Thanks Tony. There's only one comment on the K&K Forum about their new DAC - the Mark III. It was released in December, so it's probably too new to expect a healthy discussion. In general, I find forums owned by the product manufacturer aren't the best place to get unbiased opinions which is why I posted here. I know Kevin and Dave aren't into advertising, and it's unlikely the kit will get reviewed, so they have long hard road to travel if they hope to sell many of these units. I know they're top notch designers, but I'm not willing to build one without more comments from owners.
Showing 3 responses by mingles
I'm sure the RAKK DAC sounds great, but there aren't any reviews I'm aware of. Like Bottlehead and other small kit manufacturers, K&K seems to exist by word of mouth only. The best information you'll probably find is in their forums. Unfortunately for K&K, the DAC market has exploded. There's a lot of competition right now with new products being announced every few months. If you're mainly interested in DIY, check this out: "The Big" DIY DAC Websites. |
Alex, I didn't mean to dismiss Kevin or K&K. All I'm saying is that he should be doing more to market his products. There's so much competition out there right now that it's easy to overlook great gear. I scoured the K&K forums a year ago when I was hunting for a new dac. There was virtually no info about the Mk III which is why I passed on it. Here we are a year later and there still isn't much. Do a Google search and see for yourself. The Extreme RAKK DAC Kit costs $2000. In the absence of positive buzz, it's hard to convince someone to shell out that kind of money. It makes me wonder why Kevin doesn't put his gear in the hands of reviewers. Is that selling out? Are reviews dismissed on principle? I think most seasoned audiophiles take them with a grain of salt, but at least it gives us something to go on. The success of the W4S DAC1 and DAC2 seemed to be fueled by last year's 6 Moons review. That might be an over-simplification, but I don't think it's too far from the truth. I realize it's not fair to compare a kit with a finished product, but Kevin usually offers an assembled version for an extra fee. Then again, maybe he doesn't want to change his operation into a larger scale production. Maybe he likes it small and intimate. |