DAC choices -- help me cross the line

I have owned both the BP and AM (my current DAC).
I purchased the Border Patrol after reading some reviews that attributed an "analogue sound" to the BP. 
IMHO it is a pleasant sounding DAC, but nothing special, lacking detail and air.
I decided to replace it after about a year.

After reading various reviews (a dangerous undertaking) I decided to purchase the RME ADI 2 DAC. I really liked it and had it in system for around a year. A lot of detail and very clean sounding.
I also played around with a couple of Chinese DACs (Musical Paradise, and Audio-gd).
In short none of these were the "one" for me.

Just recently, again after perusing reviews, I came across some really positive remarks about the Audio Mirror.
I contacted Vlad at AM and to make a long story short bought the basic AM Tubadour.
It is a fantastic DAC.
It is detailed and musical, both. The best DAC I have had in my system by far. Vlad is great to do business with too.

One word of advice; give it time to burn in. It will take 50-60 hours before showing the promise of what it can do.

The AM is head and shoulders above the Border Patrol (again my opinion).

Arafiq,
I just want to say that the Border Patrol & RME are both very good DACs.
I enjoyed both.
There are just so many from which to choose, and I don't think you can go "wrong" with any of the above suggestions.
The issue is finding a DAC that coincides with your idea of how music should sound.

Of the BP and RME; the RME ADI 2 was a better fit for me.
I really found nothing "wrong" with that DAC & enjoyed it.
It has a ton of options in tailoring sound & allows a deep look into each track.
It can be sort of "clinical" sounding but not overly so.
Again, it is very clean & detailed. If you want to hear exactly how the track was engineered that should be a DAC you consider. It is entertaining to listen like that.

But ultimately that is not what music sounds like to me.
I appreciate a sweet, emotional sound, a connection with the music, as someone said above.
Yes, that "musical" quality is very important to me, but not at the cost of detail.

I also value spatial qualities; depth, air surrounding each voice or instrument, and solid imaging within the recorded space.

Sounds like a tall order, and it is.
But that's what the search is about; finding the equipment that fulfills our musical predilections.
Enter the Audio Mirror Tubadour III.
To me it hits all of those qualities that I find important in listening to recorded music.

Read Terry English's review in Stereo Times.
His review can probably make it a bit clearer relative to the sound, build quality, etc.  of the AM.

So, you asked about the SE version for an extra 1000.00.
When I spoke to Vlad I asked about the upgraded caps and resistors.

Vlad very frankly told me that unless your system is extremely revealing you probably will not get the full impact of the upgrades.

My system is entirely headphone-centric:
Linear Tube Audio microZotl amp with upgraded power supply and ZMF Auteur, Beyerdynamic T1, and Sennheiser HD800 phones, depending on my mood.
So, how revealing, I don't know.

Contact Vlad. He will communicate very honestly with you.

Anyway, I chose to try out the base model (also budgetary considerations..LOL),
And, obviously, I'm extremely happy with the Tubadour III base right now.

In the future there is always the availability to send it back to Vlad for the upgrades. 

Sorry for the long scribe.
I hope I answered some of your question.
Kind Regards;
P.B.

Hi 1Mark,
Whoops, yes Terry London of course, my face is red. Thanks!
He is a well respected reviewer.
If you look at the DAC's he has had for review it is amazing he has chosen the Tubadour III as a reference!

Yes, I am using the 5977's.
I am sure I will eventually get the urge to tube roll as I did with my microZotl.

My "go to" guy for tubes is Andy as Vintage Tube Services.
What is your tube rolling experiences with the AM Tub?

Apologies @arafiq.
No intention of hijacking your thread.
1Mark I'll be in touch.

@arafiq,
Glad I could help.
You will not be disappointed with the Tubadour III
BTW, @1markr is a veritable wealth of information when it comes to tubes & audio in general.
Enjoy!

Hi Arafiq,
It can take Vlad a few days to reply, but he will contact you.
It is worth waiting, as you will be communicating directly with the guy who is going to build YOUR dac the way you want.

It is a small company and has no automated online ordering (hence the wait in email response too).
I transferred the payment directly to his account using Zelle.
It is easy and efficient.
He will give you other options.

Ten days later I had my Tubadour.
Vlad kept me posted as to receipt of payment, when the dac was built & in testing, and finally a tracking number.
Don't be afraid to email again.

Believe me it is worth a little wait.
I'm sitting here with my coffee listening to Gottschalk's symphony 1;  "A night in the Tropics" and the music just flows so naturally with superb tone and space..........


Kind regards,
P.B.

Hey Arafiq
LOL, Yep.
When I first got mine it sounded ragged and closed in. 
I thought I had made a mistake selling my ADI-2 DAC.

After around 60 hours it began to really open up.
At about 100 hours it absolutely blossomed.

I wrote to Vlad to thank him for providing such a musical piece at  an affordable price, and mentioned my experience with burn in.

He said that the Toubadour will continue to improve up until @ 500 hours.
I have found that to be true so far.

Glad you're enjoying the music.

Cheers, P.B.

Hi @Arafiq,
Spot on advice regarding contacting Vlad about the build.
That''s the beauty of dealing directly with the manufacturer (in this case Vlad...LOL)

I run Cardas Golden Presence RCA interconnects & am very pleased with them.
I've not had any experience with XLR connections.
My understanding is that XLR are beneficial when longer cable runs are in play.
Maybe you or someone can educate me about the benefits of XLR to sound quality.

As for the Tubadour; I agree with your comments completely.
In concert with tithe the LTA Micro Zotl amp the sound stage & imaging are indeed 3D with the right music.

What USB are you using?
I have the original Curious Cable from Australia.
It has made quite a difference in my system., so much so that I actually consider it a component.

I have gone through a few power cords, but not as many as interconnects.
I have found Audio Envy to be very good.
Right now I am using Signal Cable Magic power cords throughout & am happy with those.
Both of the above are VERY reasonably priced.

Kind regards,
P.B.

Hey Arafiq,
Even after 20 something years in this audio hobby  and knowing that with analogue systems cables can make a big, big difference I never gave USB cables a thought (seems I'll never learn).

As a newbie in computer / digital sound I just didn't consider the USB link & used whatever generic cable came with the component.
After all, it's just a data stream.
In my "audiophilia nervosa"  at one point I decided to upgrade the USB.

I too got an Audioquest Forest considering this was a decent quality replacement & I could rest assured my connection was adequate.
With the Forest I heard no difference in sound.

About 2 years later I had a few bucks and decide  to  try the the Audioquest Carbon knowing I could return it to Amazon if I didn't like it.
Wow! It opened everything up, to my amazement.

Apparently USB cables could make a difference in how your system sounded & I used that cable for around 2 years.

Then I began to read about the Curious cable.
I decided to give it a try, it also had a return policy.
Well it sounded much better than the Carbon, much more like music.
Not only did detail improve, but all of those qualities we have shared about the Audio Mirror held true.

It is expensive, but, as I said, I do consider it a component.
It made THAT MUCH difference to the SQ of my system.

If you can't spent the 500 or so for the original Curious, I understand.
I would love to try the new Curious Evolved, but have to wait. 

The only piece of gear I would, consider selling to help the cost at this point is my Sennheiser HD700 phones.
And those wouldn't bring enough to offset my enjoyment of them. 


Yes the Audioquest Carbon opened my eyes (ears) to the effect a USB cable could have.
In fact I have kept it.
I would offer to send it to you to try, but Amazon will do the same, more quickly, with painless return.

In addition; I have found that Audioquest has a "house sound" compared to the very best cables.
Their stuff sounds very detailed at first, but it can become really bright and etched too.

There are probably USB cables other than the Curious that will preserve the essence of the music, perhaps at less expense.
I'm sure others will have suggestions.

Here's the bottom line for me:

DON'T SELL YOUR SYSTEM SHORT BY IGNORING THE EFFECT OF THE USB CABLE ON S.Q.

Again, sorry for the ramble. Hope it contains some useful info.

Cheers,
P.B. 

Just to add, I have no idea how the Curious would affect the sound with the Opt Rendu streamer.