The DAC3 is an incredibly great piece. My friend & I compared it to his $7000 Ayre, and it was a close race. We used a Pioneer as a transport for the DAC3 in the comparison. It's also a beautiful piece with very thick casing and faceplate.
It also sounds quite dynamic and has powerful bass used without a preamp, which may make this a piece for those wanting not to invest in a preamp. Still, to my ears, I find an active line stage gives even more dynamics and larger, more fleshed out instrumental timbres. The large power supply in the DAC3, and its unique digital volume control must be responsible for this. It is the first piece I have used direct that doesn't have: (a) a collapsed soundstage, (b) substantially limited dynamics, (c) rolled off treble, (d) weak, undynamic, & unextended bass.
The digital volume control with 200 steps in 0.5 db increments is a joy to use. The remote, although small and cheap, works fine, and controls volume, input, mute, and standby. Do be wary of static, however. Mine has shut down from touching it when the air is very dry from heating season, but it must have some type of protection circuit. All I had to do is unplug it, plug it back in, and everything's fine...
It also sounds quite dynamic and has powerful bass used without a preamp, which may make this a piece for those wanting not to invest in a preamp. Still, to my ears, I find an active line stage gives even more dynamics and larger, more fleshed out instrumental timbres. The large power supply in the DAC3, and its unique digital volume control must be responsible for this. It is the first piece I have used direct that doesn't have: (a) a collapsed soundstage, (b) substantially limited dynamics, (c) rolled off treble, (d) weak, undynamic, & unextended bass.
The digital volume control with 200 steps in 0.5 db increments is a joy to use. The remote, although small and cheap, works fine, and controls volume, input, mute, and standby. Do be wary of static, however. Mine has shut down from touching it when the air is very dry from heating season, but it must have some type of protection circuit. All I had to do is unplug it, plug it back in, and everything's fine...