Digital Drive: REVIEW: Audio Note DAC 5 Special DAC Processors by JGeisen

DAC5 Special â€“ TRUE VALUE IN DIGITAL

This is my first effort at writing a review even though Iâ€™m 55 years of age and have been actively involved in audio since beginning college.

Normally by the time Iâ€™ve discovered a piece of equipment its been discussed in most of the rags and this forum. There simply isnâ€™t anything left to add. Such should be the case with the Audio Note DAC5. However, Iâ€™m so moved by this piece that I must break my silence to let you know my thoughts.

In short the DAC5 Special is the single best piece of equipment Iâ€™ve ever had the pleasure of using. Iâ€™ve had my share of very expensive equipment but for the most part Iâ€™ve looked for high "value" equipment that I could purchase at a discount, use for six months to two years, and then sell without taking too much of a loss. Based on my forum readings many of you are similar. When it comes to the DAC5 the "value" argument uses different rules. It costs more. The value comes from the quality it adds to your life. Daily use virtually guarantees that you will never want to part with it. So you won't be reselling it.

Iâ€™ll save you my description of the concept behind the DAC5 since it is well known and has been covered here before. The point that the DAC5 gets better than any other piece of equipment Iâ€™ve owned is the message of the music. Yes, it keeps time, and yes it sounds great but it also does so much more. With the DAC5 you are made aware of the how the musician is working (or not working). You not only hear the notes; you feel the emotion of the player. You can easily follow techniques of playing and become so literally drawn into the performance that tears are appearing before you realize it. It is that good!

Iâ€™ve compared the DAC5 Special with a number of other converters and several single box players. This is how it typically goes. I play the other converter or cd player and think to myself. "Wow, this is great. I wonder how anything can sound any better?" Then I plug in the DAC5 and Iâ€™m blown away. It is so much more colorful, alive and revealing of the message of the performance that I spend the rest of the evening listening without making another change. I just donâ€™t want to miss spending time with this audio delicacy.

Audio Note designs equipment using their "comparison by contrasts" philosophy. While I've heard arguments against this philosophy based on tone or frequency balance thatâ€™s missing the point. The differences the DAC5 reveals are not a matter of bad sounding worse; rather it is a matter of revealing why a poorly recorded cd sounds the way it does. In all my listening I never found a cd that I liked sound any worse on the DAC5. On the contrary many cds that were dull, lifeless and irritating sounded much better.

I listen to vinyl using a Rega 9 with a Benz LO.4 through a Sun step-up transformer. Of course vinyl is still my favorite source but with the DAC5 I find that it so close to vinyl that Iâ€™ve almost stopped using my albums. I think I could quit completely if all my favorites were available in cd.

Can I live without the DAC5 Special? Of course, but life without it wonâ€™t be the same. Music has a healing and energizing effect on me. I simply cannot go more than a few days without listening. The DAC5 is a true "value" piece that is destined to become one of the benchmarks for digital. It adds to the quality of your listening and the quality of your life. You owe it to yourself to audition this great piece of Audio Note equipment.

REVIEW: Audio Note DAC 5 Special DAC Processors Review by JGeisen at Audio Asylum