So, I ordered a Constellation Masterpiece. I was initially a bit anxious because I had read a post about delays in production. But, Chan (the Principal at Pachanko), was great. He was incredibly communicative and I received the unit exactly when he said it would arrive.
The build quality is excellent. There are three boxes with top quality connection cables included (except power cord which is standard basic pc). The two power supply boxes come with spikes while the PC box sits on pads.
Chan walked me through the setup which was quite simple. I still have a minor issue with the power light blinking to which Chan has repeatedly offered to help me with - I just need to get a few minutes!
Sonically (is that a word?) I was blown away immediately. My prior setup was a Roon Nucleus. I used the Nuc in two different setups. The first was simply as a core connected to the network while an ethernet cables was separately connected to the dac. The second setup was with a USB connected from the Nuc to the dac. (Sablon USB and Shunyata Omega ethernet) In both setups, the Masterpiece brought warmth, depth and air - it made the Nuc seem thin by comparison. Some might recall that I auditioned quite a few top-flight dacs some time ago. The Masterpiece made as bif a difference in the system as any delta between dacs!
As for negatives, I don't yet have any complaints! Well, maybe one. The standard (non USB 2.0+) port sits right below the Ethernet port. Given the bulky connectors on the USB and the Ethernet cables they don't coexist great. I simply used the USB 2.0 port instead.
The build quality is excellent. There are three boxes with top quality connection cables included (except power cord which is standard basic pc). The two power supply boxes come with spikes while the PC box sits on pads.
Chan walked me through the setup which was quite simple. I still have a minor issue with the power light blinking to which Chan has repeatedly offered to help me with - I just need to get a few minutes!
Sonically (is that a word?) I was blown away immediately. My prior setup was a Roon Nucleus. I used the Nuc in two different setups. The first was simply as a core connected to the network while an ethernet cables was separately connected to the dac. The second setup was with a USB connected from the Nuc to the dac. (Sablon USB and Shunyata Omega ethernet) In both setups, the Masterpiece brought warmth, depth and air - it made the Nuc seem thin by comparison. Some might recall that I auditioned quite a few top-flight dacs some time ago. The Masterpiece made as bif a difference in the system as any delta between dacs!
As for negatives, I don't yet have any complaints! Well, maybe one. The standard (non USB 2.0+) port sits right below the Ethernet port. Given the bulky connectors on the USB and the Ethernet cables they don't coexist great. I simply used the USB 2.0 port instead.