I broke down and bought the Decco last week. Sight unseen and unheard. Tons of options and versatility here.
I've been thinking of going to an all hard drive front end for a long time now. It looks like this is the time, considering the $800 price-tag, I thought it was worth the risk. I'm using it as a usb dac/pre. Right out of the box, it sounded pretty good. Much improved texture in vocals, front to back sound staging, and life like reproduction of cymbals. On the other hand, It lacked detail and seemed a little flat at first. I've been using a passive pre for a long time.
Well, its been burning in for 5 days straight (they recommend 200 hours burn in time) and its really starting to open up. My speakers have completely disappeared. Imaging and separation have improved drastically. I'm not exaggerating when I say this . . . A couple of times (Dark Side of the Moon, Dire Straits), half way through a recording, I thought I had to get up and flip over the record like the old days. I've listened to those albums so many times, I guess the sound quality brought back some old memories. LOL. It reminds me so much of my old (way back) vinyl set up.
So far, I feel like its a steal at this price. I haven't even used the amp section yet, which I've been told, is its strength. I will try it later, I'm sure.
I can't wait to see how it improves as it is fully burned in.
Oh yeah, the build quality is heavy and solid. Its pretty cool looking, too. Packaging is first class.
I will answer my own question. Yes, it does belong in a high end system. Mine at least.
I've been thinking of going to an all hard drive front end for a long time now. It looks like this is the time, considering the $800 price-tag, I thought it was worth the risk. I'm using it as a usb dac/pre. Right out of the box, it sounded pretty good. Much improved texture in vocals, front to back sound staging, and life like reproduction of cymbals. On the other hand, It lacked detail and seemed a little flat at first. I've been using a passive pre for a long time.
Well, its been burning in for 5 days straight (they recommend 200 hours burn in time) and its really starting to open up. My speakers have completely disappeared. Imaging and separation have improved drastically. I'm not exaggerating when I say this . . . A couple of times (Dark Side of the Moon, Dire Straits), half way through a recording, I thought I had to get up and flip over the record like the old days. I've listened to those albums so many times, I guess the sound quality brought back some old memories. LOL. It reminds me so much of my old (way back) vinyl set up.
So far, I feel like its a steal at this price. I haven't even used the amp section yet, which I've been told, is its strength. I will try it later, I'm sure.
I can't wait to see how it improves as it is fully burned in.
Oh yeah, the build quality is heavy and solid. Its pretty cool looking, too. Packaging is first class.
I will answer my own question. Yes, it does belong in a high end system. Mine at least.