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Review: Accustic Arts DAC I - MK3 DA converter

Category: Digital

A couple of months ago, I posted a review of the Ensemble reference dichrono Hi-DAC that contained information why I chose to replace my DAC with this outstanding piece. I had audtioned some of the most highly regarded DACS(Audio Note level 4, Full stack DCS, Meitner reference) and came to the conclusion that the Ensemble gave me the best Red book CDs could offer in the following areas: 1) Transparency and clarity without ever sounding etched or bright.2) A wonderful soundstage with precise layering. 3) "Air" around individual players with natural timbres. 4) The best PRAT I had ever gotten in my system from a digital front end. I thought I was set for a least 2 to 3 years regarding my digital front end in my system, until I heard the Accustic Arts DACl-MK3! I do not like to get long winded in describing the physical appearance/build quality of the piece I'm reviewing, so I'll keep it short in this area. Accustic Arts is a very respected German company and you can see the German craftmanship/build quality in this piece. It is the only DAC in the world that upsamples red book cds to 32bit/384KHz. If you have any technical questions regarding this conversion technique I refer you to www. dagogo. com, and Constantine Soo's review that goes into detail regarding these matters.(Soo gave this DAC a total thumbs up sonicly and states that it is the best SS DAC he has ever heard.) The Accustic Arts DACl-MK3 gave me all the sonic virtues of the Ensemble Hi-DAC plus the following: 1) A more extended high end with more details along with beautiful natural timbres. 2)A midrange that's more detailed plus that "organic/warmth" sense along with "air" between performers that audiophiles often describe when listening to world class tube amps.3)The Ensemble Hi-DAC has great PRAT, however the Accustic Arts DACl-MK3 is just as quick and dynamic in the bottem end but also gives an "ambience" to the low end that is just more "real" sounding. There are many great sounding DACS that are available to audiophiles/music lovers on the market today. There is no "BEST" but different flavors along with personnal taste and synergy in a system. However, I would now add to the list of world class reference DACS the Accustic ARTSl-MK3, which while not in expensive at $5,700.00, offers a wonderful set of sonic virtues and competes with the best DACS in the world regardless of their prices.
teajay
krell_man
827 posts
 
Thanks, Teajay. Brian recommended it as my next upgrade. Is that the digital interconnect that he sells that you're using?
twopippis
49 posts
 
Tea: Did you ever try the newest Reimyo DAP-777? Your description of what you are hearing from the AA seems to be exactly the same characteristics I would use to describe the Reimyo. It would be interesting to conduct a back to back comparison.
teajay OP
1,655 posts
 
First, your welcome Krell man, yes I'm using the Artistic Arts reference vacuum digital cable with BNC's and find it to be a great cable compared to others I have audtioned. Secondly, Twopippis, I have never compared the AA to either the Reimyo updated DAC or CDP, but someone who's ear's I trust has and his conclusion was that the overall musicality/ease/grace is similar in the AA and Reimyo pieces but the AA is more detailed and extended in both the high and low ends. All three are great pieces and offer great pleasure with their wonderful combination of details and natural timbres.
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
I was surprised that the author of the review on dadogo didn't mentioned the Remyio DAC. Afterall, it has been reviewed by dagodo a year earlier and costs almost the same. Such a comparision seems natural to me. For some reason he avoided that.
twopippis
49 posts
 
I was able to audition the Accustic Arts DAC from a dealer. It was broken in when I got it but I gave it another three days of 24/7 before doing the comparison with my Reimyo DAP-777. I was impressed with the solid build quality of the AA especially compared to the Reimyo that is much lighter and susceptable to movement with heavy IC's or power cords. I finally listened to the AA for several hours, reviewing many of the CD's that I am extremely familiar with. I sensed that I was missing some of the openness in the midrange that I was very used to hearing. The low end was very strong and deep but the high end was not quite as brilliant or present as I was used to. Maybe I just needed more time to listen. After a few more hours, I reconnected the Reimyo. It was instantaneous. There was that high end sparkle. There was that extremely open and tremendous air in the midrange. And the bass had body. For me, it was no contest. The Reimyo sounded much more dynamic, open and analog than the AA. Perhaps the AA needed more hours of burn in because overall it felt congested in comparison. After a week it had to go back to the dealer. I was a bit dissappointed because I fully expected to keep the AA but now I can appreciate the Reimyo even more.
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