Soekris "dac1541": DAC/Amp - Stream of Consciousness Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Torq, Jul 27, 2017.

  1. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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  2. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    mea culpa - I should have gone back and re-read some of the thread. That's one of the benefits of taking holiday; need to be retrained after. Still have a few days before returning to corporate schedule so I am re-running some of the Soekris dac1541 measurements and comparing to other DACs with the same setup on the same day.

    *edit* - dac1421 should be a great pairing with Liquid Crimson. On my list of acoustic lab future acquisitions.
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2017
  3. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    So, the DAC1541 would not be my usual pick or flavor of a DAC. And yet I actually quite liked it, though it does have a unique sort of sound.

    The main thing that sticks out to me is how clean and clear the DAC sounds. It's almost...weird. Unnatural, perhaps? I am not sure. It's like trying on a new prescription pair of glasses. Very focused, and zero smudges on the lenses. And yet I wonder if it might be covering up reverb, air, and other nuances. Or are other DACs just less accurate? But I could find no real lack of detail on the DAC1541.

    Very odd how that works. I am not sure if the uncanny clarity, focus, lack or veil or greyness, etc. is truly correct or not. I think one could argue either way. It's much how solid state amps sound cleaner and more detailed than tubes at first, but more listening shows greater resolution on tubes, just with a less sterile feel. But the DAC1541 didn't quite give that same fake, glossed over sound like you would think based on that analogy. Very hard to wrap my head around in this case. So, rather than worry, I took it for what it was and enjoyed the presentation.

    Tonally, the DAC can be a hair bottom and top heavy. It's not bright, nor is it bassy, but strong on both ends. The treble can have a mild glare to it, though the soft filter mostly eliminates this. Thankfully, there is near zero grain, dryness, or etch to speak of, just a wee bit too much sharpness and glare with all but the soft filter. The background is clean and black.

    It almost sounds like a good Sabre DAC, but with some balls and that multibit element. Very pristine, fast, and clear, but with a more 3D, palpable stage, and much better dynamics and low-end authority. I would still say the Gungnir Multibit does staging better, but that is almost always a given due to its filter.

    In terms of swing, micro-dynamics, and explosive macro-dynamics, it is quite good. Not as moving as a Metrum, nor as authoritative as a Theta/Schiit DAC, but also nothing to worry about.

    The filters more or less sounded the same to me, except for the soft filter. The sharpest filter was the most focused and dynamic sounding at the expense of a mild glare and a slightly too forward and small stage. The soft filter had a more natural tone and a larger, airier sound to it, but it was slightly less dynamic and focused sounding. The soft filter was my preference for a mixture of more analytical and enjoyable listening.

    I appreciate the more "industrial" approach to the DAC. No flashy parts for the brand name. Basic case work and painting. Similar to Metrum's approach. Just solid thinking and a straightforward product without flash for the sake of marketing.

    I didn't have much time with the built in amp, but I wasn't too crazy about it. I suppose it's nice to have in a pinch, but I thought it did the DAC itself no favors (i.e. held it back noticeably).

    So, does it have a place in the market? I think so. I could easily see someone preferring this to a Gungnir Multibit or an Amethyst, for example. It has its own unique sound, that pristine sort of clarity, that is very appealing. And despite this, it's not what I would call sterile, analytical, or fatiguing. Check it out for the DAC, but don't count on the HP out. The DAC alone is worth a listen and priced fairly well for that.
     
  4. bengo

    bengo Friend

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    Really curious how this thing would sound in NOS mode (which would involve firmware reprogramming to change out one of the stock filters, I believe, but should be possible...
     
  5. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I would be curious too. I'd prefer a mix of the really sharp, textbook filter, soft filter with minimal ringing, and a NOS filter. But I get why Soekris would not want to add the latter.
     
  6. ilcg1

    ilcg1 Acquaintance

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    @Hands As a combo unit (dac/amp) which of the two you think is better: Amethyst or dac1541?

    Or maybe it's better to put it this way: where do you think the amp section is stronger: Amethyst or dac1541? Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2017
  7. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Uhh...totally different since they are chained to the DAC. I prefer the Amethyst with my HD650, but, of course, that would follow given my tastes...
     
  8. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    How much does this unit actually cost in the US? I keep seeing people state that the US price is $1200 but with the Euro to USD conversion, it's actually $1600 plus shipping from Europe which I'm sure brings the price closer to $1700. Soekris needs a US distributor badly.
     
  9. Northwest

    Northwest Almost "Made"

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    At this point I think it may be better for US folks to wait for the dac1421. After shipping and fees it would be around $1000, and you would only lose the balanced feature. This is assuming you used the paypal payment method. Bank transfer is less.

    I was able to listen to a 1541 at a local audio meet mid august. I was pretty impressed listening to it with a WavesNX plugin, and a modded HD800. I thought it improved enough over my Eitr/Modi Multibit to place an order. I was able to get the intro price after some good fortune. I just got my unit and one interesting thing is that the volume knob now goes down to -90.

    I have a small frame of reference, and I'll need to read the audio glossary again, but I hope to write some impressions in a few weeks.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2017
  10. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    There are the diy effort filters that sort of combine strengths of nos with strength of OS, although of course still being more like OS sound in the end.
    Think of like SFD-1 kind of presentation, but even less edgy without the tube bloom. These aftermarket filters probably work on the 1541 too.
    Btw these dacs should run as semi nos, fir 2 filter can probably be disabled.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2017
  11. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    I'm curious if there are any differences between the single ended output of the 1541 and the SE output of the 1421. The 1541's SE out is taken from both R2R strings while the 1421 only has one string. Just curious.

    If there are no sonic differences between the SE headphone output on both models, the 1421 is a much better buy, coming in almost $700 cheaper than the 1541.

    Now the real question. R2R DAC / Amp combo - Soekris 1421 ($1000) vs Metrum Amethyst ($1200).

    @Torq, was there any noticeable differences between the SE and balanced headphone out of the 1541 other than the XLR out having a shit ton more power?

    Also @soekris, any way we can bribe you into bring back the 1110 Euro price for SBAF members? ;) Group buy possibility?
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2017
  12. Collusion

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    I did compare the outputs with my unit and found very little difference between them. I think Torq already commented this somewhere on this thread.
     
  13. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Right, I only meant for those unwilling to try to load their own filters into the DAC1541. I believe Soekris said it is technically possible.
     
  14. soekris

    soekris MOT - Soekris Engineering

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    The dac1541 manufacturing cost is mostly in EUR, the cost ended higher than expected so I had to adjust the sale price in EUR up....
    The USD exchange rate to EUR have dropped something like 13% since April, so the USD price had to go even higher up, can't do much about that, and having a US point of sales wouldn't change that much....

    But I could offer a special factory direct group buy for US based SBAF members.... What about EUR 1070 (USD 1280 at todays exchange rate). That offer would be based on minimum 5 pcs, with free shipping to one US location, and prepayment by one wiretransfer. We currently do have ok stock.
     
  15. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    That would be awesome Soren. I'm in for the group buy.
     
  16. sacredgates

    sacredgates Audio-Technica's high priest

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    That is a great offer! If you manage to arrange that group buy, you will be in for a treat. I am enjoying mine every day...
     
  17. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    @soekris ... should we contact you directly to put our name on the list?
     
  18. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Not that I recall, but I didn't do much listening with the SE headphone output. The way the unit is implemented would make me think that the very minor, have-to-listen-for-them, differences in the SE and balanced line-outputs would translate to the headphone output as well. Unless you're planning on running LCD-4 or Abyss (or maybe HE-6 and/or Susvara), where you really do want the extra power, it's not a point I'd sweat.

    At the same time, if I wasn't going to run it balanced all the time, I'd probably be looking at the dac1421 instead.
     
  19. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Anyone else interested in the group buy? We only need 5 people.
     
  20. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    It's tempting.

    It'd be more so if I was looking for an all-in-one unit - I'd likely jump on it.

    But I still only want it as a DAC and all the other stuff either won't get used or is a potential problem (if the volume control was completely defeatable, so it can't get moved accidentally and then result in shit going boom later on when I don't notice it, I'd probably be more interested than I am).
     

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