The pinnacle of the pinnacle. I was skeptical before I had decided to upgrade from Vekian Signature to Opus. I was therefore not on the first batch of the trade in program until I met Mike of Stahltek, the designer of Vekian, in person and understood more about the improvements made. The Opus upgrade was stunning which I may have described somewhere in this thread previously.
Here came another opportunity for the ultimate Opus Prime a few weeks ago, without too much churning on where to get the money, I replied to commit the order of the Opus Prime DAC.
The new Prime series will stand as the flagship of Vekian and has adopted many military grade components inside, even the fuse used is of the exotic class!! The outlook has changed slightly to include a polarity switch on the front panel and a ground post at the rear panel.
After warming up the DAC, I begin to play my mostly listened CDs, from Signature to Opus, the musical images 'inflated' from a 2-D picture to a 3-D object with more ambience and space. From Opus to Opus Prime, those 3-D objects are filled up with more inner details and texture. The images are more solid with a sharp contour. Frankly with ABC, it is already very difficult to find any slight scent of harshness on any CD playback but there is still a noticeable gap between LP and CD playback in my system after I upgraded to Virtu/Trinity phono. The difference is primarily in the areas of inner details, microdynamics and ease of dynamic surge. With Opus Prime, the margin becomes much narrower and in blind test for certain recent recordings which are available both on LP and CD (eg. Mutter, Emil Giele), the difference is negligibly small. The musical movements are more coherent without any 'lagging' and 'dotted lines'...
Under the ultra transparency of Tidal Agoria driven by Analog Domain and the Trinity Preamp (which I will describe separately), the improvements from Opus to Opus Prime are not insignificant. It may not ignite a big wow like Signature to Opus, it is more than enough to stem a few smiles from the depth of my heart!
The Opus prime is simply phenomenal. One must allow the DAC to fully mature before critical assessments are made. It took 3 days (non stop continuous play) for it to reach its "prime" time. And I have to complement Mike's ever lasting efforts to improve the already fabulous Opus.
What the Prime stands out is the enormouos texture resolution of the entire frequency. There are so much more color. In comparison (I have done ABAB comparisons on the spot), the previous OPUS has a slight emphasis on the lower mid range (which many people like for its warmth). When this session is rectified, the Prime offers me real bass resolution. It shows off its tremendous decoding capability when playing symphonic scores. The positioning of different sessions in the orchestra is clear with varying distance perspective. When the music calls for dynamics, the bass roars with weight and yet very controled. In comparison on playing the same recording - "Rite of Spring", the previous OPUS clearly lacks definition (relatively speaking) in the bass session (under 200hz). It has a tendency to protrude as one big package of energy. NOT the PRIME. The Prime does bass the adult way. You can easily separate the boys from the mans in many recordings, positionings of the microphone, and even the acoustic characteristic of different recording venue.
The trebel is extremely 3D. It never sounds harsh, however the trebel energy ascent. I played recordings from John Coltrane, Mike David, Keith Jarret, all the ways to the modern days of Holly Cole, and even Japanese singer Miyuki Nakajima live concert in 2007, the PRIME contantly surprises me in terms of realism. Spatial resolution of the previous Opus is already amazing but the Prime delivers spatial cues in a continuous non-dotted line manner.
And the polarity button is extremely well done too.
You and Marvel are always ahead of the curve. How charming!
Let's chat on another topic. Marvel, please join. Are you physically aware that you are listening to a Hi Fi system in a domestic home setting? If yes, (I assume it has to be an YES until you are not a human being living in another dimension), then the enjoyment derived from your Hi End system must come partially from the high fidelity reproduction concept together with the consequential musicality communication with your mind. The first part is objective and the second part is subjective. Yet they are closely related. I believe this statement is logically correct as I just dicussed this topic with two Phds from MIT.
If somehow we can skip the first element and still be able to receive musicality, then the Hi End Audio industry should not exist. Nowadays, the youngsters told me they enjoy music so much from computer downloads from their PC speakers and ipods and all kind of mobile phones. One of my juniors told me that they really have no logically clue why the hell I spent so much on hi end audio? I gave it a deep thought.
So I want to do an experiment. I bought an ipod finally and start listening to my favorite songs on the way to office everyday. At night, I played the same songs on my Hi End system. Do I get more musicality at night than the morning? My answer is a DEFINITIVELY NO!
Then it goes back to the question of why do I set up my Hi End system in the first place? My logical answer is "Man like toys", and the real fun of hi end audio (at least to me) comes from the required skills sets to "tame" the high end system. I spend much more time to fine tune the speaker positionings, making sure ground noises/AC noises are not there etc etc..... And the achievement of lowering the ground noises yields more subjective satisfaction to my mind than the musciality from the system.
Let me then ask you a question...do you enjoy your toast with jam as breakfast in the morning more than a nice dinner in a 3-star restaurant in the Le Guide Michelin? Which one is more delicious (subjective taste) and which one is more nutritive (objective measures)?
Maybe your hi end system really sucks. The potential of it is undermined by room acoustics probably.
You do throw in a good topic and I agree most part of it. But I know many do not aware they are physically listening in their home as most often they told me their system sound like in a concert hall or even better than concert hall (sound better than concert hall is possible, shall elaborate further later).
I have to admit the thrill of listening to a ghostly stereo Imaging is no smaller than the subsequent communication with the music (musicality?). Equally, the sensation from the delivery of very wild dynamic presentation of bass drum is extremely high to my senses as well. Does sensational feeling equal musicality?
I have been keeping silence in the forum for a while but I am not away from all of the gurus here. For the past few months, I also walked the same path as some of you. I have now got K70G2, ABC and as well as the latest Opus Prime.
The Opus Prime just arrived a few days ago but its performance shocked me. Previously when I moved one step up to Opus, I was already shocked once on the significant improvement over the signature version. I thought at that time if there were more improvement to come, its magnitude would not be the same again. After all, being at the highest tier already, the dac should not be expected to have dramatic improvement. With Opus Prime, my thought was proved incorrect immediately. I really appreciate the effort of Mike who successfully brings Opus Prime to this level.
The very obvious improvement to my system after introducing Opus Prime is that the noise level is reduced such that music now comes out from very dark background. As such, vocal, instruments, etc become more 3D and vivid. I don't have any ac current condition like Orion at this moment. I wonder how "darker" it would be after I shoot the bullet on one of them. What's more, the density of the sound is enhanced such that my room is filled full buy the notes and the "air" of music.
At the moment, I only listen to Canton pop music to run in the Opus Plus. PT told me that I need to allow at least 48 hours to let it settle down. I will then listen to more variety of music and enjoy the new world that Opus Prime brought to me.
Well, maybe my system really sucks. Don't you get the whole point about musicality? It is not the most important factor in this hobby. I even argue it is secondary for most people.
Got you. Your points are well taken. And you are probably right.
Back to the Opus Prime, the most ever shocking symphonic experiences playback ever in the digital domain. I refer to standard 16bit red book CD. The stability of various sessions in the orchestra during the delivery of crescendo is not just a thrill but a new experience. I used to think this is the job of the power amp, and never have I ever thought about the digital source can render such dynamical stability.
By stability, I refers to resolution stability (string remains string; brass remains brass), location stability (multiple imaging stability), and dynamic stability (the whole orchestra will not protrude when just one session is roaring). Last but not least is transient stability - the rhythm of different instrument is dictated by the musicians playing it. They are not monopolized by during delivery of macrodynamics.
Yet the sum of all these conveys music in a lively manner. Stability is achieved without framing everything inside a box. I believe not everyone is on the same page with me because it matters very much to the resolution of your system and placement of the speakers and the subsequent interaction with the room acoustics.
If we compare just a single vocal between the Prime and the Opus, I wouldn't say it is a night and day difference thought the Prime always delivers more inner details. As VR says, no difference in musicality in this regard. But as the complexity of the music increases, the PRIME is the PRIME, period. And it is a real deal separating a real man's work from a college graduate with straight As as in the case of the previous Opus.
I got nothing to say if I had not given a chance to compare Opus and Opus Prime on the spot. Agree everything what Uncle Ray said, the differences on symphonic recordings are huge! It worths every single penny if you are a true fan of symphonies and opera theatrical scores!
On vocal, the Opus is already tremendous. The prime adds more color and inner details but can't say night and day differences. The more the complex is the music, the more the Prime delivers.
When Angel of Analog Domain partners with Mike Stahl of Stahltek, you should expect something extremely serious. This picture spots the Opus level Music server!
Comments
The pinnacle of the pinnacle. I was skeptical before I had decided to upgrade from Vekian Signature to Opus. I was therefore not on the first batch of the trade in program until I met Mike of Stahltek, the designer of Vekian, in person and understood more about the improvements made. The Opus upgrade was stunning which I may have described somewhere in this thread previously.
Here came another opportunity for the ultimate Opus Prime a few weeks ago, without too much churning on where to get the money, I replied to commit the order of the Opus Prime DAC.
The new Prime series will stand as the flagship of Vekian and has adopted many military grade components inside, even the fuse used is of the exotic class!! The outlook has changed slightly to include a polarity switch on the front panel and a ground post at the rear panel.
After warming up the DAC, I begin to play my mostly listened CDs, from Signature to Opus, the musical images 'inflated' from a 2-D picture to a 3-D object with more ambience and space. From Opus to Opus Prime, those 3-D objects are filled up with more inner details and texture. The images are more solid with a sharp contour. Frankly with ABC, it is already very difficult to find any slight scent of harshness on any CD playback but there is still a noticeable gap between LP and CD playback in my system after I upgraded to Virtu/Trinity phono. The difference is primarily in the areas of inner details, microdynamics and ease of dynamic surge. With Opus Prime, the margin becomes much narrower and in blind test for certain recent recordings which are available both on LP and CD (eg. Mutter, Emil Giele), the difference is negligibly small. The musical movements are more coherent without any 'lagging' and 'dotted lines'...
Under the ultra transparency of Tidal Agoria driven by Analog Domain and the Trinity Preamp (which I will describe separately), the improvements from Opus to Opus Prime are not insignificant. It may not ignite a big wow like Signature to Opus, it is more than enough to stem a few smiles from the depth of my heart!
Marvel
What the Prime stands out is the enormouos texture resolution of the entire frequency. There are so much more color. In comparison (I have done ABAB comparisons on the spot), the previous OPUS has a slight emphasis on the lower mid range (which many people like for its warmth). When this session is rectified, the Prime offers me real bass resolution. It shows off its tremendous decoding capability when playing symphonic scores. The positioning of different sessions in the orchestra is clear with varying distance perspective. When the music calls for dynamics, the bass roars with weight and yet very controled. In comparison on playing the same recording - "Rite of Spring", the previous OPUS clearly lacks definition (relatively speaking) in the bass session (under 200hz). It has a tendency to protrude as one big package of energy. NOT the PRIME. The Prime does bass the adult way. You can easily separate the boys from the mans in many recordings, positionings of the microphone, and even the acoustic characteristic of different recording venue.
The trebel is extremely 3D. It never sounds harsh, however the trebel energy ascent. I played recordings from John Coltrane, Mike David, Keith Jarret, all the ways to the modern days of Holly Cole, and even Japanese singer Miyuki Nakajima live concert in 2007, the PRIME contantly surprises me in terms of realism. Spatial resolution of the previous Opus is already amazing but the Prime delivers spatial cues in a continuous non-dotted line manner.
And the polarity button is extremely well done too.
You and Marvel are always ahead of the curve. How charming!
Let's chat on another topic. Marvel, please join. Are you physically aware that you are listening to a Hi Fi system in a domestic home setting? If yes, (I assume it has to be an YES until you are not a human being living in another dimension), then the enjoyment derived from your Hi End system must come partially from the high fidelity reproduction concept together with the consequential musicality communication with your mind. The first part is objective and the second part is subjective. Yet they are closely related. I believe this statement is logically correct as I just dicussed this topic with two Phds from MIT.
If somehow we can skip the first element and still be able to receive musicality, then the Hi End Audio industry should not exist. Nowadays, the youngsters told me they enjoy music so much from computer downloads from their PC speakers and ipods and all kind of mobile phones. One of my juniors told me that they really have no logically clue why the hell I spent so much on hi end audio? I gave it a deep thought.
So I want to do an experiment. I bought an ipod finally and start listening to my favorite songs on the way to office everyday. At night, I played the same songs on my Hi End system. Do I get more musicality at night than the morning? My answer is a DEFINITIVELY NO!
Then it goes back to the question of why do I set up my Hi End system in the first place? My logical answer is "Man like toys", and the real fun of hi end audio (at least to me) comes from the required skills sets to "tame" the high end system. I spend much more time to fine tune the speaker positionings, making sure ground noises/AC noises are not there etc etc..... And the achievement of lowering the ground noises yields more subjective satisfaction to my mind than the musciality from the system.
Am I off axis? Food for thought.
Let me then ask you a question...do you enjoy your toast with jam as breakfast in the morning more than a nice dinner in a 3-star restaurant in the Le Guide Michelin? Which one is more delicious (subjective taste) and which one is more nutritive (objective measures)?
Marvel
Maybe your hi end system really sucks.
You do throw in a good topic and I agree most part of it. But I know many do not aware they are physically listening in their home as most often they told me their system sound like in a concert hall or even better than concert hall (sound better than concert hall is possible, shall elaborate further later).
The Opus Prime just arrived a few days ago but its performance shocked me. Previously when I moved one step up to Opus, I was already shocked once on the significant improvement over the signature version. I thought at that time if there were more improvement to come, its magnitude would not be the same again. After all, being at the highest tier already, the dac should not be expected to have dramatic improvement. With Opus Prime, my thought was proved incorrect immediately. I really appreciate the effort of Mike who successfully brings Opus Prime to this level.
The very obvious improvement to my system after introducing Opus Prime is that the noise level is reduced such that music now comes out from very dark background. As such, vocal, instruments, etc become more 3D and vivid. I don't have any ac current condition like Orion at this moment. I wonder how "darker" it would be after I shoot the bullet on one of them. What's more, the density of the sound is enhanced such that my room is filled full buy the notes and the "air" of music.
At the moment, I only listen to Canton pop music to run in the Opus Plus. PT told me that I need to allow at least 48 hours to let it settle down. I will then listen to more variety of music and enjoy the new world that Opus Prime brought to me.
Well, maybe my system really sucks. Don't you get the whole point about musicality? It is not the most important factor in this hobby. I even argue it is secondary for most people.
Azzuri,
Why don't you shed some light? Where is DES?
VR
Got you. Your points are well taken. And you are probably right.
Back to the Opus Prime, the most ever shocking symphonic experiences playback ever in the digital domain. I refer to standard 16bit red book CD. The stability of various sessions in the orchestra during the delivery of crescendo is not just a thrill but a new experience. I used to think this is the job of the power amp, and never have I ever thought about the digital source can render such dynamical stability.
By stability, I refers to resolution stability (string remains string; brass remains brass), location stability (multiple imaging stability), and dynamic stability (the whole orchestra will not protrude when just one session is roaring). Last but not least is transient stability - the rhythm of different instrument is dictated by the musicians playing it. They are not monopolized by during delivery of macrodynamics.
Resolution stability
Dynamic stability
Location stability
Transient stability
Yet the sum of all these conveys music in a lively manner. Stability is achieved without framing everything inside a box. I believe not everyone is on the same page with me because it matters very much to the resolution of your system and placement of the speakers and the subsequent interaction with the room acoustics.
If we compare just a single vocal between the Prime and the Opus, I wouldn't say it is a night and day difference thought the Prime always delivers more inner details. As VR says, no difference in musicality in this regard. But as the complexity of the music increases, the PRIME is the PRIME, period. And it is a real deal separating a real man's work from a college graduate with straight As as in the case of the previous Opus.
Ray
On vocal, the Opus is already tremendous. The prime adds more color and inner details but can't say night and day differences. The more the complex is the music, the more the Prime delivers.
The Katongkid