by pardales on Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:40 pm
First off, thanks to Wes and Neko Audio for offering this generous tour.
I have sincerely enjoyed my time with the D100. It arrived in great shape, well packed, and the fit and finish of the unit was first rate. I used the IC's Wes included as I only have single-ended connections on my Vaughn Audio Carina amp. My speakers are Horn Shoppe Model 1's. My source is a MAC powerbook. I use a Virtue Audio USB cable from my MAC connected to the HagUSB, and then a Canare/Digiflex Gold II (or something like that) coaxial digital cable that fed the D100 (my reference DAC is the Van Alstine Insight+). I also used a Van Den Hul Opticoupler II Mini Jack to Toslink cable for comparison (to put it bluntly, this route was just not as good as the coaxial chain).
I easily put about 80 hours on the DAC before sat down to critically listen. I don't write long reviews and tend to speak in fairly general terms which is why I will never be a professional reviewer; sorry if this frustrates you. I run through lots of different stuff as I listen: Ahamad Jamal, Radiohead, Tord Gustavson Trio, R.E.M., Wes Montgomery, Wilco, Ani Defranco, Buena Vista Social Club, The WHO, Ben Harper, Internet Radio, etc., etc.. I listen to a wide variety of music and have the remastered versions of almost all my music (if it has been remastered). Still, the recording quality of my collection is varied.
The D100 throws a very clear window on the sound. It has an extremely quiet, black background, and a very relaxed, even smooth sound. One of the things that immediately presented itself to me was that the soundstage was more forward with the D100 in my system. Instead of sound emanating from slightly behind my speakers the soundstage was more forward, in front of the speakers. The D100 had good inner detail and nicely rounded bass tones.
I am a strong believer in system synergy. A DAC in one system can present itself very differently than in another. It would not surprise me in the least if this DAC was the last stop for many people. It offers a very high quality sound that I think a lot of people will love, as the pro reviews suggest. For me, it was just not a match. In my system the D100 was a little too relaxed, and I could not get used to the forward soundstage. The clarity was wonderful but the detail and bass were not quite what they were with my DAC.
I enjoyed my time with the D100 and believe that if it meets your price point you should absolutely have it on your audition list. Wes has been great to deal with and what can you say about a company that offers a 30-day trial -- its the right way to do business in this hobby.
Many thanks,
