Massdrop RDAC Airist Audio R2-R DAC

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by purr1n, Jun 4, 2018.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    We are really splitting hairs now. In terms of tone, the Modi Multibit and RDAC are closer than not. I'd easily lump them the same category of vintage R2R sound. The MM a bit less so and the RDAC a bit more so. But we are taking mm on a ruler.

    As far as NOS sound, the RDAC sounds in between NOS and OS. I found the stage to be located upfront and depth not too deep, but not as deep as the MM. The RDAC did give me a sense of more openness than most cheap NOS including sub $1800 Metrum.

    The Modi Multibit did get a bump in sound quality with the A2 ROM since the initial reviews of the RDACs. The RDAC production gets the measurements a bit better.

    If you truly want vintage UltraAnalog or PCM63 sound with some NOS stage qualities (the good and the bad) RDAC. If you want layering, imaging precision, depth localization, and a teeny but more plankton, then MM.
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2019
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    ...lack of forward shout

    This maybe only applies to Yggdrasil A1 or Gungnir A2 and other factors depending on source USB, and associated gear.

    The Modi Multibit A1 has a bit of stridency, but neither MM A1 or A2 I would call shouty. Far from it actually and why the MM has actually been my favorite Schiit DAC tonally.
     
  3. RedFuneral

    RedFuneral Facebook Friend

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    I think I need to hear more different DACs and pass on this for now. I've bought and sold enough R2Rs to know better. I buy in for the smoothness and sell on because the thickness starts to feel claustrophobic. Time to get out of my comfort zone.

    Im familiar with the Schiit shout, I have a Rag collecting dust. I know not all Schiit have this tuning but the revisions make it tiring to buy on the used market.
     
  4. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Sounds like you need a Pavane. Better start saving!
     
  5. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Dacs among the Schiit lineup certainly vary. But Schiit as a whole has a house sound of being quite forward to my ears.
     
  6. futbutts

    futbutts Friend

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    I was actually just reading your breakdown of NOS DACs and wondering where the Airist RDAC might fall in that hierarchy.
     
  7. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Hard to say because it technically isn't NOS...Maybe the tone of the Amethyst, with more space/air? Resolution maybe a bit behind, though, and maybe not as clean as Amethyst? It's been so long since I've heard any of those NOS DACs on the list. And comparing NOS to OS is weird.
     
  8. futbutts

    futbutts Friend

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    Thanks for taking the time to respond, even if it's a difficult comparison. I jumped from my earliest dabblings in the $150-and-less DAC range to the Bifrost MB and I am feeling the One-year-itch of wondering what other source methodologies sound like.
     
  9. PrismaticOrb

    PrismaticOrb New

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    So I preordered the airist. I will be pairing it with a zdt jr and cth. Just a quick question.. since I literally have to wait a month. Would I be better off just purchasing metrum amethyst for over twice the price? I hate waiting and I don't mind paying more for something if it's going to be drastically better.
     
  10. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    It will not be drastically better. Maybe a bit better in a couple ways, but more just different than better.

    Also it's a good lesson in patience.
     
  11. PrismaticOrb

    PrismaticOrb New

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    Thanks for the quick reply, I guess I'll wait. So many preorders seem to be coming my way that month. Novation Summit being one of them.
     
  12. lehmanhill

    lehmanhill Almost "Made"

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    Has anyone compared the Airist RDAC to the EC Designs MOS16? At about $300 shipped to the US, the cost is competitive. It is a true NOS dac and sound fairly good with the coax input modification.

    Jac
     
  13. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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  14. adeadcrab

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    For those who have listened to both the RDAC and the Soekris 1321, can you illustrate where (if) the RDAC bests it?
    I imagine that the 1321 would be a better fit personally, with a lean presentation and realistic soundstage over the RDAC's slightly warmer tilt. Are the stages comparable?
     
  15. lehmanhill

    lehmanhill Almost "Made"

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    Thank you for that. I had read Purr1n's comparison when it was new, but had completely forgotten about it.

    The way I read his comparison, it looks like the Airist RDAC and EC Designs MOS16 are comparable level, but different in character. And for those who have an SPDIF source with 1V or higher, the conversion from optical input to coax input solved some of Purr1n's problems with the MOS16.

    Jac
     
  16. klyrish

    klyrish Facebook Friend

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    Got one of these today and got it all setup, started playing music and...static in the right channel. The only way I can get rid of it is by dropping the source volume down to about 40% which is unacceptable. From reading threads on Drop, this has happened to a lot of people. I'm hoping that letting it burn in overnight rights the issue but I'm not hopeful.

    After the fiasco last week with ordering a ZDT Jr. that was marked as in-stock and it taking almost a week for them to figure out it WASN'T in stock to this, I don't know that I'll ever order anything from them again. This is extremely disappointing.
     
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    What happened last week? It's OK to say. Not trying to hide anything. As for RDAC, call them and get a replacement.
     
  18. klyrish

    klyrish Facebook Friend

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    After reading through most of the thread about the ZDT Jr. on Sunday, I was convinced this was how I was going to get back into the world of tube amps (first amp was Vali 2 and I loved it). I saw that Drop had it as in-stock and ready to ship so I bought it and chose express shipping because I wanted it ASAP as my wife and I were going out of town on Friday for the Labor Day weekend and I didn't want it sitting on the porch for 4 days while we were away.

    Monday: no movement.
    Tuesday: no movement.

    Finally around 3pm MT, I emailed support asking what the deal was since I paid $15 extra for Express shipping and it still hadn't shipped which is weird since it's in stock. I asked if it wasn't going to be able to ship today if I could get the $15 back and drop it down to regular shipping (since that explicitly stated it would ship within 1-business day) and then I wouldn't have to worry about Denver porch pirates or insane heat baking it while we were gone.

    Got a response hours later saying they were going to look into it.

    Wednesday: no movement. I emailed support again asking why this hadn't shipped since it's in stock.
    Thursday: late in the day get a response from the same person that he was still trying to find out what's going on but would refund the $15 for Express shipping.
    Friday: late in the day get a response from a new rep stating that the amp is out of stock and I would be refunded the $400 they charged me. They updated the site then to remove the "buy" button but it still says in a gray callout box that it's in-stock and ready to ship.

    It was just unnecessarily frustrating and being a web developer, I don't understand how they can have such a nice site but seemingly not have any automated stock functionality built in so that situations like this don't happen. I ultimately got the ZDT Jr. on eBay with a ton of JAN 5654W tubes included for $380 shipped and it arrived yesterday, but the experience with Drop was shitty.

    Back to the Airist: should I even bother attempting to burn it in or just RMA it immediately? Despite being on for less than an hour and having the static in right channel, I'm really liking the sound of it. Obviously not as detailed or resolving as the Gungnir Multibit, but it seemed like an enjoyable sound that paired really nicely with the ZDT Jr. I wanted to try out different DAC technologies to see if there's something else out there I enjoy more and a cheap R-2R DAC was just the ticket.
     
  19. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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    I think you should just RMA as I never had any static out of box and my friend also has it and he never experienced any static
     
  20. tommytakis

    tommytakis MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    @klyrish For the Airist DAC, If you bought new from Drop AND you're enjoying the sound, I would return it and get a replacement unit. I think it would drive me nuts in the long run if I knew I paid full price that has issues, however small it may be.

    As for the ZDT Jr. situation, I can see how frustrating that could be. I know Drop is not perfect, no company is really. At the end of the day, they're run by people and people make mistakes. Can't speak for the website and their shipping error, but I wouldn't write them off completely just yet. They've given us pretty amazing and relatively-affordable products since they started dipping their toes into the audiophile community (HD6XX, mCTH, THX AAA 789, ZDT Jr., Fostex THX00, and many more to come). I would continue to be in contact with them and see how they handle your situation. I'm sure they'll do right by you once they do their "investigation" or w/e. :)

    Also glad to hear you're enjoying the ZDT Jr.~
     

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