Lab 12 DAC1 Special Edition

Oops,
https://hifipig.com/news-from-lab12/

@janehamble 
It seems jane is correct, HiFi Pig wrote about the Lab 12 in April 2014 after seeing it at the Newcomers to Munich High-End 2013 show. There was not much written on the lab 12 by HiFi Pig but the company was just getting started i think. I would like to find a used unit though for 500..   

Hey mahler123,

Just look up Mike Kay (Audio Archon) online for his phone number.  I live 30 miles from downtown Chicago and you are welcome to come hear at my house.  Just Email me through the GON system.

That’s some review (I’m new to this thread).  I live in Chicago and would love to hear it.  If the Audio Archon people are still reading this, let me know how to contact them

It’s really interesting to see this DAC has apparently been born again. Loads of great reviews from around 2013-14 when it first came out.  It probably didn’t get the attention it deserved back then but the current fad for NOS DACs has clearly given it a second chance, which is incredible for such a fast developing category. 
You’d have thought it would have been left behind with the passage of time but they must have got something very right, back then. The good news is that you might be able to find a 3-4 year old example  for next to nothing.  Snap one up, if you do.  From all the recents comments you can’t  go wrong if you can find one under, say, $500. 

Update...I had the wonderful opportunity and pleasure to listen to Jay’s Audio CDT2-Mk2 Transport and the Lab12 DAC1 SE combo in @teajay Terry London’s system which is anchored by the Tekton Ulfberth speakers.

For those of you considering the Lab12 DAC1 SE (or the Jay’s Audio Transport), both of which have been recently reviewed by @teajay over at hometheaterreview.com ....

Terry’s review of both of these components is on the mark!!!

I was not able to A/B vs equivalent components or audition the same in a different system, however, I can say with confidence, that should your music genres and preferences align or overlap with Terry’s you will likely be extremely pleased with their performance. At their price points, both are phenomenal buys.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DAC-TDA1543-NOS-8-0-DIR9001-tube-6DJ8-6922-/321993586576?_mwBanner=1&nm...                                                China made circuit board,just some different caps close to tube.

Fully balanced outputs would have been nice. Hate to throw a single ended DAC into a fully balanced system.  Cant wait to hear your feedback David. Nice post. 

Thanks
david_ten
LMK

Has anyone got any concrete information about whether or not this DAC has been improved in any meaningful way, since it was launched in 2013?  I'm not understanding how this is new. What am I missing here?

Looks like a very good design and 1541 and 1543 DAC are the best sounding (musicality) chips IMHO; stellar pricing for this level quality...

Wig

@grey9hound  @roxy54 

I should have a chance to listen to it in a couple of weeks. I'll report back, at that time.

I'm betting that the answer is no, because they are handmade, and coming from Greece.

Good question grey9hound.

@audioarchon
Is there a 30 day in home trial on the Lab12 Dac1 SE ?

David - Many thanks for posting the links!

Any Audiogon forum readers that have further questions or if located in the Chicago area would like to hear the Lab12 DAC1SE feel free to contact Audio Archon (Authorized Dealer) for more information.

Thanks!
Mike
Audio Archon - Authorized Dealer

david_ten,
I printed that review and read it last night while I was listening after you mentioned it in this post. I'm in the market for a DAC upgrade right now, and non-oversampling DACs are the only type I'm considering because they sound best to me. This one is really interesting for sure. Thanks for the heads-up.