Review on Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC

So, I'm thinking if I bought an all in one box CD/SACD player I could utilize its internal SACD dac via the analog outputs directly into my line stage and then just output the redbook signal via coax into the Aero.

@no_regrets Unless SACDs are a large portion of your library I think this approach could make sense.  If that’s the case maybe get a nice Marantz player for SACDs and run its digital out to a DDC like a Denafrips Hermes into the LTA — the DDC will turn the Marantz into a much better transport.  Just one thought. 

From what I understand, it currently is quite difficult to get one at this time though. So, right now I'm looking at one of the Jay's Audio transports or maybe the CEC TL-2N dual belt drive transport. I'm just in the very beginning stages right now, so I am remaining very open to ideas

@no_regrets There have been several here who’ve had problems with the Pro-Ject transport, and when there’s an excellent option from Jay’s I see no reason to deal with that.  The new TEAC transport has gotten excellent reviews as well but no idea of its reliability.  Personally I’d go with Jay’s no question.  Hope this helps. 

I think I will just start out with using my Rotel as a transport for the Aero and see how that sounds.  Hopefully it will work well, if not, I will just continue saving until I can afford a dedicated one. 

@no_regrets  Sounds like a good/reasonable plan, and I’m sure your Rotel will sound fine as a transport but just don’t skimp on the digital cable because it makes a big difference (sorry if I’m beating a dead horse here).  Love to hear your thoughts once you get things up and running. 

But how does the LTA Aero sound when using the Coax input vs the other types?

If you’re not going to streaming there’s only SPDIF and optical, so there’s really not much choice there.  Why LTA chose not to add AES or HDMI inputs at this price level is a mystery to me and a significant shortcoming IMHO. 

@no_regrets  I also have a full loom of AZ cables, and the last one I added was their MC2 digital interconnect, and if you like the AZ house sound this one is a no brainer — read the reviews as they’re pretty spot on.  Here’s a nice one you should be able to get for $300 if it’s still available as it’s been on the market for a while.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649210067-acoustic-zen-mc2-digital-cable/

And while I agree your Rotel will work as a transport, transports matter and make a big difference so at the level of your system I’d look to upgrade that if CDs are important.  You could consider adding a DDC like the Denafrips Hermes that would likely up the Rotel’s performance significantly, or you could go to something like a Jay’s Audio CDT2 Mk3.  If CDs are important and you’re not gonna go to streaming I’d definitely do one or the other because the Rotel will likely be a bottleneck.  Hope this helps, or best of luck. 

From the way it reads, not at the level of Merason

@wig  Where did you get that from?  He only mentioned the LAiV Harmony and totaldac d1 in the review and no mention of the Merason that I saw.

Is this unusual for a manufacturer to standardly burn-in their units? What about units headed for reviewers?

@lpretiring  In my experience it’s not the norm for a manufacturer to pre burn in their products, but it’s sure nice when they do and good on LTA for going the extra mile (it also has the added benefit of reducing the chance of sending out defective products off the line, which is nice).  When I was reviewing I always knew if a product was new and needed breaking in or not and proceeded accordingly, and any reputable reviewer would do the same.  The value of reviewing a new product not broken in or used in previous reviews is that you can give readers an idea of how long it takes for it to start sounding its best along with the degree and type of change in sound that can be expected, which is nice to know upfront if you’re buying new.  For that reason, in my reviews at the end of the product description section I always included details on the break-in process if applicable.  That said, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if many of the yahoos out there producing video “reviews” on YouTube, etc. pay no mind to it and just fire out their crap regardless of whether a product is broken in or not either because they don’t know any better or don’t care and just wanna crank out reviews as quickly as possible to boost revenue.  Anyway, just my $0.02 FWIW.

This is a DAC I’d be very interested in and look forward to the review, but I agree that lack of both i2S and AES/EBU inputs is to say the least curious at this price level.  Not sure what they were thinking here unless they’re planning on a higher-level DAC that includes these inputs, but still.