Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

I own Vapor Joule Black. Replaced Von Schweikert VR4jr in my system. These are the pair that Vapor showed at RMAF 2014. I heard Salk Soundscape 8 at RMAF 2013 but they didn't do it for me. Then I heard Vapor Nimbus at the same show which led me to talking to Ryan Scott and deciding on the Joule. The build was completed shortly before RMAF so I agreed to let them be shown (also got some hours on them).

Don P.

Phasure Dac Nos1A uses BB1704 (8 in total) and the computer up samples all to 784hz and does all the filtering in the digital domain.

Apparently it beats all the other R2Rs above according to their owners and one of them SOLD his PM2 Dac as the Phasure in his word totally thrashed it.

None of these Dacs play DSD in raw form.

I have also read some credible sources that said the PM2 was a MUCH better ADC than a Dac. Myth and lore aside.

Matt, contact me via PM at Audiocircle, compaudiophile or audiocircle and I can email you the pdf of the full UHF magazine review of the Kithara. (I have the print issue)

Nothing near it price will equal it, IMHO.

http://www.uhfmag.com/Issue59/Kithara.html

From a "for sale" online advert:

For sale here is a pair of the Oskar Kithara speakers, featuring the Heil AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeter, a completely design from ordinary dynamic tweeters. Not only does the Heil AMT have a huge frequency range - from 700 Hz to 23,000 Hz (!!), so no cross-over in the critical and easy-to-hear range - the highs are clear and non-fatiguing, unlike the many ear-bleed inducing metal tweeters in use nowadays. The up-firing 10" woofer provides all the bass you'll need
Set-up properly, these speakers image like crazy and provide full range sound, and with an efficiency rating of 94dB, you don't need a lot of power to operate them.
To quote Gerard Rejskind at UHF magazine in their review of the Kithara:
"This is a loudspeaker that any of the world's great speaker designers could point to with pride. Its highs and midrange are topped by only a few, very expensive speakers. Its bottom end is solid and more then generous. It will run with nearly any amplifier. It can work even in large rooms. It has a killer image. Is there anything on your list that I've left out? I have a feeling that if this speaker is ever produced in large numbers, its price will have to rise. At the moment it's absurdly cheap. That's what I'm telling my friends."

I had a lengthy conversation with one of the U.S. Dealers of the Kithara. He told me that the low frequency extension is disappointing at best and there are many higher end speakers that outperform the Kithara in every way. He also said that the speaker is getting more expensive to import and hard to sell at higher then it's $6k retail price. The search continues....

The bassplate corrects the Low end deficiency and there are no US dealers anymore. United Home stopped carrying them in favour of the far more expensive MSB and TriCell of Toronto is the distributor.

Try to listen for yourself, as I may work in your room as described.

If you read the blurb, $7K is a bargain. Perhaps its not a WISE sale for dealers, as they make more with other brands/models?

It has very little WAF and that restricts sales.

There is a story of a guy here who know his wife would hate it, but he loved the sound and sent her off on an expensive vacation. During that time he bought a pair and when she got back, he told her the return period expired and they wouldn't take it back. LoL

For a dedicated listening room, you dont need much WAF.