Timbre TT1 DAC


Hi,
Does anybody owned or have expericence with the Timbre TT1 DAC. Can you give a small review?
Thanks,
Joe
jcb2000
Owned one for 4 yrs before going to single-box - only reason for change in $50K system. Musical, spacious, detailed, dark. Build quality exceptional. Aesthetic appearance exceptional. You won't be disappointed at $600-800. Tpsonic right about cable. I used an Illuminati and it sounded best after doing a 5 cable dig shoot out. A shame the company not around anymore. 1st class product. Has a phase inversion switch...nice.
Used to own one also. Very nice unit but a touch warm. Detail and transparency were not a strength. I also owned a Theta which I preferred slightly. I ended up with a Levinson which I found to be the most "neutral" and had the most transparency and detail. If you can buy one for $650, I would not hesitate as long as it's in good condition.
I was local to the company, and got to know the co-owners a bit. It seemed to be a synergistic relationship, one person was a technical guy, the other was a sales/marketing person. They had plans for a lot more than the DAC. By that, I mean power amp, preamp, speakers, subwoofers. The technical person had some ideas that seemed to really be a breath of fresh air, in a business that sometimes has too many "me too" companies. This was all about 10 years ago.

I was at the home of one, checking out his JSE Infinite Slope 2 loudspeakers. Both men were there, and they were truly very, very nice people. They were part of the Philadelphia Audiophile Society, and invited me to join the ranks. While listening to the system, I was bowled over by the sound. Never before did I hear digital with such realness. It was the closest feeling I have ever had that I was actually listening to analog. But, it was a CD player, running through their DAC. The smoothness and lack of "digititis" was hard to believe. I was extremely impressed.

As I said, this was about a decade ago, so I am not sure how I would react to the sound today. Please take all of this with the gigantic grain of salt that is. Would I still have the same awe? I cannot say. I will say that I would love the opportunity of finding out. And, if things were even 75% as good as I remember, and the price was good, I would definitely make a purchase. Be aware that the company has long since gone away, so service would be a consideration.

I have no idea whether there is any connection, but one of the owners lived in Gwynedd(Lower Gwynedd or Gwynedd Valley?), PA, which also happens to be the home base of Impact Technologies, a speaker company of some acclaim. Like I said, I have no idea if the same parties are involved, but I would at least ask. If on the off chance that it was the same guy, that might alleviate some of the downside of purchasing gear from a now defunct company.
This unit was one of a hand-full that I felt was really musical,while I worked at Salon 1 Audio in Wisconsin.It throws a large,airy soundstage with good detail and dynamics.It was a solid piece for $3000 new.You might want to make sure that it can be serviced,but at $649,it's a steal.Don't use an overly warm digital cable.It prefers a quick,lively interface.Good Luck!
I woned this DAC for a while. It's excellent, very warm, liquid, and musical. It also doesn't shortchange you on detail. Build quality is excellent. An all around super DAC, especially at used prices. I believe there's one on here now for 645, a steal. I only sold mine to downsize to one box.
EXCELLENT MUSICALITY. GOOD DETAIL AND DIMENSIONALITY. NOT THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY. A GOOD CHOICE IF PRICE IS RIGHT.