A night with Vekian
Last night I went to listen to the Vekian DAC pairing with Zero transport on a DV amplification and speaker systems. First and foremost, the speakers have been recently upgraded to use a Majestic power amplifier for the bass drivers. PT also uses the MusicFirst Audio reference preamp which is a passive preamp temporarily taking the place of the house DV passive pre.
From an overall system performance perspective, the CD playback, to my ears, are incredibly dynamic, resolving and full of ambience that has marked a new record in all my past experience in listening to CD playback in all the systems encountered. Of course, my listening experience can still be regarded as very green compared to all the veterans here. I am sure the Vekian DAC has played a pivotal role in driving out the textures, taking away much of the dynamic range cap both up and down. The MusicFirst passive preamp is one pleasant surprise and pairing with the DV drivers and amps and Intonation, it drives effortlessly with extreme dynamics and completely dark background rivalling many top notch active preamp including my Tidal Preos Reference. I used the All Silver version of MFA passive preamp and it really amazed me at that time at that price point. Now its flagship is even more intriguing with a much more matured character both inside and out.
Vekian DAC is something, as described by PT, that I should not listen if I am not prepared to buy. I mean every word I say here because it is a totally unprecedented experience of listening to a CD playback which if blind folded me, I would say it is not. I also now realise what Keith from the UK said about tthe power of his DAC pairing with his Mac PC feeding the 24bit data stream via the LAN port of the DAC. I will certainly try this PC data stream when my Vekian is delivered. Compared to Heritage, I would say Heritage is going towards the direction of 3-dimensionality, soundstage resolution and transparency. Vekian gives the widest dynamic range and transient surge with lots of timbre and tonal colors. If I had not released the Heritage due to my earlier intention to downsize the CD section, I think it would be a very exciting match between the 2 in my system!
Marvel
From an overall system performance perspective, the CD playback, to my ears, are incredibly dynamic, resolving and full of ambience that has marked a new record in all my past experience in listening to CD playback in all the systems encountered. Of course, my listening experience can still be regarded as very green compared to all the veterans here. I am sure the Vekian DAC has played a pivotal role in driving out the textures, taking away much of the dynamic range cap both up and down. The MusicFirst passive preamp is one pleasant surprise and pairing with the DV drivers and amps and Intonation, it drives effortlessly with extreme dynamics and completely dark background rivalling many top notch active preamp including my Tidal Preos Reference. I used the All Silver version of MFA passive preamp and it really amazed me at that time at that price point. Now its flagship is even more intriguing with a much more matured character both inside and out.
Vekian DAC is something, as described by PT, that I should not listen if I am not prepared to buy. I mean every word I say here because it is a totally unprecedented experience of listening to a CD playback which if blind folded me, I would say it is not. I also now realise what Keith from the UK said about tthe power of his DAC pairing with his Mac PC feeding the 24bit data stream via the LAN port of the DAC. I will certainly try this PC data stream when my Vekian is delivered. Compared to Heritage, I would say Heritage is going towards the direction of 3-dimensionality, soundstage resolution and transparency. Vekian gives the widest dynamic range and transient surge with lots of timbre and tonal colors. If I had not released the Heritage due to my earlier intention to downsize the CD section, I think it would be a very exciting match between the 2 in my system!
Marvel
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PT has used 2 passive preamp, one in his DV system and one in Cessaro. The latter one being a newly opened one and therefore the burning in takes time. The one in DV system has been used on and off for 5 months so it is pretty there in terms of operational status.
Voy, have you tried to use a PC datastream to feed into the Vekian?
After that night's audition, I was wondering if the digital coversion from the CD data store has reached the 'ultimate' accuracy, would it really mark the end of the vinyl age? This is obviously a question being asked a thousand times in many of our minds and discussions. It comes and goes away quickly whenever we have both sources playing side by side and the result speaks for itself.
For a moment, I thought the answer is 'yes' given my adrenaline level was surged up remarkably by this DAC running in tandem with the DV system. The dynamic range has really surpassed all the CD systems that I have heard and the kind of 'boxed' feeling due to the D-A conversion has totally gone. It is simply the 'original' music that has been recorded. Is it partly the magic of DV? I don't think so, as I have heard some other CD combinations under the same amplification system (but without the Music First Audio Reference preamp, arguably).
Of course, after a while, my answer changed to 'No' because there were so many legendary performers in the period where vinyl / magnetic tapes were the only means to record their passion and skills on music. No matter how accurate we can reproduce the digital recording using the most advanced DAC in terms of technology, we cannot reproduce the same level of performance of those masters. This argument was further substantiated by a discussion today with PT/Jlam on the difference between a pre-War Steinway piano and a post-War Steinway. They are simply different and even Martha Argerich cannot change this by using the two.
My lesson learnt from this is not for me getting a definite answer as it is not a 'yes' or 'no' that matters, it is the understanding and balance between the 2 dimensions of this audiophile hobbies: music and audio equipment. Sometimes if we let one dominate the other, we would easily draw different conclusions and go a different route and come back at a latter time (just like shameful Marvel attempting to downsize the CD system and came back shortly). The art is how we strike the balance and develop the skills to utilise the right tools in our hand at the right time. (not just physical tools but also the knowledge in our mind).
Waiting patiently for this exotic impact to my house CD system.
Marvel