Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Matt.. New review of the DirectStream. They LOVE it on redbook :-) http://bitperfectsound.blogspot.ca/2014/05/directstream-i.html

OK. First impressions.

I think everyone knows my system. If not, check out my Virtual System, I am pretty sure it's current.

Thanks to Merrill of Merrill Audio for lending me a pair of his 2 meter single ended and balanced interconnects to compare dac's with as little variation as possible.

I use a variety of songs (preset list on Amara)including pop, rock, classical, broadway, movie soundtrack, jazz and blues. About 28 songs total; but I don't listen to the whole song sometimes.

To me, the gold standard is to forget I'm listening critically and get lost in the music. I will point out hifi characteristics, but my final choice will be the one that makes music the best IN MY SYSTEM, TO MY EARS. Take what I say with a grain of salt as I am not a professional reviewer.

Aeris vs. Big 6:

I am trying to give each unit the best chance possible, so burn in is very important. My Big6 has plenty of time on it, so that's cooked. As I started to listent to the Aeris it became apparent very quickly that it is younger then I thought it would be. I think the last owner didn't use it that much. I am waiting to get a number from him to know for sure, but I am pretty sure it needs a lot more cooking...

Jeff Rowland is well known to require almost 1000 hours to really sound it's best. I started cooking the Aeris today. I'm hoping its got at least a few hundred hours on it, but it doesn't sound like it does yet (or it's not as good as I thought it was going to be). So all of my comments are made on what I am assuming is an not yet burned in Aeris. Please keep that in mind. I will continue to offer comments as it burns in.

Frist impressions:

The Big6 is clearly hand built. The front plate is nicely finished and looks professional. The box is wood and the top is acrylic, all well put together. The point to point is well executed and the tubes are well seated; it's built with passion and love, but NOT built in a high tech facility. I was surprised how light it was.

The Aeris is heavy ! It weighs as much as a VW Beetle and is built like a Breguet watch (and is just as beautiful). The external power supply is equally heavy and well built. It looks as if it were built in the MacLaren or Ferrari plant.

Not that any of that really matters. But it does suggest reliability.

The Aeris locked in the moment I hooked it up (USB only)and worked flawlessly. It took a bit of figuring out to get the Big 6 to work. That may just be due to the fact that the Big 6 came first; I think I needed to figure out the order of USB plug, close Amarra, re-assign USB output, and re-open Amarra. I'll find out when I hook the Big 6 back in again if that protocol works or it needs some fenagling.

The Big 6 is what everyone says it is. It stomped on my PS Audio PWII, chewed it up and spit out transistors and copper. From the moment I turned it on, music poured from my speakers. I could have stopped the shoot-out before it even started. With this design I found no limits on top or bottom end. The highs flowed with no sibilence, brightness or restrictions; very musical and engaging. The lows were surprisingly extended, reaching even lower then the PS PWII although I think there was a teeny bit of unbridled power down there; the reigns were held but not as tightly as with the Aeris.

Mids were magic, as you would expect. Not colored. Not dark. Not warm. Just right. Female vocals were simply stunning and deep male voices resonated just right. The only style of music it struggled with was pop/electronic. it seamed to lose a bit of grip with a complex drum kit rhythm, synthesizers blaring and electric guitar jamming. But with more classic Rock it came right back in line. Jazz, Blues, etc were equally wonderful and engaging. I forgot I was listening several times and cauhght myself tapping and singing along, eyes closed, lost in the music. Classical was defined and expansive, with nice dynamics (although not what the Aeris provided from a dynamic standpoint).

The Big 6 had a wider soundstage but the Aeris's was deeper. Big 6 put every instrument and performer where it belonged and defined it nicely. I could use a laser pointer to identify performers with the Aeris. The Big 6 threw sound outside the speakers, the Aeris did not.

I used the stock tubes with the Big 6 to be fair, although I have heard that it just gets better once swapping tubes (and I have a few to play with).

The Aeris was the picture of accuracy. Highs were extended, but bright at times and mid's had an added presence, almost like a reverb to be honest. Lows were tight, very well controlled. There was music for certain, but something was in the way; like eating pasta thats just a bit harder/less cooked then Al-Dente.

This DAC is the reference for my feiend Guido Corona who is a self-proclaimed Rowland groupie, but has a great ear that I have learned to trust over time; and he IS a professional reviewer. With his urging to hear the Aeris, I have to assume that my Aeris is young and will grow into something special. I WANT to like the Aeris. But what I heard was more Hi-Fi and less Music. Considering the multitude of top notch reviews about the Aeris, I have to assume it needs more time to show it's true colors.

if I had to chose now, the choice would be obvious. But I don't (since I own both of them) and I want to give myself and you all a true comparison. So I'm running Sirius Sat through the computer via USB to the Aeris and I'll let it simmer for a week or two. Hopefully the previous owner can get back to me and tell me how much time it has on it.

Let me know if there are any questions.

OK, let the criticism begin!!! lol....

I wish the Phasure NOS1a (current model) is part of this shootout considering the older version (NOS1) replaced the followign according to the Phasure site, and I am not even sure if this list is up to date.

Emm Labs CDSD SE/DCC2 SE
Emm Labs (various types)
MSB Gold Link III
Empirical Audio Offramp 4/Overdrive
Empirical Audio (various types)
Audio Note (various types)
Metric Halo LIO-8
Berkely Alpha DAC
TwinDAC+
CrazyT
Pacific Microsonics Model I
Pacific Microsonics Model II
DACMagic 2
Wired4Sound DAC2
Weiss Minerva
Weiss Medea
Weiss Medea+
Weiss (various types)
dCS Delius / Purcell (?)
dCS (various types)
Ayre QB-9
DAD AX24
PSAudio Perfect Wave
PSAudio Perfect Wave MKII
Twisted Pear Buffalo I
Twisted Pear Buffalo II
CEC TL51 CD transport / AudioMagic
Altmann DAC
Cantatis Ouverture 24/192
Bryston BDA-1
Lampizator L5 with DSD

4orreal - sorry. There are dozens of DAC's. If anyone wants to send me a DAC to add to the shoutout, feel free.

I have already been contacted by one small manufacturer to get his product in my shoutout. I'm happy to listen if anyone wants, but opinions will be honest and unrestricted....

I chose the small list for my specific needs, from opinions and suggestions from you guys and reviews in print and on-line. I am confident I will find a keeper.

And no, I haven't called John at Audio Connection yet. I've been bad. I will though, I swear.

Mattnshilp: as I posted here, if you are using the stock tubes, you're in for a shocker if you try the National Union VT-99.