by obiwan on Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:30 pm
Even though I had the Neko for a couple of weeks. I only had a few hours to actually listen to it due to my busy schedule. From the limited time I had the D100, my impressions are pretty much the same as what many loaners have mentioned here - it does nothing wrong. What I liked about the Neko most, is how male vocals sound really natural , and its uncanny ability of letting the performer's emotions reach the listener's ear. It had both warmth and body ,- never sound thin or dry. A friend who had listened to it as well said this much....
"...Speaking of easy to listen to, the Neko is a really good DAC! The upper midrange in particular is very burnished and seductive, almost SET like, the sound is clear with good detail retrieval and full, weighty imaging as I like, nice texture. At first I was kind of stunned but after more careful listening I think it is ultimately... I don't want to say colored, but less refined or complex in terms of tone and timbre than the Havana (modded) and not as much micro detail, micro dynamics, and acoustic bass definition, and not as realistic in terms of front to back layering and scale. For instance with orchestra, brass and woodwinds in the back of the stage appear more forward and pronounced than they should. I think the EnjoyTheMusic.com review had it right about "shortchanging" the harmonics in comparison to the Havana, but overall it is the best I've heard in its price range. I would pick it over the Calyx, Bel Canto DAC2.5/DAC3, and stock Havana, but that is me and my taste. Certainly other DACs can beat it in some ways, but the Neko has got it where it counts in my book. "
All in all we both liked the Neko
