Raoul a écrit :I hope that the second version is really better, my opinion about the previous one :
https://forums.melaudia.net/showthread.p...8#pid14328
http://www.melaudia.net/evaltotaldac-03.php
...
update : theses stuff are mine now, I hope to be able (to begin) to set them working in a few weeks
Cher Raoul,
Congratulation for the 'Mélaudia-VOTT'!
I hope you enjoy this beautiful speakers!
Concerning the V-DAC Mk II:
The second version is clearly different in sound from the earlier model (I had both for a while at home)
But of course I cannot say if the new one would be more pleasant for you, because it is a matter of taste, and a matter of total system synergy.
As I am very much interested to hear more musical details, for me this is a big step forward. I have the impression every superfluous fat is taken away from a tone by this DAC.
I especially like to hear new music and percussion and also classical solo instruments with this. Never heard this so good! Incredible! There is virtually no ringing before a tone and nothing after. The transient response seems to be ultra fast.
When I demonstrated some high-resolution recordings to friends they agreed.
The music appears more slim and more pure then, so maybe one is not used to this new sound and has to adapt. One is very far away from typical sound of a charming vinyl playback system.
I must admit I do not always like this sound. With some musical records I prefer the internal DAC of the Squeezebox instead, because sometimes I find the musical flow better and the overall sound-floor is more comfortable.
With even other records I like my old Yamaha CD-Player better. But nevertheless my conclusion is: the V-DAC II is a very good DAC.
I also tested the Opera Audio DAC16 which plays the music more emotional, also more rough and more vinyl-like.
This is a good example of a classical DAC which is absolutely not bad, but very much different from the new V-DAC. Review in French Language here:
PDF
The disadvantage of such a 'vintage chip DAC': Music is not so crystal clear. Many details are missing if you compare, only then you recognise what was missed before.
I also had the Cambridge Audio DacMagic for a longer period. The resolution of this was fine but I came to a maybe similar conclusion like you did with the first V-DAC model (I did not like it because it killed the soul of music)
It is very hard to make a decision, and maybe impossible to recommend a piece of audio gear to another person. So I just try to tell my observation concerning my system and my music at home.
