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Opinion on audio note kit dac 5.1 or 4.1

Hi Guys

Happened to chance upon a audio note kits dac, and their dac 4.1 and 5.1 looks really interesting!
Have never heard them in person before, but their specifications look pretty good!
Have any of you heard them before, and what kind of sound characteristics do they impart? (in terms of sound stage, musicality/sweetness, smoothness, warmth/brightness etc)
What system do you play them in and how would you compare them with other dacs you have owned?

Thanks!
thegreenman
clio09
3,346 posts
 
I built the 4.1x recently and it displaced my Lessloss DAC 2000 MkII in my system. The Lessloss was in my system for 13 years, so to me it was an excellent DAC using one of the best DAC chips ever and implementing it well in the circuit.

The 4.1x just adds more of what the Lessloss gave me. I don't listen to hi-res very much (maybe some 24/96 files) so 16/44.1 works fine for me. I find the 4.1x to be very smooth and natural sounding. It is extremely quiet as well for a tube DAC. I think what makes the unit special is not so much the DAC chip, but the use of transformers for the I/V conversion and the transformer coupled output. So no opamps and no capacitor coupled output.
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,193 posts
 
I demo'ed a 3.1 in my system for a few days.  Nice sound... smooth and warm, but not as good as my previous DAC Luxman (DA-06) and current DAC (Audio Aero Capitol Reference).  Could be a synergy thing, as I could see the Audio Note being a good fit for a bright or thin sounding system.
jbrrp1
423 posts
 
I built an AN Kits 4.1LE some years back, subbing in some VH Audio Copper/Teflon caps.  It sounds much like others have described.  Decent detail, but certainly not digging in as deeply as my Lampi Pacific.  Warmer, rounder, kinder to the music - - just a pure joy to listen to in my second system.  More "analog" sounding than a lot of ss DACS.  It does respond to different tubes, to be sure, and really likes a rectifier upgrade.  I think its a pretty good DAC for the money, if your systems needs a source that is not "in your face" - - then it's a good match.
thegreenman OP
44 posts
 
Hi guys,

Thanks so much for your input! 2 questions:
1. What source/cable were you using? CD player? Computer? Streamer? Any issues with connectivity?
2. What do you feel about the soundstage?

Thanks!
thegreenman OP
44 posts
 
Hi Jbrrp

Wow you own one of my grail dacs the lampi pacific! How many % would the ANK dac 4.1 be compared to your pacific? In terms of soundstage how does it compare?

You also mentioned a rectifier upgrade. What did you use in the end that sounded good? With what tubes? Ecc99?

Thanks!


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