Congrats!It is a fine dac for sure.
Another new DAC: Audio Mirror
Just ran across this last night. Never heard of them before but
as a Minnesota company tweaked my curiosity.
Audio Mirror Tubadour III non-oversampling tube DAC. Sounds interesting.
If anyone runs across one and has a listen please post.
as a Minnesota company tweaked my curiosity.
Audio Mirror Tubadour III non-oversampling tube DAC. Sounds interesting.
If anyone runs across one and has a listen please post.
293 responses Add your response
Well I did the upgrade from the standard version to the maxed out version with Dueland caps, etc. It's been running in for about 3 weeks now. The DAC has been transformed, I'm very happy with the results. The character of the DAC didn't change it just got better in all of the parameters. I would equate it to a significant preamp or cartridge upgrade. The noise floor drops siginificantly, there is more depth to the presentation, more contrast (tonal and dynamics). It gells the performance better similar to a high end preamp or cartridge. The performance or musical expression is drawn out of the 1s and 0s making it sound very analogue and similar to my TT setup (DV XV1s, TW Acustic Raven, TW 10.5 arm, Tron Phono). Not one of my CDs sounds bright or has a fatigue factor. The detail isn't being drawn out and highlighted it blends into the body of each instrument, balanced. If you've listened to a really good TT setup you will know what I mean. The DAC has pushed my system over a line. A much larger % of my CDs are just as good musically as my records, never thought that would happen. I've been doubling up on music that's important to me buying lots of CDs before they dissappear. Good time to buy! This is an end game DAC for me that compliments the balance of my system. The standard version is also very good. To equate it in cartridge terms the stardard version is like a DV XX2MkII and the maxed out version like a DV XV1s. Both are very good and I could easily live with either but once you normalize to the upgraded version it would tough going back. Thanks Vlad! |
@musichead indeed. I think if you've either a) got a bright and detailed system, or b) love a natural, organic sound, then you should really audition this dac. It won't jump out and tell you how great it is, but the more carefully you listen, the more it rewards. Unfortunately, I found the opposite to be true of the psa directstream. The more carefully I listened, the more I found that things didn't sound right. I honestly can't think of anything I preferred from that dac to the amt3. |
Also, for people interested in tube rolling, I asked Vlad and got the following: "My other favorite tubes are 6N1P(EV). The ones with “rocket” logo are in general better than others. There is been some hype about 6N5P triple mica.I tried them, to me they sounded same as 6N1P. It is hard to say what was the reason, because from batch to batch tubes differ and sound different. For example I had 6N1P EV sounding better than regular 6N1P and bought same tube again. Obviously different batch and the new batch was worse than regular 6N1P. Also ECC88 Tesla gold pins(old Tesla production) used to sound pretty good." |
yep ...i cant believe audio heads are spening 5k to 12k for a dac that will be obsolete in a year...2 at the max when they could have near SOTA for a fraction of what they wasted...i got the Mini Maxed out(Miflex caps...Z foil resestiors..and jumped out the fuse(big improvment)...for under what they paid for a great coax...i had sum of the big boy club dacs...and i am proud to say i would never go back!!.Yep Yep...it is that good....as always YMMY...but i serious doubt it..,,TRUTH! |
I am having Vlad upgrade mine what would you do? I don't see myself really ever getting rid of this dac - I absolutely adore how musical it is! 1. Duelund caps - (one of the best caps possible) |
jmolsberg I lke all of your picks except 1 over 2(JUST for a MUCH cheaper Alternative...$300 to be exact) ....Check out what Vlad has to say about the Miflex caps on His Latest Audiogon add for his AMT 3 SE DAC about the Miflex Kpuc cap vs the Dueland and the $300 savings (Answer to a Question about the Miflex KPUC Cap)...which is HUGE when your talking about a $1500 DAC...(also jumping out the fuse makes a very BIG change and Vlad will do it for free)...more audio food for thought Right?...Can't go wrong either way...but a $300 price difference is HUGE when the caps are not that far apart....I know...I got the Miflex and one of our audio members got the Dueland...and it was a super close shoot out!!..9 members were present and it was 5 to 4 infavor of the Duland caps(But most thought it was a dead Heat!) I know cal3713 wasn't all that impressed with the Polish Miflex cap...But Talking to DS recently.... he among others are using this that cap over the MUCH more expensive Dueland's (Read what Sonic Craft has to say about these caps)...And DS uses this cap in his personal Preamp to listen and evaluate and Enjoy Music....as always in Audio__YMMV....But once again a BIG savings and more Audio foodie for thought!....Love Peace and Audio grease!! |
Yep Yep....Was just throwing out a different option (Price Wise)......Dueland caps are very special...and your in for a very cool Audio Treat....Like all good Caps...give them 50 to 100 hrs before they settle down and make there magic!!!...Its Krazy how good this DAC is...sooo anolg like its turntable SPOOKY!......Enjoy my Friend..and PLEASE give us sum thoughts....Peace |
I just got it hooked up this afternoon. fed ex dropped the ball by two days. I can tell instantly there is some extra special magic going on in the midrange. I'll keep y'all posted as I accumulate some necessary hours. Just like musichead reported, the character of the dac is still there, although a little grainy at the moment 😊 |
Hey jmolsberg as you already know.. give it at least 3 days of non stop signal (I would even say 4 days)....Then your going to hear it shine!!..After the first 2 days i was ready to send it back and ask Vlad..."What the hell happened to my DAC"?......then the audio sky opened up(4days) and beautiful anolog Music came shining down...TRUTH!...... |
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Mesch.....Great Call...I got the
Miflex Kpuc cap's ,,Naked Vishay resistors and had Vlad jump out the Fuse(big inprovment)...Dac is sitting on a sanwiched plater with vibrapod cones inbetween and the DAC is sitting on the Vibrapod isolation feet(a heck of alot cheaper than the IsoAcoustics GAIA Isolation/antivibration feet and maybe just as good?)...your going to LOVE the Miflex caps...Great organic sound...very wide soundstage and so smooth and fatigue free ..you will think you have a $5000 turtable rig! and will listen for hours with a BIG ASS GRIN!...Even some poor recorded cd's are once again listenable!! and the best part is the over $300 you saved with miflex caps..which is huge...when you maxing out a $1500 stock Dac(That by the way sounds great STOCK!!)...Burn those miflex caps for a good 4 days and she will open up and grab a glass of "HENNY" and get ready...the AUDIO SKY is about to OPEN UP...TRUTH!! and ENJOY!! Goo |
Yes, normally there would be a fuse between the hot leg of your AC cord and the DAC circuitry, but if you want to live dangerously, you can directly connect the + leg of the circuit to the hot tab of your IEC outlet, bypassing the normal fuse position. Certainly, the best sounding fuse is no fuse, but if you get an AC surge, then some other component in the DAC is going to overheat and blow. |
No...the fuse is still intact...just ran a wirwe to jump it out and bypass the fuse..and with a jumper you can cut it at any time and your back to using the fuse!!...once you hear it jumped out....you wont want to go back...plus all my components are pluged into difffrent AC SURGE PROTECTORS...and we lost electric to many times to count...with surges coming on and off...NO DAMAGE!! |
How important is the sound for you? Is it so important that you could risk a fire burning down your house? If that's the case, feel free to jump out the fuse. You may get a slight improvement over a good quality fuse. For the rest of us, some of the best fuses are nearly as good as no fuse. I am using the SR Orange fuse in my DAC. And it's amazing. Highly recommended. |
I am a little confused Vassilis?...i ran this idea about jumping out the fuse thru Vlad and he said there was nothing to worry about as far as his dac was concerened and he jumped it out...plus its connected to a very expensive power conditioner/surge protector...so explain to me how in the Gods green earth is this little Dac going to burn my house down.....i run 4 space heater thru out my home ..and your telling me my dac(read above) is gonna light it up like the 4th of July!!!....WOW... |
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audio123 - Vlad is the designer. If he is saying it's okay to jump out the fuse, he is probably right. I may give it a try one day. If I do, I will report if a short wire is better than the SR Orange fuse I am currently using. I remember trying jumping a fuse with a thin silver wire once and was disappointed but never tried a solid thick wire. I bet a few extra gauges make a difference there. |
This little guy bested any audiophile fuse I tried in my linear tube audio https://www.mouser.com/Littelfuse/Circuit-Protection/Resettable-Fuses-PPTC/RHEF-Series/_/N-bm931?P=1... |
I have found this thread very interesting. I would like to circle back to the discussion about Holo Audio. I have the Kitsune edition level III DAC with the Singxer SU-1 DDC. This DAC sounds fantastic! I can't compare it to analog because I have none but I bet it would give a lot of analog systems a run for their money. It is smooth without glare and plays very deep. It would be very interesting to compare this to the tricked out AMT III. Anyone else have experience with the top of the line Kitsune level III DAC that could compare? |
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I have the Holo Audio Spring 2 with the Kitsune edition for almost a 8 months now and I cannot be more happier with this DAC. I would say it compares to any of the more expensive DACs in the market (Denafrips Terminator or APL) which I have heard. I am sure the Audio Mirror 111 is a great DAC but I have not done a comparison. I have no need to since I love my Holo Audio Spring 2. This is a very musical DAC with analogue like qualities. The Terminator and APL may be a tad better in resolution and detail but at twice and four times the price. |
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audio123
stated.... "Thats Great,,,but this thread is about the AMT 3 DAC....not Holo that Tim Connors is just the Middle Man in that Chinese Company ...so lets get back to Vlad and His AMAZING American Made DAC!" Ok, I get your bias and we all have opinions but I think it is valuable in my mind to make comparisons because there are so few (but obviously a growing number) of the AMT 3 DAC's out there. For those with knowledge to be able to compare it to other known DAC's is beneficial. I may want to buy one so I try to gather all of the information I can before I make a decision. Part of that is comparison. Were someone to tell me the AMT is everything the Holo Audio DAC is only better, then I would have a better understanding of it's performance. Right now my concern would be low frequency performance based on it's tube design. Clarification of this point would be helpful and that includes comparison. |
I bi-amp my speakers. They have 18'' woofers that are connected to a dedicated amp. Those woofers are quite efficient and play from 100Hz down. Recently, I compared a powerful SET tube amplifier with a Jeff Rowland 625 S-2 driving the 18'' woofers. I was sure the Jeff Rowland amp would smash the tube amps completely in that application with all its power and genius design. To my biggest surprise the tube amps sounded A LOT better. It was not a small difference... it was big. The tube amps gave me a lot more details in the lower frequency. Acoustic instruments became so much more alive and palpable. One has to hear that to believe it. I had a few friends over and did not tell them exactly what I was doing. I wanted to double check my sanity. They all liked the tube amp better. So, I am not sure where that myth comes from. If it has a tube, it must have problems with the low frequencies. It's probably from badly designed tube power amps trying to drive speakers they should not be driving... But for low powered electronics such as DACs and pre-amps, why would someone even think the low frequencies would be a problem? PS Audio's signature preamp uses tubes. Paul McGowan was completely against putting tubes in his equipment all these years, but when BHK designed the tube stage, he compared it with his solid state stage, and he changed his mind. Do people have concerns about the low frequencies when they buy the signature PS Audio BHK preamp? I doubt it. The Audio Mirror was an eye opener for me. I was a proud owner of Denafrips Terminator, bragging all over about it, when a friend of mine brought his little Audio Mirror DAC in my house. Next to the Terminator, the Audio Mirror DAC looked like a toy. We played both, and the main thing that the Audio Mirror did a lot better was bass. There was no comparison - the bass from the Terminator was so muddy compared to the Audio Mirror. And as I mentioned above I have 18'' woofers in my system, not some small bookshelves that can barely do any bass. Long story short, I sold my Terminator next month. And that was the first version of this new Audio Mirror DAC without any of the upgrades / refinements. The signature edition is so much better! So there you go my friend, @falconquest . I can't make a comparison with the Holo DAC. But if low frequency is a concern for you with this DAC, you should forget that concern. |
@vassils Can you say what you’re using to run your woofers? I have Coincident PRE’s (94db) and just finally got dedicated subwoofer amplifiers to run their lower ends (2 x 12"). They’re the solid state Class AB Dayton Audio SA1000s that Audio Kinesis uses for their Swarm, supposedly based of a Bob Carver design. So much cheaper than everything else in my system, but made an amazing difference. And thanks for the comparison to the Terminator, that’s good to hear, as it was another I had considered before buying the AMT3se. |