Audionote 2.1x signature or DAC64

Just joined the forum and would like some help... Ive just gone through the upgrade process and have replaced a load of Arcam FMJ gear with some secondhand chord electronics... CPA 2200 SPM1200B into Living Voice Avatars.. All that remains is an Arcam FMJ CD33 that i would like to add a DAC to.. The obvious choice i guess would be a DAC64 which im yet to hear.. but ive just listened to an Audionote 2.1x signature which was stunning.. but i would be interested in some opinions and ideas of what else i should consider.. I dont know a great deal about audionote.. are they reliable? respected? and will the DAC64 be better... ok i know thats subjective so read be in the same league..

Thanks in advance..

 

Not heard the DAC64. But, do know that Audionote are such a great company. fast response, great upgrade options, 100% reliable - Honestly I cannot recommend enough.

Darren

 

Get a CAL DAC Alpha or Sigma. About £400 2nd hand from the US. Mine beat an AN DAC 1.1 which had been tweaked and at a bake off some prefered it to a Chord64.

 

I would agree with Lee on this one, they are chalk and cheese, Mind you bearing mind the use of chord amps as well.
Else only way is a 2 week aution with both Wm

 

Thanx for the feedback so far.. Ive just sold my old amp on ebay so the cash will shortly be burning right through my hands! Just thinking about WM post you say they are chalk and cheese.. and that to bear in mind the chord amps.. are you suggesting the DAC64 is a better match? and in what in your opinion is the biggest diff im likely to hear..? Bottom line your right only the audition will tell but i have to say im finding it hard to track down someone who will lend me the DAC64 on home demo.. meanwhile im slowly getting addicted to the audionote! Thanks again

 

Hi Hawk,

I own a Chord Dac64. I have done for around 20 months. I also own a pair of Living Voice Avatars. I have the OBXs. I too have heard the Cal dac at a Bake off (HIFI showdown at somebodies house) against my Chord. I did prefer my Dac for the drive, dynamics & ultimate detail to the sound. The Cal was more rounded but very good to listen to. The Cal is a very good 2nd hand buy.

I have only really heard Audionote Dacs at hifi shows & there has been some very good sounds. My hifi dealer had an Audionote cd player in a few years ago & this sounded very good.

You do need to have a good listen. You may prefer one to the other. Where are you based? There are a few Chord dealers doted around the country, maybe someone on the forum has had dealings with one of them.

BTW how is the Audionote 2.1x Signiture? If it is around £3000, you could look at the Audio Synthesis Dax Diiscrete as this Dac is an excellent piece of kit.


SCIDB

 

Hawk, I would concur with Dean over the Discrete dac, (fully upgradeabe and a clock link ability to be fitted to the transport & no pre amp required either), the Audionote (To my mind, would be better mated to the Chord amps, than the dac 64, I'm sure they are a very happy all chord owners out there too)
I have owned a Dac 4, but to me was far too 'nice' for my tastes and overpriced, the dac 64 is a wow factor product & does extract the music with question.
You could always try a Wadia dac/cdp also. Another top dac is the MSB Platumium link dac, with built in upsampler (fully switchable) and seperate psu (in the base), these are in my view pretty damn good and worth a listen. Wm

 

Hi Hawk

How are you finding the match of Chord electronics with the Living Voices?

Do you find you want to add excitement, calm things down, or do you think things sound right and you just want the best possible source?

Cheers
Chris

 

Well I had a chance to compare the dac64 to the audionote 1.1, and they were both good, I coulnd't say one was better, I leant towards the audionote myself, as the chord was just a bit hyped up, much higher output making it sound great, whearas if I reduced it, the difference was much less, the audionote was slightly more expressive, the chord ruthlessly accurate with tonal harmonics, maybe a touch too accurate, the audionote slightly sharp due to zero feedback, but also a little more rolled off and natural if that makes sense.( I am using it with an incorrect valve in the output, and ecc83, its really far more ballsy than the ecc82, but the operating point is all to cock,as the load resistor is for an ecc82, hence the slight sharpness indicating perhaps a touch of distortion, sounds good tho.

AS it happens, I am going to sell the dac 1.1, £475 pm if interested

 

Thanks for all the tips guys, In answer to some of the questions... I find that to my taste the chord amps go very well with the Living Voice Avatars.. and to be honest i was pretty happy with the sound i was getting with the FMJ CD33 (once i got the mains sorted - Isotek mini sub, merlin black widow etc and with nordost red dawn interconnects) UNTIL i heard the audionote 2.1x signature... Suddenly everthing sounded so much more involving and cybals and strings sounded much more realsitic... The only reason i havent bought it yet is because its £2000 and the only DAC ive demoed! I just want to be sure i get the best source posible for my cash... In my case best = Musical and involving... i enjoy mainly live rock and acoustic... things like the MTV unplugged album etc I dont want to spend more than 2k thats an upper limit but i could stretch to something like a naim CDX if i didnt need to keep the fMJ as a transport.. but again is alternative one boxes just another can of worms that wont actually deliver the end result? Thanks again... Hawk

 

you might want to read this thread from hifichoice
MF Trivista DAC
There is a good review of the Musical Fidelity Trivista and a very good comparison (for simpletons like myself) between the DAC 64 and the Trivista DAC al little further on, done by an owner of the Trivista who got to borrow a DAC64 for a week.

All the best with your purchase.

 

Or should that be clean V's Hard n' fast

 

Thanks for the link.. it turned out to be very interesting because i managed to get a new tri vista DAC to demo alongside the Audionote! This is what i found..

Transport FMJ CD33
Chord CPA2200 Pre
Chord SPM1200B
Living voice avatar
CD's - just about everything from radiohead to a classical naim one from the front of a mag!

Switching from the CD33 to the warmed up Tri vista didnt present any dramatic differences at first but after a few mins listening some of the splashy cymbals had been replaced with a much more pleasing sound.. Soundstage was vey marginally better as was the detail but all in all it didnt feel different enough to justify £1200 on top of the FMJ but would be a blinding upgrade to a sub £500 player.. The irony being that the sony transport in the FMJ is prob the same anyway!

The Audionote however is amazing, instant wow factor due to a very different presentation.. The detail and tone of the instruments is outstanding and the soundstage is much more three dimensional.. im sure that technically thats not correct but to me the soundstage comes forward as well as spreading sideways and back some more! The experience is very involving and its the closest to a good vinyl set up ive heard.. (3 1/2 year old fingers in the house makes a vinyl set up a bit suicidal at the moment in case you were wondering!) Of course it does cost £800 more than the tri vista which in itself is a great bit of kit but for listining to live rock and acoustics i think its going to be hard to beat.. bring on the DAC64!?

Im still searching for that elusive DAC64 demo, in fact i might even try and buy a secondhand one for a short period of time as im sure i could buy and sell without costing much courtesy of ebay..

Thanks again hawk

 

Audionote:

I won't go into specifics but I cannot agree with regard to the company.

Really, I can't otherwise I would get a nice solicitors letter!!

Caution needed....................