Ideon Audio Absolute DAC - anyone heard it?

[geoli]

Hello George,

Looking at your website I can't seem to figure out where the eos line fits in your lineup. Any chance you can comment on the rough "tiers" of your product lines? Ayazi is clearly the bottom but I can't figure out how eos, ion, and absalute are positioned at first look tbh

Hello !
Lines go : Ayazi, eos, I?N, Absolute.
Indeed the eos system is an amazing trio, that anyone looking for a digital source should listen to.

 

[geoli]

While waiting for George's reply and having visited the Ideon booth in Munich, here is my understanding: Ayazi, EOS, Ion, Absolute. There is also a two-box Absolute Time extreme which I would love to listen to.

BTW, I have listened to the EOS set and it's very good, subjectively speaking an easy end-game digital front end for a normal (i.e. an average hi-end) system. The price IIRC at 25k, while not peanuts, is not prohibitive for a full stack digital front end.

Hello Greg.
The Absolute Time Signature is one box.
As for the eos family - without having any idea of what a normal system means to you - I can assure you it fits easily to high level, expensive systems.

 

[Gregm]

Hello Greg.
The Absolute Time Signature is one box.

Ooops, sorry, thanks for clarifying.

As for the eos family - without having any idea of what a normal system means to you - I can assure you it fits easily to high level, expensive systems

Indeed! I didn't mean to sound critical or demeaning in any way -- I assumed that people with ultra high-end setups may be more likely to choose the Absolute series.
Not necessarily, as you rightly pointed out!

 

[Bmwsport007]

Hello everybody! Greetings from sunny Athens! This is George (Giorgos in Greek), co-founder and CEO of Ideon Audio. Thank you for your interest in our sound. We all are in synch, being music lovers first of all. We will be in Munich show (in both shows actually) and I will be very happy to meet in-person anyone visiting.

I’ve just heard both the Ion & Absolute DAC’s and simply blown away with them, currently have the excellent MSB Descrete with 2 PSU’s and the Ion DAC is in another league in every way especially sounds stage which opens up. I would conservatively say it is at least 30% better than my MSB which at this level usually means spending 2 3 or even 4 times to get a 5-10% increase. My dealer has the MSB Reference DAC and said the Absolute is significantly better which really is something when you consider the price difference. Clearly Ideon are doing something very special & different as I heard the DCS Bartok Apex just 3 days prior but very little difference compared to the MSB. Obviously placed my order for the Ideon DAC awaiting delivery.

 

[matthias]

Any listening impressions with the EOS products (streamer, reclocker, DAC)?
Thx

Matt

 

[Tiltedfault]

Haven’t had any experience with the EOS products, but I think it’s a basic house sound of great clarity without sounding tonally thin, which is as crudely as I can put it. They are explicit and lively sounding dacs, but they never assault the ears or sound harsh.

I have the Ion dac with the Absolute Time reclocker, and I auditioned the Absolute dac too. Of course the Absolute is superior (I never thought a dac could be so dynamic), but the Ion is not shamed in any way, and I would assume the EOS wouldn’t be shamed by the Ion, though you would incrementally lose some of that excellence which the Absolute has in spades as you move on down the line. The Ideon reclockers are also a nice upgrade to the sound which you can always purchase later. They create an even more expansive sound stage and greater focus, which these dacs already excel at. I hope you’ll be able to audition the EOS soon.

another Matt

 

[Bmwsport007]

Haven’t had any experience with the EOS products, but I think it’s a basic house sound of great clarity without sounding tonally thin, which is as crudely as I can put it. They are explicit and lively sounding dacs, but they never assault the ears or sound harsh.

I have the Ion dac with the Absolute Time reclocker, and I auditioned the Absolute dac too. Of course the Absolute is superior (I never thought a dac could be so dynamic), but the Ion is not shamed in any way, and I would assume the EOS wouldn’t be shamed by the Ion, though you would incrementally lose some of that excellence which the Absolute has in spades as you move on down the line. The Ideon reclockers are also a nice upgrade to the sound which you can always purchase later. They create an even more expansive sound stage and greater focus, which these dacs already excel at. I hope you’ll be able to audition the EOS soon.

another Matt

Just out of interest did you buy both the Ion & Absolute Time at the same time . Personally considering the Ion was brand new and requires 200-300 hours it sounded sublime on its own. The difference compared to my MSB DAC in sound quality through my Antipodes K50 was at least 30% better in all areas, sound stage was improved by a huge margin which usually takes a huge investment to achieve. Ideon are clearly doing something really special compared to the competition & thankfully at all price points which is almost unheard of.

 

[Gregm]

Any listening impressions with the EOS products (streamer, reclocker, DAC)?
Thx

Matt

I listened briefly (i.e. less than 5 symphonies ) to the full set and was pleasantly surprised: a very coherent and well matched set (obviously, they were built to work well together - but still). I think another Matt (tiltedfault) put my subjective opinion in a nutshell:

.... it’s a basic house sound of great clarity without sounding tonally thin, which is as crudely as I can put it. They are explicit and lively sounding dacs, but they never assault the ears or sound harsh.

By the way, I recently added the Absolute Time to my Epsilon and the following applies

The Ideon reclockers are also a nice upgrade to the sound which you can always purchase later. They create an even more expansive sound stage and greater focus, which these dacs already excel at. I hope you’ll be able to audition the EOS soon.


another Matt

Generally speaking, it's a killer little set which, as far as I can tell (with the Munich Hi-End show in mind) will cost a lot to surpass (the Ion DAC is better, of course -- and the price is commensurate...).
Actually, I am thinking of replacing my homegrown server with the EOS device this year...

 

[Gregm]

I’ve just heard both the Ion & Absolute DAC’s and simply blown away with them, currently have the excellent MSB Descrete with 2 PSU’s and the Ion DAC is in another league in every way especially sounds stage which opens up. I would conservatively say it is at least 30% better than my MSB which at this level usually means spending 2 3 or even 4 times to get a 5-10% increase. My dealer has the MSB Reference DAC and said the Absolute is significantly better which really is something when you consider the price difference. Clearly Ideon are doing something very special & different as I heard the DCS Bartok Apex just 3 days prior but very little difference compared to the MSB. Obviously placed my order for the Ideon DAC awaiting delivery.

Coincidentally, I had the MSB Select II back in the day. I was very fond of it (still have a fondness for it) but one day I compared it to the Absolute DAC --- and there was no comparison. The FR and the energy I got from the Absolute (the old one, mind you) were in another league -- and I am not saying that, IMO, the Select isn't an outstanding product. As you mention: blown away!

Covid finances kept me from springing for that Absolute. Fortunes turned (somewhat) and last year I I bought the showpiece in Munich! Regards

 

[Tiltedfault]

Just out of interest did you buy both the Ion & Absolute Time at the same time . Personally considering the Ion was brand new and requires 200-300 hours it sounded sublime on its own. The difference compared to my MSB DAC in sound quality through my Antipodes K50 was at least 30% better in all areas, sound stage was improved by a huge margin which usually takes a huge investment to achieve. Ideon are clearly doing something really special compared to the competition & thankfully at all price points which is almost unheard of.

I did buy the Ion and Absolute Time at the same time and I was able to audition the Ion, Absolute, and the reclocker at the same time in my own system. Yes, the Ion sounds fantastic on its own, but adding the Time provides an addition frisson of auditory excitement if you don’t mind burning through another 10k. The clock is definitely not mandatory. Would be fun to compare to MSB but would need a home audition and a good excuse as to why I want to borrow a very expensive dac I have no intention of buying. Heard the select at a dealer once, but they were streaming through Roon, and I don’t think it was set up optimally.

Matt

 

[matthias]

The EOS DAC is about 10k in Europe, so not quite pocket money.
I am wondering about alternatives in the same price range, maybe the new Bricasti M1Series2?
Other suggestions?
Thx

Matt

 

[geoli]

I’ve just heard both the Ion & Absolute DAC’s and simply blown away with them, currently have the excellent MSB Descrete with 2 PSU’s and the Ion DAC is in another league in every way especially sounds stage which opens up. I would conservatively say it is at least 30% better than my MSB which at this level usually means spending 2 3 or even 4 times to get a 5-10% increase. My dealer has the MSB Reference DAC and said the Absolute is significantly better which really is something when you consider the price difference. Clearly Ideon are doing something very special & different as I heard the DCS Bartok Apex just 3 days prior but very little difference compared to the MSB. Obviously placed my order for the Ideon DAC awaiting delivery.

This is common feedback we get through all geographies. We are glad that music fans love our sound. Thank you so much.

 

[gleeds]

The EOS DAC is about 10k in Europe, so not quite pocket money.
I am wondering about alternatives in the same price range, maybe the new Bricasti M1Series2?
Other suggestions?
Thx

Matt

The Ideon sounds like a terrific machine. In your range I am a big fan of Sforzato. Their 03-EX2 model is $9900 in the US, but not sure if they have anyone in Europe bring them in from Japan. They also make relatively affordable clock upgrades available so there is a path to even higher performance.

 

[Tiltedfault]

This is common feedback we get through all geographies. We are glad that music fans love our sound. Thank you so much.

I’m sure many others would agree with me when I say I really respect and appreciate Ideon’s achievement, Giolas. The purchase of the Ion dac has been one of the most gratifying audio purchases I’ve had because it simply drew me closer to the realism of the musical event. I recall in particular when I was comparing it to my previous dacs, I was listening to an old stereo jazz recording from the late 50s, Ahmad’s Blues, where the title track opens with two declaratory double bass notes. With the Ideon dacs these initial notes were startling and brought one back to a live jazz club 65 years ago. The waveforms seemed to be preserved more accurately with the Ideon, conveying the space of the club and the impact of the opening notes much more convincingly than my other dacs. This was an “ah ha” moment for me, if you will. Ah ha in the sense that it made me realize that dac differences could be much greater than I previously thought.

So I’m going to curb my enthusiasm a minute for now so as not to become too annoying, but I would urge anyone looking for a new dac to audition the Ideons in their system (particularly the Ion and the Absolute epsilon as those are the two I’m familiar with). I know many will find the Ideons the more truthful, energetic, lively, and musically convincing dacs compared to what they have now. Bravo Ideon.

Matt

 

[Bmwsport007]

I did buy the Ion and Absolute Time at the same time and I was able to audition the Ion, Absolute, and the reclocker at the same time in my own system. Yes, the Ion sounds fantastic on its own, but adding the Time provides an addition frisson of auditory excitement if you don’t mind burning through another 10k. The clock is definitely not mandatory. Would be fun to compare to MSB but would need a home audition and a good excuse as to why I want to borrow a very expensive dac I have no intention of buying. Heard the select at a dealer once, but they were streaming through Roon, and I don’t think it was set up optimally.

Matt

As I’m upgrading my K50 to Oladra shortly I will probably add the Time later, the Ion should be here this week and my dealer is bringing the Time as well which is going to interesting especially as the Ion is brand new was sublime & apparently they do require a good 200-300 hours to burn in which is understandable.

 

[msimanyi]

Hi George,

Is the Absolute your only DAC available with AES/EBU input, or is it optional on the Ion DAC as well?

 

[Tiltedfault]

As I’m upgrading my K50 to Oladra shortly I will probably add the Time later, the Ion should be here this week and my dealer is bringing the Time as well which is going to interesting especially as the Ion is brand new was sublime & apparently they do require a good 200-300 hours to burn in which is understandable.

My experience was that it sounded great right out of the box too. It’s obviously not a night or day difference after 200-300 hours, but there is additional refinement. Please give us your impressions after it’s in your system and has been playing for awhile. Adding the time later will just be gravy for you!

Matt

 

[Gregm]

Hi George,

Is the Absolute your only DAC available with AES/EBU input, or is it optional on the Ion DAC as well?

Not George - sorry -- but back to your question: I seem to remember seeing someone use a (reportedly excellent) EBU-S/PDIF converter with no perceptible loss...
That said, I don't remember if the Ion has a EBU input as standard, sorry

 

[Bmwsport007]

Not George - sorry -- but back to your question: I seem to remember seeing someone use a (reportedly excellent) EBU-S/PDIF converter with no perceptible loss...
That said, I don't remember if the Ion has a EBU input as standard, sorry

The Ion doesn’t have the AES/EBU but have emailed Ideon who said their USB input is their preferred choice as it sounds better-having heard it with my K50 I can confirm it improved the AES sound by at least 20-30% which is clearly incredible considering I heard the DCS Apex Bartok 3 days prior and it sounded on par with my MSB -the Ideon is on another planet better so clearly they are doing something very special.

 

[matthias]

As I’m upgrading my K50 to Oladra shortly I will probably add the Time later, the Ion should be here this week and my dealer is bringing the Time as well which is going to interesting especially as the Ion is brand new was sublime & apparently they do require a good 200-300 hours to burn in which is understandable.

I would try the Time after the upgrading to Oladra. The new USB in all Antipodes G4 does reclocking so you have to try if the Time is a further improvement or not.

Matt