Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD


Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp
Hi all. Sorry, was up in Tanglewood yesterday seeing the yearly Movie Soundtrck concert. John Williams was supposed to conduct but he developed back problems. It was amazing.

I went Friday and hear the Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate and the Avalon Isis. CU for the second time in a better room and with much better gear, Avalon Isis for the first time and setup in a private dedicated room with all top tear Spectral gear.

The CU pushed every button just right. The base was limitless, taught, clean, accurate, dynamic and with proper decay. Quite bluntly the best base I have heard, ever. The mids were magical, engaging and proper with a sense of texture and layering that only the Tenors have shown me. Complexity and subtlety at the same time. The highs are correct, extended, with no sense of harshness or shout. The soundstage was huge and very deep and imaging was accurate and it all Added up to a 3 dimensional experience. I really really liked them. They were accurate, without being hifi and musical without being warm or colored.

The Isis were, quite simply, too big for the room they were in and for my room as well. The Time would have been a much better model choice for my needs and for the room size. But what I heard impressed me in many ways and taught me much at the same time. I thought the 60" pulled the image too high and it felt awkward and unnatural, especially hearing the piano floating 3' above the floor. The tone was proper enjoyable but the 1" diamond tweeter struggled to extend without losing its magic and the twin massive woofers overwhelmed the room and were a bit tubby and lacked a sense of pace and rhythm. I think that was both room and equipment related though. The image was a bit far back for my tastes. I was frequently impressed by its scale and specific attributes I heard, but not once truly engaged and lost in the moment. I have heard the Time is a tad more revealing then the Isis, and I truly wish I had heard those as well. But extrapolating the Isis to the Time, with a similar driver complement but smaller in scale, I can get a pretty good idea of what they are all about.

The Avalon and Coltrane Tenor use similar drivers in a similar configuration and, to my ears, represent similar goals and styles. I preferred why the Coltranes do.

I will speak with Bob this coming week to get my ears on the Goldmund to give you guys and myself an opinion.
I also am trying to arrange an in home audition for the T&F Isis and maybe the PMC as well.

I was practically mesmerized by the Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate though. And it has catapulted to #1 by a pretty nice margin.
I am not surprised Matt. The Esotar is my favorite tweeter and that speaker is time and phase aligned which always makes music. Are you sure its not too much speaker for your room? It extends down the 17Hz and is big....?
I heard them in a completely untreated 17x20 room with 8' ceilings. And they sounded fan-dam-tastic!

They are a modified bottom port/isobaric design and are very very room friendly. 17" wide and 25" deep. I think they will be ok. Not as petite at the Tenors. I'll let you know since I arranged a trade for my MM3's plus some cash for a pristine pair. I'm hoping they will be here within 2 weeks.

Then I can A/B them directly with the T&F Isis and the PMC MB2. I have to say that if they sound as good as they did when I last heard them, I may make the official decision to not even try the Isis or BM2. We shall see.

But this could be the one.
I forgot to mention that the 6 drivers integrated better then anything I have ever heard. From ultra bottom to uber top they were seamless. Truly seamless. It sounded like a single driver speaker. And no, that strange upside down driver configuration does not drag the image down. It's right where it's supposed to be and sounds incredible....
That sounds good Matt. I love their drivers, and a lot of peeps seem to like that bad boy speaker. I think your journey may be done (other than hearing the Isis). In an ideal world, it would be fun to own both! The Trenner stuff is designed for normal living spaces.

I used to be a fan of the show "Pimp My Ride," and if you are familiar with it, the rapper Xzibit would always make the proclamation "you have officially been pimped" after they finished with their car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUPQ1t-0o8o

I think that is you finally. You have been pimped....