Hi, new to this forum. Lots of great info and learning to be had here. I’ve had an interesting audio journey that’s enabled me to learn and buy/sell/trade towards much better systems over the years, leading me to the one I have now that I am very happy with.
I had an opportunity recently to compare a few components with the same album side by side. I’ve been curious of these types of shootouts, and in this case I came away with a better understanding, and I hope that others can benefit. This is the first time I’ve compared these sources together.
The Gear:
Jean Nantais Reference Lenco Mark III turntable
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 CD player (upgraded to SE)
LKS MH-DA004 dac
Wiim Pro Plus Ultra
Along for the ride is a borrowed ANK 5.1 Signature tube dac I had a chance to try out. I use the Wiim only to stream (Qobuz) using Coax, and ran it with both the LKS and ANK.
My expectations going in: I fully expect the ANK 5.1 dac to have the greatest sound, followed by the LKS, with the CD player and the TT around the same musical level. Actually I expect the TT to be last...
Why? I have learned that for my particular cartridge the phono pre-amp is key to the right sound. I tried a few different pre-amps, but none of them gave me the satisfaction that the TT was delivering to its potential.
Eventually I settled on a phono pre-amp that was built for me and very affordable (hybrid tube pre). Builder took my cart and pre-amp specs and built accordingly. It's still new so I don't expect it to sound its best yet. Initial plays of the TT were promising.
All these components run through a Bent Audio TAP-X passive pre-amp, a pair of Denon POA-S10 mono block power amps out to a pair of Dunlavy Cantata Speakers.
The stereo room is all drywall, floor is wood with large area rug placed in front of the stereo. Dimensions: 20' (6.096m) x 12' (3.6576m) x 8' (2.4384m). Listening spot to the front of speakers is 12.5' (3.81m)
The Jazz album is The Sidewinder, track 1 The Sidewinder, which has a solo by trumpet, sax, piano and double bass. Wiim audio is set to 16/44.
Onward...
First up is the Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 SE. This player has been my benchmark over the years when comparing some DACs, TT, etc. In most cases it outperformed them all. I played the CD; the sound is very good, engaging, pretty natural sounding, nice pace and good sound stage.
Next up is the LKS dac. Wow, the music jumps out more, more detail, bit bigger sound stage, more lively and still natural sounding.
Now to the ANK 5.1 dac. Wow, even bigger sound stage, beautiful sound, detailed, but not quite as razor sharp as the LKS. I also hear with the double bass there's more 'fatness', whereas with the LKS I got more sharp detail but a tad thinner sound. The music is more enveloping, fills the room nicely.
I somewhat expected the DACs to be better than the 20+ year old SF CD technology, and in this case they are. What I do find is with the LKS sometimes I keep listening for more detail, whereas with the ANK I never think about it, I just enjoy the music.
Last was the TT using a recent reissue, fairly clean and newish (borrowed) vinyl LP.
No contest. The TT blows them all away! The sound stage and detail are similar to the ANK, but the pacing is better, super engaging, foot and head tapping, it invites you closer to the performance and music, the band and instruments have more life. The double bass sounds monstrous, fat and beefy, almost rip your face off level.
Not the order of things I expected.
Later the same day I did a similar test using my Brothers In Arms CD, 1985 vinyl record and then streaming. The song I focused on is Money for Nothing. Sounded great on the ANK, less so with the CD, but the original vinyl version exploded out of the speakers, still very detailed and natural, but the heft, thrust and power of the music is much more tangible than either digital source. And I've only played this new phono pre-amp a few times. Finally a combination of the TT, a matching phono pre and the pre-amp all working together.
But wait...there's more! Just recently I got a fully upgraded Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 Mk II. The parts (tubes, caps, etc) are still fairly new, so it's not fully worked in yet.
I still had the ANK 5.1 with me when I brought the SFD-2 home. I played the same tracks on both, the SFD is a tad more laid back, but the soundstage, detail and naturalness of the music is very similar. I've played the SFD-2 over a few more days and the sound is improving. It is captivating and fills the room nicely.
What is my takeaway from all this?
I’m happy the TT finally did shine the way I felt was appropriate for what it is, a great and well built unit. It shows the engineering in the Idler Drive, arm, cartridge, plinth and all the pieces that go into extracting music from vinyl discs and sounding great.
But the TT is a big jump in cost compared to the other sources and it's shown you have to get all the parts just right for great sound. Would a similar costing dac sound as good? I would think so. In my experience, as I’ve moved up the budget ladder, more expensive components have tended to sound better. When I had a $500 TT and $100 CD player, the TT was better. Get a $1000 CD player and it was better than the TT, and so on...
But I look at the TT and all it entails as a once in a while, critical listening thing. For much more use I’ll defer to the dac and streaming. The music with my current gear is engaging, enjoyable, sounds realistic enough to me, and I don’t get tired after listening for hours. Plus with streaming I can dig into artists and albums far beyond what I have on vinyl or CD.
I will still treat myself to vinyl records for music I truly enjoy, and discover via streaming. The CD player has had its run, but I prefer streaming as the gear I have sounds better and I'm not limited by my CD library.
The LKS, lower in cost to the other sources, holds up exceptionally well. The ANK has a great sound, and I would consider it a step up if you have the funds to go that route. The SF dac is also outstanding, and for a unit with mostly 20+ year technology it holds up very well today, as long as you’re ok with 16/44 and Coax. But at a lower budget you can’t go wrong with the LKS dac.
I had an opportunity recently to compare a few components with the same album side by side. I’ve been curious of these types of shootouts, and in this case I came away with a better understanding, and I hope that others can benefit. This is the first time I’ve compared these sources together.
The Gear:
Jean Nantais Reference Lenco Mark III turntable
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 CD player (upgraded to SE)
LKS MH-DA004 dac
Wiim Pro Plus Ultra
Along for the ride is a borrowed ANK 5.1 Signature tube dac I had a chance to try out. I use the Wiim only to stream (Qobuz) using Coax, and ran it with both the LKS and ANK.
My expectations going in: I fully expect the ANK 5.1 dac to have the greatest sound, followed by the LKS, with the CD player and the TT around the same musical level. Actually I expect the TT to be last...
Why? I have learned that for my particular cartridge the phono pre-amp is key to the right sound. I tried a few different pre-amps, but none of them gave me the satisfaction that the TT was delivering to its potential.
Eventually I settled on a phono pre-amp that was built for me and very affordable (hybrid tube pre). Builder took my cart and pre-amp specs and built accordingly. It's still new so I don't expect it to sound its best yet. Initial plays of the TT were promising.
All these components run through a Bent Audio TAP-X passive pre-amp, a pair of Denon POA-S10 mono block power amps out to a pair of Dunlavy Cantata Speakers.
The stereo room is all drywall, floor is wood with large area rug placed in front of the stereo. Dimensions: 20' (6.096m) x 12' (3.6576m) x 8' (2.4384m). Listening spot to the front of speakers is 12.5' (3.81m)
The Jazz album is The Sidewinder, track 1 The Sidewinder, which has a solo by trumpet, sax, piano and double bass. Wiim audio is set to 16/44.
Onward...
First up is the Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 SE. This player has been my benchmark over the years when comparing some DACs, TT, etc. In most cases it outperformed them all. I played the CD; the sound is very good, engaging, pretty natural sounding, nice pace and good sound stage.
Next up is the LKS dac. Wow, the music jumps out more, more detail, bit bigger sound stage, more lively and still natural sounding.
Now to the ANK 5.1 dac. Wow, even bigger sound stage, beautiful sound, detailed, but not quite as razor sharp as the LKS. I also hear with the double bass there's more 'fatness', whereas with the LKS I got more sharp detail but a tad thinner sound. The music is more enveloping, fills the room nicely.
I somewhat expected the DACs to be better than the 20+ year old SF CD technology, and in this case they are. What I do find is with the LKS sometimes I keep listening for more detail, whereas with the ANK I never think about it, I just enjoy the music.
Last was the TT using a recent reissue, fairly clean and newish (borrowed) vinyl LP.
No contest. The TT blows them all away! The sound stage and detail are similar to the ANK, but the pacing is better, super engaging, foot and head tapping, it invites you closer to the performance and music, the band and instruments have more life. The double bass sounds monstrous, fat and beefy, almost rip your face off level.
Not the order of things I expected.
Later the same day I did a similar test using my Brothers In Arms CD, 1985 vinyl record and then streaming. The song I focused on is Money for Nothing. Sounded great on the ANK, less so with the CD, but the original vinyl version exploded out of the speakers, still very detailed and natural, but the heft, thrust and power of the music is much more tangible than either digital source. And I've only played this new phono pre-amp a few times. Finally a combination of the TT, a matching phono pre and the pre-amp all working together.
But wait...there's more! Just recently I got a fully upgraded Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 Mk II. The parts (tubes, caps, etc) are still fairly new, so it's not fully worked in yet.
I still had the ANK 5.1 with me when I brought the SFD-2 home. I played the same tracks on both, the SFD is a tad more laid back, but the soundstage, detail and naturalness of the music is very similar. I've played the SFD-2 over a few more days and the sound is improving. It is captivating and fills the room nicely.
What is my takeaway from all this?
I’m happy the TT finally did shine the way I felt was appropriate for what it is, a great and well built unit. It shows the engineering in the Idler Drive, arm, cartridge, plinth and all the pieces that go into extracting music from vinyl discs and sounding great.
But the TT is a big jump in cost compared to the other sources and it's shown you have to get all the parts just right for great sound. Would a similar costing dac sound as good? I would think so. In my experience, as I’ve moved up the budget ladder, more expensive components have tended to sound better. When I had a $500 TT and $100 CD player, the TT was better. Get a $1000 CD player and it was better than the TT, and so on...
But I look at the TT and all it entails as a once in a while, critical listening thing. For much more use I’ll defer to the dac and streaming. The music with my current gear is engaging, enjoyable, sounds realistic enough to me, and I don’t get tired after listening for hours. Plus with streaming I can dig into artists and albums far beyond what I have on vinyl or CD.
I will still treat myself to vinyl records for music I truly enjoy, and discover via streaming. The CD player has had its run, but I prefer streaming as the gear I have sounds better and I'm not limited by my CD library.
The LKS, lower in cost to the other sources, holds up exceptionally well. The ANK has a great sound, and I would consider it a step up if you have the funds to go that route. The SF dac is also outstanding, and for a unit with mostly 20+ year technology it holds up very well today, as long as you’re ok with 16/44 and Coax. But at a lower budget you can’t go wrong with the LKS dac.
