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Digital Drive: REVIEW: Art Audio ART DI/O DAC Processors by davehg

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REVIEW: Art Audio ART DI/O DAC Processors

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Model: ART DI/O
Category: DAC Processors
Suggested Retail Price: $249
Description: Compact AtoD/DtoA converter
Manufacturer URL: Not Available
Manufacturer URL: Not Available

Review by davehg ( A ) on March 22, 2003 at 20:44:08
IP Address: 64.91.106.238
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for the ART DI/O


DI/O MENSA vs Stock DI/O cs. Shanling CDT100
The Art DI/O has gotten way too much digital ink here, but I noticed almost no comments on the upgrades to the DI/O available via Boldercables.com (Modwright no longer does DI/O upgrades). Bolder offers two versions, the SMART upgrade and the MENSA upgrade. They also offer a resonation treatment using some special goo that costs more than platinum or heroin, and strikes many people of being part snake-oil.

Having lived with the stock DI/O for a year, I sent away for the SMART Upgrade from Boldercables.com after hearing about how the DI/O was in the CES winning hifi system two years running. After just a few weeks with the SMART upgrade, I opted for the MENSA upgrade and the special anti-resonating goo. The DI/O kept sounding better with each upgrade, but I needed a stock DI/O to compare to see how much better. A buddy had a new-in-box stock DI/O, as well as a new Shanling CDT100 (the ulta-cool tube $2000 CDP from China) to compare. It rained the entire afternoon he came over, providing a great excuse for staying indoors and A/B'ing these DACS.

To compare, I used several female vocal CD's, including the now-standard Norah Jones (will this be 2003's "jazz at the pawnshop"?),and a great tribute disc to Greg Brown, called "Going Driftless" and featuring acoustic peformances by Annie DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, Gillian Welch, and Mary-Chapin Carpenter. (I found this disc in the bargain bin at Tower; it is very well-recorded and the performances stunning!). I also tried several Aimee Mann CD's (Magnolia, and her new one), the 24/96 remastered Rolling Stones "Black and Blue", as well as Chris Issak's great HDCD "Baja Sessions." Also threw a few cuts off the remastered Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" and finished off with the new 24/96 remasterd John Hiatt "Greatest Hits" CD (not the older one, but a new 2 disc version).

First the stock DI/O. I used an upgraded Stancor power supply, and some ratshack phono-to-rca adaptors (which handicapped the unit only slightly). Initially, it sounded better than I expected (having gotten used to the better MENSA DI/O). But extended listening was a bit tiring. With the Acoustic Zen silver reference cables, I could now hear a lot more grunge and harshness with the stock DI/O than with the MENSA. It was noiser, and soundstage and position were good but not precise. My sense, notwithstanding earlier positive postings, are that a stock DI/O still outperforms midfi CDP's and most entry-level DACS (under $1000) and is a decent and cheap upgrade for the audio cheapskate, but not a real replacement for a high end DAC.

Now to the MENSA DI/O, which uses expensive Riken-ohm resistors and lots of other mods. This upgrade makes the DI/O noticeably heavier! I also used the Bolder-supplied upgraded power supply (not the Bybee version). See the Bolder site for details of the Mods and power supply. I also put a heavy flat piece of metal on the MENSA to to damp vibrations of the small case. I had to adjust the volume of the Avatar to compensate for the lower output of the MENSA vs. the high output of the stock DI/O (2mv vs 10mv).

WOW. Instant jaw drop. The MENSA was so much more musical and QUIET, and went wider, deeper, lower and was more dynamic than the stock DI/O. All the grundge and harshness was gone, and everything moved back and out a good 2 feet. You could really hear air around everything, and the sheen around the cymbals. Singers had a breathy quality, were precisely positioned, and nothing became compressed during louder passages like in the stock DI/O. Bass was really well-extended; like someone turned on a bass boost but without the flab and bloat. You could almost reach out and touch the singers. I played one cut off the otherwise bright and middling Elton John tribute recording, with Oleta Adams singing out "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." She is backed up by a choir, and when they come in about a minute into the song, I got the goosebumps one gets when listening to megabuck gear.

MENSA owners, if you want a real sonic treat, flip on the the last two "Blind Boys of Alabama" CD's and get into the groove of these old gents singing soulfully whilst accompanied by blues guitarists and harmonica.

OK, so the MENSA rocked and smoked the stock DI/O. It should after pouring $535 for the upgrade and power supply, plus the $125 for the DI/O (now down to $99 I hear). Think about it, 5x the price of the DAC! You are basically buying the powersupply and output section, plus better RCA's. But could the MENSA keep up with the Shanling, a HDCD player with both tube and solid tate output stages, and switchable upsampling? The Shanling has gotten raves.

Well, the answer is yes. The MENSA DI/O did most everything as well (and in my and my spouse's opinion, audibly better) than the Shanling. It killed the Shanling's solid state ouput and non-upsampled tube output. Where did the Shanling win? It's midrange was nice and sweet with the tube output (as you would expect), but soundstage was not as deep and performers and instruments were more compressed. The MENSA sounded a tad brighter in the mids and highs, but ace'd the bass. I am speculating that two factors contributed to the MENSA's brighter sound: one: my choice of the AZ Silver Reference, which may be a bit bright for the MENSA vs, say, Cardas Golden Reference. Second: my room is too live and needs mid and high end damping (say, with a wall treatment). The Shanling is rolled off on both extremes, so it may not have excited the highs in my room the way the MENSA did.

The Shanling blew the MENSA away in the looks dept. It is the coolest CDP I have ever seen, and looks like it came out of the Jetsons. The DI/O, as you know, looks sorta early 80's pro gear, and the MENSA goodies are all under the hood. Now, the Shanling really did sound good, and with the added good looks, I would seriously consider it as a CDP only. But price alone, you are paying for the looks.

For fun, I used the Shanling as a transport feeding the MENSA. It sounded good, but far less synergistic than with the Technics DVD A10 used as a transport. The Technics has proven to be a stellar transport, and also has switchable upsamping. It has much better bass than others I have tried, and is built like a tank (albeit a homely-looking one when lined up next to the sexy Shanling), plus it plays DVD-A's! You can find them all day long on Audiogon and Ebay for under $250 (retail was originally $1200). So MENSA DI/O owners should seriously shop around for a good transport.

The demo really made me feel much better about the MENSA investment. Wayne at Boldercables does great work, and his MENSA upgrade makes the DI/O easily compete with up to $4000 DACS. Above that, and the simple DI/O DAC cannot keep pace with the more sophisticated DACS and features.


Product Weakness: Finicky with digital cable and transports; may have trouble locking/synching with certain transports
Product Strengths: Reasonably cheap, and excels everywhere. No real comparison at the price


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: VAC Avatar SE
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Shanling CDT100, Technics DVD A10
Speakers: Merlin TSM-M
Cables/Interconnects: AZ Satori Shotgun/AC Silver Reference
Music Used (Genre/Selections): All except rap/classical
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): JR Power filter/HAL-O dampers
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Art Audio ART DI/O DAC Processors - davehg 20:44:08 03/22/03 ( 12)