2. digital
  3. 190709-3787

Review on Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC

Hey Gon members,

I just submitted to Stereo Times my review on the new ,and the first, DAC that Linear Tube Audio has just released. For right now I would strongly suggest anyone in the market for a stand alone DAC, regardless of price, consider the Aero. Its build quality, R2R chip set, power supply, internal part selection and the tube based ZOTL analog conversion section leads to one of the most musical and analog type presentations I have heard in the last ten years. Not inexpensive at $3,950, but competes with my reference which sells for $10,000 more. You get a 14 day home . trial. So far no one has returned the Aero after hearing in their system. I go into many details about the Aero in my review, but wanted to give a heads-up for anyone considering a DAC purchase. I believe the Aero is a break through product based on price vs. performance. I'll let you know when the review goes up. Hopefully in the next ten days.

 

Terajay (Terry London)

teajay
teajay OP
1,691 posts
 

Hey soix,

Totally agree with you, if Don likes AZ cables, the AZ MC2 would be a great addition.

Of course CD transports make a difference regarding the performance of the DAC they are driving. I consider myself some what of a connoisseur regarding transports. I do not stream, so all my DACs are driven by CD transports. Here's a list of what I have in my collection of spinners:

1) Mark Levinson 31.5 2) CEC two belt T-3,3) Pro-Ject reference with LTA upgraded power supply, 4) Jays Audio MKIII.

I also just had in for review Bricasti's new 10K transport. So when I suggested to Don that his Rotel would suffice to drive the Aero, I did not mean that it would get the ultimate performance out of it, but good enough to still hear what the Aero has to offer. By the way, the best performance I get in my system, regardless of the DAC, is the combination of the Mark Levinson with Jena Cables reference digital cable.  

 

drvinyl01's avatar
drvinyl01
34 posts
 

Even Dr Vinyl likes this digital.

sense63
54 posts
 

I have owned the Merason DAC 1, Mk ll and even though it’s a fine sounding unit, the Aero is a significant step up.  The best way I can describe the difference is the Merason puts you in front of a very good system and the Aero puts you at the live event.  I also own the newest Linn DAC/streamer/preamp (a significant price difference) and the Aero DAC is right there sonically and in some ways does a few things better.  Will I give up my Linn?  Nope, but it’s great to have two wonderful sounding DAC’s at the same time. I do think the Linn has advantages as well, especially with their streamer and preamp built in.  
 

I agree with teajay regarding price vs performance.  The Aero is a home run for the price.

markmuse
285 posts
 

@drvinyl01 Ha ha! +1

no_regrets
525 posts
 

@soix 

I wonder if you or anyone else has had the opportunity to compare the Acoustic Zen MC2 with the Absolute Copper Foil 75 Ohm digital RCA cable?

Is there difference in sound characteristics between using 110 Ohm vs the 75 Ohm RCA cables?

Does anyone like the sound of any other RCA digital cables better than the AZ for similar prices?

Thank you!

Don

More to discover