musician aquarius r2r dac any good?

I forget to mention, my system consisted of Chord Qutest (will be replaced) -> MC220 ( Mcintosh Preamp) -> MC352 (power amp) - > b&w 805 d3s (speakers).

My Quest sounds fine, but I am looking for a more transparent sound with deeper and wider sound stage. The Qutest does not have that deep of sound stage.

@gladmo I am on the same boat as you buddy. My impression of the Aquarius all comes from internet review. What I am hoping for is landing some where between the Venus and the Terminator. That is why I picked up the Aquarius. I am also exploring the option of having Audio Note r2r. From what I heard they are also very good.

@soix 

I do not want to replace the Mcintosh gears because they match so well with my b&w speakers. I have tried other branches of amplifier and like none of them. My Chord is actually quite bright, but lack detail. I want a more transparent DAC, but not as bright as the Chord! I know it is hard to describe, but brightness and transparency are two different things

@soix about 40 inches from the front wall and 9 feet between the speakers

I also want to mention: My Macintosh system is capable of extracting very fine detail from a good recording. I found it out by borrowing a very expensive DCS Bartok DAC from my buddy. Of course, I have no money for that. But, I am looking for some DAC that can get close to the Bartok’ characteristic.

@auroravengeance yes, I agree Denafriqs and Musician are basically the same design, But different voicing though. Musician also use better part inside which is why I prefer the Musician. But, I imagine I would be more than happy with the May or Denafriqs.

@anzaanimalclinic You put word into my mouth! I would never compared the Aquarius to the Terminator. They are belonging to a different leagues. The Aquarius can only be compared to lower tier of Denafriqs DAC.

Having said that, have you ever heard the Terminator and the Aquarius in person?

@dubz thanks for the infor! how do you describe the sound of the Pegasus?

@tjag I have no issue with your problem 1 & 2. But #3 does worry me though. I do not know how the DAC will interact with my transport (window 10 machine).

My question is: why do you pick the terminator over the Aquarius if the terminator will be the slower DAC?

@gladmo The Pontus ii is very comparable to my current Hugo2, so for me it is more like a side way move rather than moving up the DAC ladder. In case you dont know, I am planning to use a DDC with my new Aquarius DAC, maximizing the i2s inputs.

@arafiq I am very nervous though. This is the first time I use r2r dac. I always use delta sigma DAC in my system, so I dont know what change I will introduce to my overall synergy.

@audphile1 I tried every filters on the Hugo2. The sound changed a little bit with each filter. Yet the soundstage stays the same, the transparency does changed a tiny bit, not increasing but decreasing.

I also tried the Hugo2 running on battery only, the transparency improved a little bit.

Like I said, the Hugo2 has reach its maximum capacity. It has become a bottleneck in my system. My need for a new DAC is real.

My Musician Aquarius just arrived today. I am burning it in right now. Will report back with the result.

@soix 

I am just hear it this afternoon after about 50 hours of burn-in

My first impression is: The Aquarius is a little bit smoother than the Hugo2 at the top end. Both DACs have approximately the same amount of transparency and refinement though.

The mid-range of the Aquarius is definitely better than the Hugo2. Much more focus and clearly defined vocal. The Chord Hugo2 is a little bit more blurry in comparison.

The bass of the Hugo2 is more punchy and more agile (which is what I expect from FPGA-D/S DAC) .

This is not the final result though. The burning process is still happening. 

@soix 

unfortunately, that is not what I am finding. The Aquarius is very close to the Hugo2 in term of soundstage depth and width. To be honest with you, it is very hard to beat the soundstage of a Chord even with r2r DAC.

The only DAC that can beat the soundstage of the Hugo2, that I know, is the Bartok

maybe the burns-in will improve it. Who know!

@charles1dad 

Thanks man.

The DAC is still being evaluated. It is definitely more relax than the Chord. But, the bass is not as fast as I used to though.

@soix The DDC is my project for next year, buddy. I am pretty sure the Phoenix DDC will improve the DAC further.

Food for thought, there is “Mercury Streamer” that is about to come out, converting ethernet directly to i2s. That product has the potential to destroy all DDC competition in the market. It is made in the USA as well.

@tjag 

Good suggestion, I will check out the Mano. I do not know a lot pf European product though.

My goal is still conventional DDC through USB connection, so it will be either the GAIA or the PHOENIX.

I have already known they come from the same designer. Where else can you buy this quality of r2r for this low price?

@tjag

@tjag 

i2s should be better than usb for sure. But, I am out of $$$$ for a good DDC now. Let’s wait for next year tax return season!!