@lanx0003 right on & thanks for sharing the link.
I will say that for the last 5 or 6 days I have not heard any inconsistencies. When I play the 1st track I know right off the bat if it's sounding "Right".
As you know I have been critical of the unit since day one. The last few days I have been impressed by this dac from top to bottom in sound. Listening to good quality instrumental tracks has wowed me at times. This dac has allowed my preamps to really show off their different sound qualities as well.
Nothing sharp or fatiguing in the high end, no grain or that glare/ringing I could get at times from my chip dac. Very smooth & so detailed. The bite is still there on tracks that have it but it doesn't bite the ears. When the bow crosses over a violin you can hear more clearly all the different frequency's coming from that one stroke of the bow. You are getting all the information from the original signal.
Which makes me think of something. With say a Sabre dac that we know objectively is as transparent as it gets. Inaudible noise floor..dynamic range as high as 22bits. Whatever the source is giving it that DAC is passing it along. But when I listen to the 15th it seems apparent I am getting a clearer window to micro details. It's hard for me to describe sound so I'll just say a more realistic or in the room sound & tone from quality tracks with the Pontus. If a sabre chip is as transparent as it gets, why does the Pontus have more information or the ability to highlight more information from the original signal?
Anyway, the bass & midrange is the same way with this dac. I think the bass is fantastic. Again it's like the DAC is passing more information from the signal. Highlighting every strum & kick, no smearing of frequencies. Which happens a lot with bass depending on the system. The 15th is giving you every tone clearly defined & separated, even if the track is the type to jumble it all together in a fast pace. Your ears can clearly pick out the frequency change. Instruments or vocals don't get congested together. Everything is spaced out accordingly.
It's a good dac. The better your system the better this will sound. That might seem like a common thing to say but I think this 15th will scale very well with pricier pieces. It allowed me to hear & perceive things from my preamps that I didn't know they had in them..& I'm not in the high end pool waters. The dac isn't overly warm but it has just enough richness & weight that anyone could clearly pick out vs my sabre dac..but it's not a richness & weight that will steal your attention from the music. More naturalness or realism vs the chip dac.
It's kinda weird. Because in a way the differences are just subtle vs the chip dac. But subtly different in every aspect puts it in a different league & clearly better to my ears & with visual perceptions.
So after being extremely critical of my 1st R2R I understand why they are liked so much. I was under the impression that these dacs are known for warmth..& maybe other models truly are. I am a fan of the old skool tube sound so I welcome that exaggerated "warmth" at times. I don't feel that this dac exaggerates that type of tone but I definitely feel a hint of it. I've read people saying they prefer the older Pontus models vs the 15th because of the extra warmth or weight. I don't know if I would want to substitute any of the smooth clarity & detail of the 15th for more of that warmth. I certainly would not say the 15th is lean in sound.
After this experience it makes me wonder about & want to hear these other R2R's in comparison. I would love to experience the Laiv's to get a better idea where the 15th stands. Or to hear for myself the differences between the 15th & the older models..a Gustard or even the Topping & Holo. At the moment this Pontus 15th is easily the best dac I've owned. Hopefully the growing pains I've had with this dac are done & it's reached a stable point. I can focus on my power issues now.
