Its always amusing to read this type optimistic responses, it seems that some people are willing to go to any lenghts before accepting the obvious, which is a famous brand product has limitations.
I've owned several AN DACs in the past, none of them had true deep bass and the DACs had two distinct characters. Some like the 3 warm, slightly wooly and homogenized sound, soft bass and top end but musical in nature. Others like the 5 were apparently more detailed but had a hard midrange, rendering it a lot less musical than the warmer, woolier sound of their other DACs. Yes the bass was louder but not necessarily more detailed.
Sure, a good rack helps any equipment but footers are a different story. I've found every footer that I tried to add a distinct character to the over sound which in time becomes boring and montonous. All metal footers, whether, roller ball, points, cones, etc., impart the same sonic signature to equipment. Its a harder thinner sound with a more hifi bass, ie; no detail, warmth or girth like the real instrument, and harder top end. The mids suffer the most. From this point on every piece of music that you'd play will sound almost exactly the same. The DH cones have a different character but its of the additive nature also.
I know my opinion will be unpopular with many people here, but this is my experience, take it or reject it for its worth.
rgds, Mama
I've owned several AN DACs in the past, none of them had true deep bass and the DACs had two distinct characters. Some like the 3 warm, slightly wooly and homogenized sound, soft bass and top end but musical in nature. Others like the 5 were apparently more detailed but had a hard midrange, rendering it a lot less musical than the warmer, woolier sound of their other DACs. Yes the bass was louder but not necessarily more detailed.
Sure, a good rack helps any equipment but footers are a different story. I've found every footer that I tried to add a distinct character to the over sound which in time becomes boring and montonous. All metal footers, whether, roller ball, points, cones, etc., impart the same sonic signature to equipment. Its a harder thinner sound with a more hifi bass, ie; no detail, warmth or girth like the real instrument, and harder top end. The mids suffer the most. From this point on every piece of music that you'd play will sound almost exactly the same. The DH cones have a different character but its of the additive nature also.
I know my opinion will be unpopular with many people here, but this is my experience, take it or reject it for its worth.
rgds, Mama