Opinions on Audio Logic tube Dacs

I have a 34 which was upgraded to 2400. I think the main difference between mine and a new 2400 has to do with front displays and automatic signal selection.

I think the main difference between the 34 and the 2400 is that the 2400 is full 24/96, with upsampling. I'm not really sure what the original 34 was.

I have not compared the 2400 to other top DACs. All I know is that it stands up well against my Basis 2500/Graham Nightingale/Rowland Cadence front end, and leaves me no desire to upgrade to SACD while the format's future is so uncertain.

I kink of laugh ever time I hear someone say that redbook CD is not a good high end medium. They cannot possibly have ever heard an Audiologic 2400, because the music it can produce from a well recorded CD is stunning.

Yes, they still make the 2400. This is Jerry Ozment's company. The 34 (which is quite similar to the Jadis DAC but uses a solid state power supply and better quality caps, among other things) was the model before the 2400, which can decode 24 bit/96khz signal. The 34 can be brought up to current specs, which includes the new chips, a little different tube biasing and other goodies. I had that done to my Model 34.

As has been apparent from my posts in the past, I'm a big fan of this DAC, I've owned one of the prototypes I got used when I got my Forsell transport and my current upgraded 34 for over 8 years, I guess. It has an aliveness to it and dimensionality that makes most other DACs I've heard sound sterile and two-dimensional to me in contrast. Also highly musical; one of the only DACs I can listen to in the same session with vinyl and not have a big letdown. There are DACs which may get a little more detail or slightly deeper, tighter bass (in this latter regard the 2400 is a big step up from the 34), but I really haven't heard anything out there from dCS, Levinson, Krell, ARC or others that has made me want to sell my unit.

My main digital rig is the Burmester 979/980 I also own the 2400 and when I take out the 980 and put in the 2400 there isn't a big difference. I consider this high praise for the 2400 which is one of the very best dacs I have heard or used.