probably let music server technology steep for a bit yet before I take the plunge... Amongst other things, I need to make sure that the UIs to control the servers are fully interoperable with my non-visual access technology.

G.

Synchro-Mesh and Of-Ramp have 30-day money back, less shipping. You just waited too long.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Hi Matt,

Just finished the DSD-S for you. It is singing nicely. :-)

I will put around 100 hours on it before shipping it to you, but it will require more, of course. However, since most active devices on the signal path are MOSFET, the DSD-S sounds quite nice even when brand new, especially after 30 min warm-up, similar to tube electronics. :-)

Best,
Alex Peychev
APL Hi-Fi

PS - my Core Audio Mac Mini has a solid state hard drive. No spinning disks.

Guido. I openly admit I would get better results with one of Steve's OffRamp USB to spdif converters. If I had an unlimited budget, I would have tried that.

But your statement needs to be reiterated. If you are planing on using a transport, especially transformer coupled, then the Aeris will sound better then my evaluation described. How much better, and what the differences would be I do not know. That is for me to not know and you to find out. ;)

I wanted to send a big Thank You out to Merrill of Merrill Audio (another lone wolf manufacturer who builds every piece by hand).

He loaned me a set of 2m RCA and XLR cables to do my shootout. They are exceptional and reasonably priced for how good they are. Merrill is very generous with loaning cables for auditions, especially since very few come back (ie. most auditions end in a purchase).

Google Merrill Audio and check it out. My Veritas monoblock amps are ridiculously good!!!! He also just introduced a Phono stage that the owner of VPI said was amongst the best he had ever heard. Check it out!

Steve, Thanks for the reply. My order with you was for the Synchro Mesh that goes for $600.
It took 2 months to get and you wouldn't give me my money back when I wasn't impressed.

I do not build onesey-twosey on products that cost $200. It would be a waste of my time.

If you order an Overdrive, Off-Ramp or Synchro-Mesh, these orders go into the queue and get built in that order. I don't wait for more orders. Standard wait time on an Overdrive is 2-3 weeks, 1 week on an Off-Ramp and 2-3 days on a Synchro-Mesh

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Great thread. The only problem is the ODSE is made by one man at his time table.

Basically he takes the money up front.
He told me when I ordered (a different item than the ODSE) that he would build my unit when he has enough orders to make several in a row. When I tried to persuade him to build mine quicker, he said it was summer time and he was not going to be tied to a schedule.

Now Matt you may get special treatment due to this thread, but I didn't.
Just a heads up for you guys that want to part with your $8000.

Matt said... "I am pretty sure the Rowland Aeris is also software driven. I bet that the right firmware update could make the Aeris untouchable."

You are correct Matt, Rowland Aeris is driven by a large FPGA which performes a variety of master functions, including FIFO jitter elimination and control of a 24-bit DAC module.
I have no information about what a hypothetical Aeris FPGA firmware update might achieve... Meantime, the best way to use Aeris is to feed it through SPDIF... Aeris performance is optimized through its transformer-coupled SPDIF coax input, ideally fed from a transformer-coupled source, such as the Bryston BDP1 or BDP-2 music servers.

Purely conjectural on my part, sound may be further enhanced by the use of an SSD as a storage medium, to eliminate jitter caused by inter-sector disk head seek delays.
G.

Admittedly, in the end the above does not imply that you would necessarily prefer Aeris over OverDrive or other DAC... DAC preference is, very much like paraphrasing female beauty, in the... ears of the beholder *grins!*

G

ODSE is the Emprical Audio OverDrive DAC SE version, by Steve Nugent....make of the OffRanmp converter (fo example).

Matt, I wouldn't pretend to having read most of what is posted here. Can you please tell me what ODSE stands for?

I have been at so many stores over the last many months and have now heard nearly everything you can think of. I have found only a handful of stores that I even like and would do business in. I was shocked considering what a tough time it is. That's another subject for another thread though.

Matt, John was here setting up my new system last week and he too can't wait to get the unit in and burned in. You should give him a call on it to see if he has any time frame.

Hummmm. Haven't done an ODSE to analog shootout.

I'll do that when my ODSE comes in!!!
Great idea. ;)

Just curious, I see that you have a serious analog setup, so how close or distant is the difference between your chosen Dac and your analog? Do you still find analog superior or has the gap narrowed?

"My only real conviction is that most others, were they to do the same, would not agree about the winner."

Then they would all be wrong and burn in the fiery pits of Mordor! Bwa Hahahaha!!!!!!

Ehem. Did I say that out loud?

I seriously believe the ODSE is a sensational piece and many of you would be as impressed as I am of its stellar performance. But system synergy is everything and tastes vary, that's why we have so many manufacturers who are all making a living selling gear.

It's always more fun going on a trip with friends. And I made a whole bunch of new friends on this trip. Mission accomplished, on SO many levels!!!

Ctsooner, I have an open mind, but I trust only my ears. Also my only interest at this time is in music servers that play double DSD.

I think that Matt has done what all of us would or should do, namely to listened to the many choices. My only real conviction is that most others, were they to do the same, would not agree about the winner.

UPDATE continued:

oops. I hit submit by accident.

So keep watching and I'll throw reports of the other DAC's up as I get them in. Thanks to everyone for giving me your ear and your opinion thus far. It has been enormously fun!

As always, let the pot shots commence!!!

fin

UPDATE:

This is the ODSE vs PS Audio Direct Stream comparison.

First off. I started with the DS using the older firmware and then update to the newer firmware so that I could hear the difference. The update had a hiccup or two. But then I tried to upload the original firmware again, and I crashed the DAC; like nothing worked, touchscreen was unresponsive.... That was disconcerting to be honest.

I described the PS Audio DirectStreams physical attributes before, so I will not repeat myself. Think Perfect Wave or Perfect Wave 2 with a different name silk screened on it and a more elegent, simpler touch screen layout and your there. The DS is very well built and buetifully finished. See my earlier report on more specifics.

Sound wise, the DS had about 460 hours on it +/-. More then enough for burn in based on the general attitudes reported on the many forum threads growing around the DS. Here is what I found...

original firmware:
In some ways, I thought the DS sounded like the ODSE. There was no brightness, no harshness and nothing offensive about its performance or sound. Nothing that made me fatigued or pushed me to stop listening. I found myself very engaged at times to the notes flowing from my speaker drivers. Up top, the highs were seamlessly extended and correct; never overly pronounced nor subdued. The mids were where they should be; musical and with correct tone and texture. The female voice was beautifully reproduced on more then one occasional and the deeper male vocal was equally well reproduced. Low frequencies extended to the netherworld and were well controlled; not overly grippy and not loose. To be honest, it did everything right. I found that trailing and leading edges were not quite as well defined as with the Big6, MA1, Aeris or ODSE. There was a tubelike presence about the music that invited you in and said, "pull up a chair and stay a while."

The soundstage was wide and deep and put me solidly in the middle of the theater. The location of performers was correct (although I sometimes found them to be shifted slightly to the left of where I was used to. This was wierd because center stage was still clearly center stage at all times). Each instrument/performer had the correct sense of presence and space. Technically, it does what it is supposed to, and with aplomb.

Here comes the but.

But I spent a LOT of time listening and not that much time tapping my feet. It had a DSD sound, if that makes any sense. Now here comes my disclaimer... I have only heard DSD in uber expensive show systems and in a few friends houses where they spent time trying to prove to me that DSD was better then PCM because it just was, and "see, listen to this!". Maybe I'm used to the "shortcomings" of PCM and found the DSD to be too different to my picky ears. I was under the impression that the MA1 also upconverted everything to DSD, and the MA1 could not have sounded more different then the DS.

I listened for 2 hours, going back to songs multiple times. A few tracks on my play list really shined on the DS and every time I hit one of those, I'd rush back to my other tracks to see if I had missed something... But I didn't. To me, the ODSE and the Aeris were both better in pretty much every way. And I am pretty sure (even though I didn't do a direct head to head) that I would have preferred the Big6 over the DS as well. I will say that the DS did pull subtlety out of the music that the Aeris occasionally missed.

Again... My ears, my system, my opinion. Don't beat me up and don't write the DS off because of what I said.

Interstingly, I found that the DS occasionally had a hard time holding on to the data stream and I had to close my Amarra and re-open it to re-sync with the DS.

Also, the DS is quiet. I did not try to run it direct, but I ran it at 100% into my pre-amp and my pre-amp was consistently 8-12 percentage clicks higher then with the Aeris or ODSE to get the same volume. Noise floor did not seam to be affected by this, but it is worth noting.

Then I uploaded the newer firmware...

Interesting. Better in some ways and worse in others. Overall, the update gave the DS a sense of emotion and grip it did not have before. I agree with some other reviewer who said it sounded like the "presence" control was turned up. But I found the soundstage a hair flatter. The image stabilized and perfomers were pushed back to where I was used to hearing them. Dynamics also improved. It clearly became more engaging and I fell into the music more then I did initially. I listened for another hour or so with the update and sincerely enjoyed my time. Much closer to a contender with the firmware update.

Then I killed it. I tried to upload the initial firmware to compare again, and the software imploded and nothing worked. It tuned on, but thats it. Wouldnt lock, wouldnt take any touchscreen input. The lights were literally on but no one was home.

Time to switch back to the ODSE.

Hook her up (I am getting used to this since she's been in the systen for 6 or 7 weeks now). Locked right in, tuned on. Click click click. AND WHAM! I'm sucked right back in. Spine tingling, hair raising vocals. Eyes closed, swaying to the music. Conducting like an idiot in an empty room (you know you do it also!). I listened to 5 songs: 2 vocals, 1 jazz, 2 classical (ok, 1 soundtrack theme and 1 classical) and I just knew....

I packaged up the DS and emailed PS Audio for a return authorization.

Wait for it.....

And then I emailed Steve and told him to start production of my very own Overdrive SE with Hynes Regs and CUTF Coupling caps. Steve is working on some new stuff that will make it even better (can't wait to hear it!!!!)

Sorry all you Direct Stream lovers. Its a great DAC no doubt, and with the new firmware upgrade certainly getting closer to competing with the likes of Rowland, Empirical and such, but not yet fully up to the challenge. I was impressed by the improvement they could make with a firmware update. Being that it is completely software driven, its very cool that with the right software they will slowly and progressively improve the performance.

FYI - I am pretty sure the Rowland Aeris is also software driven. I bet that the right firmware update could make the Aeris untouchable. Which is amazing considering just how good it is right now! In a warmer system, or a system with tubes in the pre-amp or amp the Aeris is the way to go, no doubt.

But for me. With my ears, my room, my system I am excited and feel I have done more then due diligence in selecting my ODSE as my keeper DAC.

Of course, that all said, I have a wonderful DAC inbound in the DSD-S and cant wait to hear that and report on it. And I am waiting to hear from John on borrowing the Aesthetix Romulus SE, which I am actually dying to hear!

I have also already received suggestions for a litany of other DAC's and need to say no at some point. But since my ODSE will probably be 6-8 weeks (I think, maybe sooner) before it arrives, and I'm shipping the current Empirical Audio gear off to a reviewer, Im glad to get some other DAC's in to play with in the meantime.

I still have my Aeris up for sale and I am enjoying that thoroughly in the meantime, until one of you with a tube system buy it from me! ;)
And I will now put my PS Audio Perfect Wave 2 up for sale as well. So if you know someone looking for a good deal on a Perfect Wave 2, let me know... for $1400'ish dollars, its a great great DAC!