12-Jan-2018, 12:43
(This post was last modified: 12-Jan-2018, 12:45 by GuillaumeB.)
(11-Jan-2018, 23:49)ogs Wrote:(11-Jan-2018, 18:09)GuillaumeB Wrote: I find myself spending more time with the Absolare/Totaldac combo
Ah yes, the Totaldac. It is top notch isn't it? With a very good amp it is hard to beat properly made R2R DACs like Vincent's.
Completely different design philosophy and operation. As a result of the NOS (non-oversampling) architecture of the Totaldac there is some treble attenuation meaning that the highs are never fatiguing (although there is a FIR filter to achieve a flat frequency response which I hardly ever use tbh), at the same time I pick up a lot of additional detail in bass textures, instrument timbres and spatial information. Some of this is coming from the Absolare which is a hybrid tube/solid state amplifier, no doubt the 12AU7 tubes add to some of the "airiness" and body to the sound which is most pleasant, but it's a very good design which never lets the valve part overwhelm the sound.
I am hoping to borrow a few more DACs in the coming weeks to make some comparisons to the TD.
Anyway... the Od'A is still an outstanding piece of kit. And it's a hell of a lot more practical! I've really enjoyed it over the past couple of years (well almost 2 years now!). The units look brand new since they returned from the factory, not a blemish to be seen on them!
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
UK
