Nice,I’m still amazed by my Denafrips Ares DAC …there’s something to be said about spending a little more on your DAC ..as it lifts up the entire system.
I saw Steve’s video on this one. There is only one component that I want that is not in my budget and this is it. I will have to settle for a Cyan 2 which works just fine but it is not this. Looking forward to your full review.
@@abxaudiophiles for the money it pays dividends in trickle down technology from higher tier models, maximum build simplicity, and no filters for NOS. All makes sense to me.
Nice but how would it compare to the LAiV Harmony dac that is now the new benchmark for it's price. Okay give me a lampizatior dac when i win the lottory but will it stand up this one?
@@GentielioGaming - Oh, we all do for sure. I just thinks it's funny we act like any of it actually has any real value or meaning. I am just sharing my experiences. I mean, what committee got together and decided that the "Harmony" was the bar to meet at the price point? HA, love it .. Such a funny game.
The LTA DAC is not an R to R DAC. It does have a ladder but it is on Analog Devices chip. For any DAC to be classified as R to R it needs have a resistor ladder on a printed board and not on a chip. Chip based DACs whether they are Delta Sigma noise shaping or 16 to 24 bit Ladder on a silicone chip, or FPGA will always perform better than a resistor ladder on a printed circuit board. I have heard the LTA DAC and it is an exceptional performing DAC. It is a 24 bit ladder DAC that is 192K. R to R DACs have a very high digital distortion or jitter as the electrical paths on a printed circuit board of resistors because the distance between the resistors are much further apart than on a chip. The digital signal must travel further on a R to R DAC. The Analog Device AD1865 is a very high performance ladder based DAC chip. Almost all silicon chips are resistor based just in a much smaller and faster fashion. For LTA to call their DAC an R to R DAC is wrong. The LTA DAC to my ears is a better sounding DAC than any of the MSB, Denafrips, Holo and other resistor DACs. At some point the R to R on a printed circuit board fad will go away. We should celebrate good sounding digital as it is and not try to make digital sound like analog as we should not try to make analog sound digital.
Can you be more specific about one aspect pleas? R2R is a type of technology that needs to be always on. Tubes on the other hand Need to be turned on and off. Even when the burning in process involves powering on and off cycles. Does this DAC turn off just the tube stage and keeps the R2R always running? Also if you please, I am not familiar with the bramd but I do look for a dac to upgrade my Qtest, is this DAC madi in USA? I would like very much to avoid any product made in China. Thank you.
Wow... after dealing with some decidedly non audiophile issues the past few months, I'm researching an upgrade to my Bryston streamer/Oppo 205 DAC again. I literally I just asked Nicholas this very question because with no remote it makes it very inconvenient to manually turn on and off tube products. If you read the manual it says it's "meant to be left on indefinitely" but I thought that meant powering on and off each session with the front panel button but leaving the standby switch on the back on. But Nicholas stated that it is meant to stay on PERIOD at all times because these tubes are very low power--that would be very good news because tubes always sound better when they're warmed up. They do have a one year warranty so I may just take him up on that... plus LTA offers an in-home trial which is a rarity as well for a boutique product. And to the person who mentioned how could they call this a ladder R2R DAC when it has a chip...i was wondering the same thing :)
Is it in the sane price range as mid toer r2r Denafrips venus II-12th ? And can this thing beat venus in realism and sraging ??? I have my doubts. But i want to be oroven wrong. Stikl looking sone a dac in same eange better than Venus .
hi. i see you’re using WBC 2549 Mogami into XLR cables. while i do like my WBC 2549 Mogami into RCA, I love my Cardas Parsec RCA making music more realistic. source =Apple Music lossless
We more units like this I built my own for around $300 that does Optical,Coax,Tube Analog OUT with a Volumio Integrated Steamer , watching you do that PS Audio Regen repair U R up 2 It take about 3 hours
Wall to Wall Soundstage with proper height and life-size dimensions and depth, instruments and voices real and accurate. Just like Alan Blumlein set out for stereo to be in 1929 when he invented and later when his demo used 3 baby grands and you could hear each one play and point to them in the Soundstage. It does not take $1,000,000 to get
Nice,I’m still amazed by my Denafrips Ares DAC …there’s something to be said about spending a little more on your DAC ..as it lifts up the entire system.
Totally Agree. 👍🏼
Have a great weekend 🍻🌮
Look forward to the full perspective on this one.
@@adsph me too. 😊😊
Wow, how do you do it. That was Brilliant, told us everything we needed to know. My hat has been well and truly removed.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks James
Heck yea.
I’m seriously thinking this will be my next dac
It is a fine option.. ;) Heard it in three rooms at the audio show last weekend. Good stuff
“New gear bias”. I’ve wasted a lot of money in the past because of this phenomenon
As long as we are aware of it and give it time to dissolve, we win every time.. ;)
Nice. 🐻
Thanks 😁
Can I borrow it? Seriously, nice unit.
Interested to see this utilization of the AD1865 chip.
Yea, pretty cool. They did a really nice job
I saw Steve’s video on this one.
There is only one component that I want that is not in my budget and this is it.
I will have to settle for a Cyan 2 which works just fine but it is not this.
Looking forward to your full review.
@@middleearthltd I have the Cyan 2 in house right now. Fantastic DAC!! 😊😊
@@abxaudiophiles a comparo would be nice!
@@net_news
You know it. 👌
@@abxaudiophiles for the money it pays dividends in trickle down technology from higher tier models, maximum build simplicity, and no filters for NOS. All makes sense to me.
Nice but how would it compare to the LAiV Harmony dac that is now the new benchmark for it's price. Okay give me a lampizatior dac when i win the lottory but will it stand up this one?
Interesting that it just becomes the "Benchmark" dac for its price! HA, Who makes this shit up?? HAHAHA
@@abxaudiophiles Everybody except you makes shit up,👍
@@GentielioGaming - Oh, we all do for sure. I just thinks it's funny we act like any of it actually has any real value or meaning. I am just sharing my experiences. I mean, what committee got together and decided that the "Harmony" was the bar to meet at the price point? HA, love it .. Such a funny game.
The LTA DAC is not an R to R DAC. It does have a ladder but it is on Analog Devices chip. For any DAC to be classified as R to R it needs have a resistor ladder on a printed board and not on a chip. Chip based DACs whether they are Delta Sigma noise shaping or 16 to 24 bit Ladder on a silicone chip, or FPGA will always perform better than a resistor ladder on a printed circuit board. I have heard the LTA DAC and it is an exceptional performing DAC. It is a 24 bit ladder DAC that is 192K. R to R DACs have a very high digital distortion or jitter as the electrical paths on a printed circuit board of resistors because the distance between the resistors are much further apart than on a chip. The digital signal must travel further on a R to R DAC. The Analog Device AD1865 is a very high performance ladder based DAC chip. Almost all silicon chips are resistor based just in a much smaller and faster fashion. For LTA to call their DAC an R to R DAC is wrong. The LTA DAC to my ears is a better sounding DAC than any of the MSB, Denafrips, Holo and other resistor DACs. At some point the R to R on a printed circuit board fad will go away. We should celebrate good sounding digital as it is and not try to make digital sound like analog as we should not try to make analog sound digital.
Good info. 👌
TDA1541A is also great, and it’s pretty small chip.
Can you be more specific about one aspect pleas? R2R is a type of technology that needs to be always on. Tubes on the other hand Need to be turned on and off. Even when the burning in process involves powering on and off cycles. Does this DAC turn off just the tube stage and keeps the R2R always running? Also if you please, I am not familiar with the bramd but I do look for a dac to upgrade my Qtest, is this DAC madi in USA? I would like very much to avoid any product made in China. Thank you.
Should have all info here - www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/aero-dac-digital-analog-converter
Made in the USA: Designed and built in our Takoma Park, MD workshop
Wow... after dealing with some decidedly non audiophile issues the past few months, I'm researching an upgrade to my Bryston streamer/Oppo 205 DAC again. I literally I just asked Nicholas this very question because with no remote it makes it very inconvenient to manually turn on and off tube products. If you read the manual it says it's "meant to be left on indefinitely" but I thought that meant powering on and off each session with the front panel button but leaving the standby switch on the back on. But Nicholas stated that it is meant to stay on PERIOD at all times because these tubes are very low power--that would be very good news because tubes always sound better when they're warmed up. They do have a one year warranty so I may just take him up on that... plus LTA offers an in-home trial which is a rarity as well for a boutique product.
And to the person who mentioned how could they call this a ladder R2R DAC when it has a chip...i was wondering the same thing :)
@@Scott-DJ - Yea, all my gear like this stays on 100% of the time. Only thing I turn off is my main tube amp due to the power tubes... :)
!!! Wow it's not even $4000. I'm buying a pile of them !!!
@@jmbuchela5424 Someone’s budget is another’s high end. Kinda a thing in this game. 👌👌😉😉
@@abxaudiophiles That has always been true, it looks like I joined the wrong crowd, I'm correcting that.
@@jmbuchela5424Looks like you want to live in a bubble
@@kristofvadnai
It’s comfortable to some. 😉👌
Is it in the sane price range as mid toer r2r Denafrips venus II-12th ? And can this thing beat venus in realism and sraging ??? I have my doubts. But i want to be oroven wrong. Stikl looking sone a dac in same eange better than Venus .
I can’t read your writing. Sorry.
Great~ Review~ I want one
You should! 🤣🤣🫡🫡
hi. i see you’re using WBC 2549 Mogami into XLR cables.
while i do like my WBC 2549 Mogami into RCA, I love my Cardas Parsec RCA making music more realistic.
source =Apple Music lossless
All good stuff.. We have a wide variety around here.. ;)
We more units like this I built my own for around $300 that does Optical,Coax,Tube Analog OUT with a Volumio Integrated Steamer , watching you do that PS Audio Regen repair U R up 2 It take about 3 hours
Always like fun projects.. Now whether it sounds better or not is a total nother story.
Wall to Wall Soundstage with proper height and life-size dimensions and depth, instruments and voices real and accurate.
Just like Alan Blumlein set out for stereo to be in 1929 when he invented and later when his demo used 3 baby grands and you could hear each one play and point to them in the Soundstage.
It does not take $1,000,000 to get
@@thinkIndependent2024 Send us one for review.. :) We would love to share this holy grail DIY you speak of..
Tillman Divide
??
No aes/ebu ¿
@@auggysimcity nope
Correct. Surprised there is no aes/ebu
4k for a dac 😂!
In a world of 20K+ dacs. The funny thing is, I used to say the same thing. But damn if, once you hear some of this stuff, ya can't go back!! ;)
really interesting but $4k is too much... I know R2R components are pricey but if they launch a delta-sigma version around $2k it would be a killer.
@@net_news - Too much is determined by the individual consumer. I’m sure not going to. 🤣👌😉 Ones budget space is another’s unobtainable.
@@abxaudiophiles absolutely but based on similar brands and products I think it's a little bit on the pricey side. They can do better I'm sure.
Bad switch design choice. A sweaty and dirty finger will leave finger marks, sometimes very bad permanent marks.
Elaborate
@@abxaudiophilesthink he means brass will patina. I personally wouldn’t care but some people might get butthurt over it