Eastern Electric's new tube DAC using ESS Sabre??

...I'll look for an opportunity to compare Redbook to Hi-Rez in a controlled test.

Good! I look forward to reading about your experiences.

i have several reference recording hi rez dvrs. the hi rez format seems to render timbre and space more like a live concert than its redbook counterpart. you can read my review on audiophilia.com .

I just got a new one last night and played it for a few hours. It is extremely nice, and definitely an increment over the SB Touch analog outs.
Art

Artmaltman, how would you compare it to your Cary CD player.

Ask me again Sunday evening. Comparing the EE Dac to my Cary 308T is one of my primary tasks for this weekend.

And how momentous this is!
Do I need a cd player from now on for my high end sound?

Alas my wifi has been very flakey recently so.... it may not just be a matter of sonics.

Based purely on memory, I'd say the EE Dac (prior to break-in) is incredibly natural sounding with deep tight bass, a lot of detail and good authority. It is a little more neutral than my Cary 308T tubed cd player, and more detailed, but a tad more mechanical sounding or etched in the treble. That could be a function of break-in or just what you get with neutrality.

Yes, based on my experience so far, it is going to be a horse race, and that is a very high complement to the EE DAC indeed.