Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

[taww]

Been quite happy with the PS Audio DirectStream but had been eyeing upgrades in the $10-15k range for some time. Finally picked up a Tambaqui and after 24 hours finding a lot to like. Will be writing up a review after some more run-in time but it definitely feels like a keeper. I'm particularly impressed with its setup flexibility (the app really does work well) and performance driving an amp using its digital volume. Unlike the PS Audio or RME DACs, it sounds excellent going direct to a Legacy iV2 Class D (ICEdge) - will have to give it a try direct to the Gryphon Essence as well. Roon integration also excellent though I have to say CDs via the PS Audio PerfectWave SACD transport and AES-EBU (the I2S link isn't compatible, unfortunately) are particularly lovely.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

Congratulations! Can't wait to see your review. What is one stand-out thing about the sound that really takes the cake?

 

[taww]

Congratulations! Can't wait to see your review. What is one stand-out thing about the sound that really takes the cake?

Thank you! Hmmm hard to say any one thing, but the top things that come to mind:

1. Leading edges and decays are so clean - extremely articulate and resolving.
2. Dynamics are both explosive and nuanced - all the different shadings and swells and diminuendos are more prominent, and it is dead quiet.
3. Soundstaging can be eerie - everything floats much more in space, freer of the speakers.

It does all this without sounding hifi or analytical - if anything, the midrange and treble are exceedingly natural and maybe even a tad sweet. On the down side, while bass is powerful, the overall tonality isn't as fleshed out as I would like - especially early on, instruments like cello lack some weight, and my wife said "it sounds like the range above the bass [a.k.a. midbass] is missing." The level of detail also tends to accentuate the quality differences between recordings, e.g. many harmonia mundi records are so natural and warm and lovely, while some of the less savory ones sound more hollow. However, all this is improving slowly but surely with time - I just hit 2 weeks run-in which is what I've heard is the minimum to give it. My PS Audio DirectStream took at least 2 months to sound its best.

 

[morricab]

Thank you! Hmmm hard to say any one thing, but the top things that come to mind:

1. Leading edges and decays are so clean - extremely articulate and resolving.
2. Dynamics are both explosive and nuanced - all the different shadings and swells and diminuendos are more prominent, and it is dead quiet.
3. Soundstaging can be eerie - everything floats much more in space, freer of the speakers.

It does all this without sounding hifi or analytical - if anything, the midrange and treble are exceedingly natural and maybe even a tad sweet. On the down side, while bass is powerful, the overall tonality isn't as fleshed out as I would like - especially early on, instruments like cello lack some weight, and my wife said "it sounds like the range above the bass [a.k.a. midbass] is missing." The level of detail also tends to accentuate the quality differences between recordings, e.g. many harmonia mundi records are so natural and warm and lovely, while some of the less savory ones sound more hollow. However, all this is improving slowly but surely with time - I just hit 2 weeks run-in which is what I've heard is the minimum to give it. My PS Audio DirectStream took at least 2 months to sound its best.

Tone is off?? Sounds like a fail…

 

[bonzo75]

On the down side, while bass is powerful, the overall tonality isn't as fleshed out as I would like - especially early on, instruments like cello lack some weight, and my wife said "it sounds like the range above the bass [a.k.a. midbass] is missing."

You have listed various amps and speakers on your signature. Have you tested it in various combinations to confirm the midbass issue is consistent across?

 

[taww]

First off, everyone calm down, the tone is not “off.” The Tambaqui has realistic tone but what I think may be happening is the leading edges are so clean and crisp, it draws the ear towards that vs. the core of the tone. The PS audio has softer leading edges that draw your ear more towards the sustained part of a note. In terms of actual spectral balance, all 3 DACs (PS Audio, RME) are virtually the same as they should be, it’s just the impression of slightly less density.

I have tried it with the Gryphon Essence combo and directly driving the Legacy iV2 and Valvet A4. Speakers are always Audiovector tho I will have a chance to use with the Silverlines later. Most everything in my system is fairly centered in perspective - I don’t have any tubes or euphonic cables or very colored speakers - but the system tends a tiny bit towards the fast and lean side, so it’s very sensitive to how a component renders tonal density. It’s a Goldilocks problem, one person/system’s “too lean” will be another’s “perfectly natural.”

 

[morricab]

First off, everyone calm down, the tone is not “off.” The Tambaqui has realistic tone but what I think may be happening is the leading edges are so clean and crisp, it draws the ear towards that vs. the core of the tone. The PS audio has softer leading edges that draw your ear more towards the sustained part of a note. In terms of actual spectral balance, all 3 DACs (PS Audio, RME) are virtually the same as they should be, it’s just the impression of slightly less density.

I have tried it with the Gryphon Essence combo and directly driving the Legacy iV2 and Valvet A4. Speakers are always Audiovector tho I will have a chance to use with the Silverlines later. Most everything in my system is fairly centered in perspective - I don’t have any tubes or euphonic cables or very colored speakers - but the system tends a tiny bit towards the fast and lean side, so it’s very sensitive to how a component renders tonal density. It’s a Goldilocks problem, one person/system’s “too lean” will be another’s “perfectly natural.”

If you question if it’s too lean…it’s too lean. Real live music much more fleshed out than most systems.

 

[taww]

If you question if it’s too lean…it’s too lean. Real live music much more fleshed out than most systems.

That’s fair and being a violinist who’s married to an oboist I can appreciate that, and yet I have gravitated towards slightly leaner systems because the ones that give you the warmth and fleshiness more often than not mess up too many other things. Pick your poison I suppose.

Anyway, more to the topic, on day 15 of run-in I would definitely not outright call the Tambaqui “lean.” It was a bit that way the first week but it is more filled out now, and with the right recording, the tonality and texture of instruments is the best I’ve heard in my system. It’s just that it doesn’t have the slight midrange thickness of the PS audio, which I attribute to its transformer-coupled output. With the Tambaqui paired with the Pro-Ject RS2 T, the Amadeus Quartet sounds startling present and life-like in the opening of the Haydn Op.76 No. 1.

I disagree with “if it seems lean it’s too lean” - at this level you need to put in the work to get the best out of any component in your system. Swapping in a new component to a system you’ve painstakingly tuned to taste and expecting it to knock it out of the park is like a football team trading for an all-star quarterback and expecting to win the super bowl the next season - I mean, it happens once in a while, but usually it takes more time. This is why I do long-term reviews, often taking 6-12 months to evaluate - only after learning the ins and outs of a piece and exhausting all reasonable adjustments and accommodations do I feel comfortable arriving at a conclusion. It’s also why I feel people who swap gear every couple months may never really be giving themselves a chance to maximize their enjoyment. It’s like changing quarterbacks or coaches every season (which some teams do and destine themselves to mediocrity).

On that note, to make the Tambaqui a bit more forgiving/warmer and allow me to use the 6V output level (which I am finding sounds best) directly into an amp, I have some Lundahl transformers on order. It might be a terrible idea and only detract from the sound, but I thought it worth a try.

BRB, I just swapped my speaker cables from Furutech to Kubala Sosna (which are slightly warmer) and will go play with some different power cords…

 

[morricab]

That’s fair and being a violinist who’s married to an oboist I can appreciate that, and yet I have gravitated towards slightly leaner systems because the ones that give you the warmth and fleshiness more often than not mess up too many other things. Pick your poison I suppose.

Anyway, more to the topic, on day 15 of run-in I would definitely not outright call the Tambaqui “lean.” It was a bit that way the first week but it is more filled out now, and with the right recording, the tonality and texture of instruments is the best I’ve heard in my system. It’s just that it doesn’t have the slight midrange thickness of the PS audio, which I attribute to its transformer-coupled output. With the Tambaqui paired with the Pro-Ject RS2 T, the Amadeus Quartet sounds startling present and life-like in the opening of the Haydn Op.76 No. 1.

I disagree with “if it seems lean it’s too lean” - at this level you need to put in the work to get the best out of any component in your system. Swapping in a new component to a system you’ve painstakingly tuned to taste and expecting it to knock it out of the park is like a football team trading for an all-star quarterback and expecting to win the super bowl the next season - I mean, it happens once in a while, but usually it takes more time. This is why I do long-term reviews, often taking 6-12 months to evaluate - only after learning the ins and outs of a piece and exhausting all reasonable adjustments and accommodations do I feel comfortable arriving at a conclusion. It’s also why I feel people who swap gear every couple months may never really be giving themselves a chance to maximize their enjoyment. It’s like changing quarterbacks or coaches every season (which some teams do and destine themselves to mediocrity).

On that note, to make the Tambaqui a bit more forgiving/warmer and allow me to use the 6V output level (which I am finding sounds best) directly into an amp, I have some Lundahl transformers on order. It might be a terrible idea and only detract from the sound, but I thought it worth a try.

BRB, I just swapped my speaker cables from Furutech to Kubala Sosna (which are slightly warmer) and will go play with some different power cords…

Good luck. I won’t usually spend that kind of time “tuning” something…it has it or it doesn’t, IMO. There is gear out there that will give the tone and texture without losses in other areas but they are rare and requires a lot of searching to find. Aries Cerat is one. I have also found that my Ayon Skylla DAC is another (although other Ayon gear can be guilty of what you describe) and my Silvaweld phonostage are two other pieces that get there. I don’t own or care for the sound from SS gear. To me it can’t get to where it needs to be.

 

[taww]

Good luck. I won’t usually spend that kind of time “tuning” something…it has it or it doesn’t, IMO. There is gear out there that will give the tone and texture without losses in other areas but they are rare and requires a lot of searching to find. Aries Cerat is one. I have also found that my Ayon Skylla DAC is another (although other Ayon gear can be guilty of what you describe) and my Silvaweld phonostage are two other pieces that get there. I don’t own or care for the sound from SS gear. To me it can’t get to where it needs to be.

Ah yeah, if you are on the tube train, then you generally do not have these “fleshiness” problems. For my wife and me we can’t get over the THD which is an inescapable characteristic of anything valve - there are some tube pieces which are quite neural and minimize this, but none can match SS in that regard. It messes with the timbre of the oboe in particular which is an instrument that has a very subtle harmonic structure that is difficult to nail. The physics of the instrument make it heavy on odd order harmonics (3rd in particular) and any THD will throw this off for my wife who has more sensitive ears than I do. Again, everyone has their particular sensitivities and priorities.

 

[morricab]

Ah yeah, if you are on the tube train, then you generally do not have these “fleshiness” problems. For my wife and me we can’t get over the THD which is an inescapable characteristic of anything valve - there are some tube pieces which are quite neural and minimize this, but none can match SS in that regard. It messes with the timbre of the oboe in particular which is an instrument that has a very subtle harmonic structure that is difficult to nail. The physics of the instrument make it heavy on odd order harmonics (3rd in particular) and any THD will throw this off for my wife who has more sensitive ears than I do. Again, everyone has their particular sensitivities and priorities.

Well it’s not quite that simple. The low order harmonics are effectively masked so as long as they are below a certain level they will be inaudible…the problem with SS is there is no masking of high order harmonics and this leads to that thinness they often exhibit. I agree that lesser designs will impact things as you describe.

 

[Davidny]

I switched from a Directstream DAC to the Tambaqui 3+ years ago and have never looked back. The Tambaqui is an excellent DAC. Burn in for digital always helps. But there are many things you can do to your system both upstream and downstream of the Tambaqui to fully hear what it’s capable of.

 

[speakerlust]

My experience with the Mola Mola Makua with DAC module (Tambaqui) is that its presentation is influenced by cabling. While some may take that for granted it would make a difference, others on the objective end of spectrum may consider it heresy. I did not know what to expect with this DAC when I first received it. I commonly do some trials moving on hand cabling (some in use on other components and some on hand but not presently in use) with new components and again after run in/break in time. I feed my Makua DAC ethernet for Roon Ready as well as USB and AES/EBU from my Antipodes K50 utilizing player software from the K50. I have used different cabling for each type as well as direct ethernet from switch box as well as out from K50 to Makua via ethernet. There have been perceivable differences from all of these trials, including perceived bass. Admittedly, much of this is the fun of playing with a new toy, but also tuning to presentations I find more enjoyable and perceived as more audibly right for me in my system. Please enjoy.

 

[ICUToo]

Swapping in a new component to a system you’ve painstakingly tuned to taste and expecting it to knock it out of the park ….usually it takes more time

Agree completely, and this is an excellent point.
Before my components reached a certain standard, I though adding a “better” one would make the system better. Not always obviously, straightforwardly and definitely true, as it turned out
Now (maybe because my understanding is more subtle?) I appreciate what arranging / tuning the system has achieved, so adding a new component needs careful RE-arranging to get the best out of it.
Well said.

 

[godofwealth]

It might help to consider the Mola Mola Kaluga amplifiers as well. I have often found that pairing preamps and amps from the same manufacturer sometimes corrects the tonal picture. I was considering the Mola Mola DAC as well, but reading a few reviews convinced me that it might sound too analytical without careful system matching, although I haven’t heard it in my system. I ended up with a Lampizator Pacific, which goes off in the opposite direction being a tube DAC. But I get quickly turned off by components that sound overly lean. Having been to hundreds of live orchestra concerts, I find leanness an unforgivable sin, even if it enhances clarity. It’s like increasing the sharpness control on a television. My reference loudspeakers at home are Quad electrostatics and Harbeth Monitor 40.1s, as these sound more like live music to me than most other loudspeakers that have a zingy metallic (diamond, Beryllium etc.) tweeter.

 

[Gjo]

Swapping in a new component to a system you’ve painstakingly tuned to taste and expecting it to knock it out of the park is like a football team trading for an all-star quarterback and expecting to win the super bowl the next season - I mean, it happens once in a while, but usually it takes more time.

Like the Rams did with Matthew Stafford.

I'm reading your posts with interest since a Tambaqui is on my radar.

 

[taww]

Like the Rams did with Matthew Stafford.

I'm reading your posts with interest since a Tambaqui is on my radar.

Or the Bucs......

 

[taww]

It might help to consider the Mola Mola Kaluga amplifiers as well. I have often found that pairing preamps and amps from the same manufacturer sometimes corrects the tonal picture. I was considering the Mola Mola DAC as well, but reading a few reviews convinced me that it might sound too analytical without careful system matching, although I haven’t heard it in my system. I ended up with a Lampizator Pacific, which goes off in the opposite direction being a tube DAC. But I get quickly turned off by components that sound overly lean. Having been to hundreds of live orchestra concerts, I find leanness an unforgivable sin, even if it enhances clarity. It’s like increasing the sharpness control on a television. My reference loudspeakers at home are Quad electrostatics and Harbeth Monitor 40.1s, as these sound more like live music to me than most other loudspeakers that have a zingy metallic (diamond, Beryllium etc.) tweeter.

The weird thing is I've heard (possibly incorrectly) that the Kaluga amps can also tend slightly lean, and the Makua is dead neutral... so I'm not sure how that whole getup doesn't come off very cool? I'll just have to stop by Bill Parish's place sometime to hear it. The Tambaqui does work quite well with another Class D amp I have though.

Also not a fan of most metal domes either for the same reason. And yes, live orchestras have a lot of weight. If you think it sounds full from the audience, try on the stage. My wife and I play in orchestras, and the proximity effect makes it exponentially beefier.

 

[musicfirst1]

Tone is off?? Sounds like a fail…

A few thing to clarify here.

First the Tambaqui needs 30 days with music to fully flesh out, and we never turn the unit off, so it is always warm to the touch. Even after cooking for 30 days, If the unit is (in order of severity) moved, put on standby so it goes cold, or unplugged, then it takes anywhere from 1 to 24 hours to settle back in.*

Secondly, the Tambaqui sounds its best (to US) with the voltage as high as possible (6 volts if possible), or as high as one can reasonably set.

Once these conditions are met, then there is absolutely nothing 'off' with the tone of the Tambaqui, it simply presents tonality differently than other DACs, such as our other favorite DACs from Aries Cerat.

For us, the tonality of the Tambaqui is no less valid than any other world class DAC.

In summary, the Tambaqui, along with the /Kassandra II and the Kassandra II SIG are the best DACs we know under $100k and I have heard them all.

I've posted my thoughts on the differences between the Tambaqui and the Kassy II REF tonight on another thread here.

*The Tambaqui's mid-bass is one of the last things to come to song.

Kerry

 

[taww]

A few thing to clarify here...

Thanks Kerry - all this resonates with my experience thus far. I've been running it nonstop with a source (handily, I am also running in the Pro-Ject RS2 T in parallel) and the midbass and overall tone is rounding into shape slowly but surely. The dynamics, which were already killer, are also expanding. With the Pro-Ject, 80's Decca DDD recordings defy the preconceptions of the early digital era and are positively explosive and captivating. As per your remarks, I did notice when quickly swapping power cords that the sound went a little cold and took some time to recover. I'll give it a couple more weeks run-in before taking down more serious listening notes. Appreciate the input and discussion!