Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Auralic Vega DAC Processors by mschlack

Model:	Vega
Category:	DAC Processors
Suggested Retail Price:	$3595
Description:	DAC
Manufacturer URL:	Auralic

Review by mschlack on June 13, 2014 at 17:47:11
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for the Vega

This DAC replaced my Benchmark HDR. Immediate improvements in detail and depth of soundstage. For example, symphonic music now sounds much more like an orchestra, with instruments much more finely localized. Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances -- could really hear the conversation back and forth in the orchestra. DuPre's Elgar -- the detail, the depth and the pacing let me hear not just her beautiful playing, but how she drives the orchestra.

Even with redbook, distinctly more natural sound. On voices, like Luciana Souza's New Bossa, you get the little colorings and also the room ambience that makes the dynamics more vivid. Percussion, I listen to a lot of jazz quartets and latin music, and the wood, skin and brass is all there. The Benchmark was a good unit, but this has taken my system to a new level -- biggest single improvement since adding the ARC LS-26 to it.

This unit seems to love bass. Not that it's titled that way. It just gives bass guitar or standup its due, fully tight, woody and thump, w/o distortion. I could see some people not liking the prominence of the bass; for me it's fine. I never really noticed some of the places where Paul Chambers plays double stops on Kind of Blue before, and here it was obvious. When Jaco drops a few bombs on Joni Mitchell's Don Juan, you will feel them in your chest.

Most distinctive feature is ability to accept bitstreams up to 354KHz, including DSD. Typical 176/24 or 192/24 FLAC files are better than vinyl, IMO. The combination of natural sound, detail and depth puts you right into the music.

Can be used as a preamp, but I am not doing that.

The only better DAC I've heard is the whole DCS stack. Only about $90k more!

Product Weakness:	No headphone jack. Some may find the bass too much. Will not pretty up bad records -- you'll hear their flaws, although it's not all the way at the hyper-detailed end of things.
Product Strengths:	Lots of inputs, basically plays any hi=rez file around today, great analog output.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: SimAudio Moon 5.3
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): ARC LS 26
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Squeezebox Touch with digital output upgrade
Speakers: B&W 703
Cables/Interconnects: Green Hornet digital cable
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Jazz, classical, rock, folk
Time Period/Length of Audition: two weeks
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	SimAudio Moon 5.3
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	ARC LS 26
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Squeezebox Touch with digital output upgrade
Speakers:	B&W 703
Cables/Interconnects:	Green Hornet digital cable
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, classical, rock, folk
Time Period/Length of Audition:	two weeks
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner