The very best DACs today...

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,430
2,518
1,448
the smaller of their 2 dacs weighs 55kgs!

the preamp uses negative output impedance like Rowen in Switzerland.

I love how they describe this smaller, lesser DAC as with a weight and size that is more user friendly!!! ;) 55kgs!!!
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,430
2,518
1,448
Here is a shot of their reference speaker...at first glance, not THAT big...until you realize that the woofer cones on the left are 15" each...does that make this woofer tower maybe 6 inches (15cm) shorter than an Alexandria? Yikes!!

Aries Cerat Reference Speaker.jpg
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,807
4,704
2,790
Portugal
(...) the Cat poweramp i have now quite regularly trips the circuit braker on start up

This only means that your breaker is too sensitive to transient charges or that the designer forgot to implement a proper soft start system. ;)
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,430
2,518
1,448
Just if you think you ve seen it all , wow what a speakersystem :D

Check out their up and coming 250-watt SET amplifier...from their website:

"Building a 250W Class A amplifier

Everybody wants more power.SE amplifiers are unmatched in sonic quality,however,not everyone owns a high performance highly sensitive speaker.
Design parameters for our task is sticking to Class A,and the need for a simple tube design delivering 250W per channel.Difficult task indeed.
Lets start with the output tube.I never liked the KT-XX family and the EL-XX close relatives.I always prefer DHT for our SE amplifiers and preamplifiers.However,i wanted to keep the step down transformer as low ratio as possible.Can we use a 2~4:1 ratio transformer and keep parasitic capacitance and inductance as low as possible?

Well,you need very high current/low resistance tubes to keep it in True Classs A mode with such a low ratio step down tranny .My favorite non DHT tube is the Sveltava 6C19p , a very high current ,very low resistance tube.It's internal resistance is about 9 times lower than a 845 tube.

Push pull designs...are not my favorite.So how can we get 250W in SE Class A topology.We use two parafeed SE OTL(!!) amplifiers per channel in balanced mode.This is not push pull as one might say,but two separate SE OTL amplifers ,one of which is inverted.

Each SE OTL parafeed bank is biased at 2.5~3Amperes,so 5~6Amperes in total!!

Driver stage uses my all time favorite E280F,high tranconductance tube,in my opinion the best mid-signal tube out there.We use a proprietary topology,which uses a combination of direct coupling and inductive coupling,for uncompromised performance.Driver stage can swing more than 100Vrms with bandwidth of DC~250Khz!

So,two SE OTL parafeed amplifiers in balanced mode driving an ac coupled 4:1 transformer can deliver 250W in Class A?You bet.

The reflected output resistance is 0.35 Ohms without the use of global or local reedback,and the max current swing is a record breaking 24 Amps!

The 120kg monoblocks will be launched soon.Stay tuned."
 

andromedaaudio

VIP/Donor
Jan 23, 2011
8,499
2,849
1,400
Amsterdam holland
Could be , but its a standard 16 A circuitbraker , maybe he choose to do without it on purpose , sounddegradation or whatever , fact is that both the pre and poweramp have bass control most would only associate with the best SS designs , so if that is the only problem i ll take it for granted , they both go through a lenghty start up mode though and it happens only sometimes on start up never during play
This only means that your breaker is too sensitive to transient charges or that the designer forgot to implement a proper soft start system. ;)
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,430
2,518
1,448
One of the best I ever heard was the AudioNote Fifth Element DAC.

Look to this review:

http://www.audionote.co.uk/articles/Audionote_CDT6-Dac_5_complete.pdf

You've heard it?!?!?! You are literally the first person i have come across who has!! Tell us more!!

Martin Colloms has only RAVED unequivocally about a few pieces of equipment saying they re-set the whole calibration scale. The ones i know about well: Wilson X1/Grand Slamm (1994), Krell FPB-600...and the Audio Note DAC 5th Element/Transport CDT6. These 2 have obviously gone down in history as some landmark pieces...so naturally i sit up and pay attention given MC's mind bogglingly good review of the AN DAC 5th Element/CDT6.

Relative to recent generation digital (MSB, DCS, Metrum, Vertex Aletheia, etc) which MC scores around 200-250...and relative to 3-5 years ago with the best scoring 80-105...the AN DAC 5th Element is scored by MC at 450!

How good is this thing? Any particular attributes that you would describe about it? Thanks for any insights here!!!
 

Elberoth

Member Sponsor
Dec 15, 2012
2,011
259
1,170
Poland
I would also add the Trinity DAC to that list. It is miles better than the MSB DAC IV Diamond Plus it replaced (which in turn replaced the Scarlatti).

At the time I had the MSB, I have also sampled the AN DAC 5, top of the range Metronome C-8 and the Vivaldi. None of those made me want to part with the MSB. The Trinity on the other hand brought the system to another level.
 

c1ferrari

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 15, 2010
2,162
51
1,770
Here is a shot of their reference speaker...at first glance, not THAT big...until you realize that the woofer cones on the left are 15" each...does that make this woofer tower maybe 6 inches (15cm) shorter than an Alexandria? Yikes!!

View attachment 18109

:cool: MOMA piece :D
 

c1ferrari

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 15, 2010
2,162
51
1,770
Aries Cerat...what an interesting product array :cool:
I would certainly visit their room should they ever show in Newport :p
 

astrotoy

VIP/Donor
May 24, 2010
1,551
1,020
1,715
SF Bay Area
My Pacific Microsonics Model Two sounds very good - and its 14 years old. It is definitely a pro machine, so has lots of settings and, of course, is an ADAC. No DSD or USB and requires dual wire for 192/24 or 176/24. Also it doesn't automatically detect sample rates.

Larry
 

dmnc02

Member Sponsor
Jul 10, 2012
326
1
0
PA, USA
What does aries cerat mean ?? its probably a latin word , couldnt find it with google

Aries is Latin for "ram". Cerat is probably from the Greek ????? ("horn) or ?????? ("horns").
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,430
2,518
1,448
There are more RBCD DACs, now, providing fantastic sound. I've had an AN 4.1X Balanced DAC for 4-5 years in my system and can imagine an Audio Note Level 5 DAC experience :D

There are a number of DAC 5s, as i understand. DAC 5, DAC 5 Signature, DAC 5 something or other, and the DAC 5th Element (which costs nearly $170K just for the DAC...and another $170K for the Transport!)
 

astrotoy

VIP/Donor
May 24, 2010
1,551
1,020
1,715
SF Bay Area
Aries is Latin for "ram". Cerat is probably from the Greek ????? ("horn) or ?????? ("horns").

It's wonderful to have such erudite members. Dodge used to have an Aries car, and Dodges were "Ram tough" or so they said. And you could honk their horns. :)

Larry
 

jpetek

Well-Known Member
Feb 12, 2013
140
3
923

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing