Yamamoto YDA 01 DAC

If you would like a primer or just some additional information on chip architecture this is good reading:

http://www.clarisonus.com/blog/?p=80#more-80

I own a DAC with the TDA 154x architecture, owned the Monarchy M24 mentioned in the article that used the PCM-63K, and now have 2 digital sources that use the PCM-1704. The latter 3 use a ladder type architecture. After listening to these sources and comparing them to others using sigma-delta chips, it's quite apparent as to the differences in presentation.

I was, and to an extent still am quite intrigued with the chip architecture of the Metrum. However, when push came to shove I decided to give the Resolution Audio Cantata a whirl. Given its price, I may revisit the Metrum at some point.

I was curious about the exact chip used and could never get an answer from Cees on that topic. Not sure why. Thanks for posting the information.

I`d expect the NOS R/2R Octave to be very organic and natural(which it is)but how does Mr. Yamamoto get equal organic character from this oversampling DAC?

Having both non-oversampling and oversampling digital sources which I enjoy, the answer in my opinion is because in the scheme of things, it's the overall design and not just the chip that determines the sound.

Yes Charles, I appreciated your observations. I guess my comment stems from the fact that we sometimes (myself being a guilt party, but I'm working on that) get caught up in the individual parts of a component rather than the overall design. I have no doubt based on his DAC, as well as other designs, that Mr. Yamamoto knows what he is doing.