Review: Keces DA-151 USB DAC DA converter


Category: Digital

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a committed computer PC playback guy. I run a G5 Mac with a 500Gb drive (and a backup) dedicated to iTunes that holds some 2,000 CDs ripped in Apple Lossless. I value the incredible fidelity that a hard drive transport offers, along with the ease of access. A not inconsiderable added benefit  is the removal of all those linear feet of jewel cases from my living space.

I listen to a lot of Verve and BlueNote, a healthy dose of country, the modern divas and a bunch of other stuff which is generally acoustic in nature (symphonies, quartets, Ali Farka Toure, Buena Vista Social Club etc) No headbanger music or heavy metal - though the Stones are still on the playlist. I am in the midst of downsizing my system - from about $10K to $2K. I took it as a challenge to see if I could end up with something better then I started with.

I am a strong believer that the source is king. The last couple of times around I spent more on the source then I now had for the entire system. I had already sold my Wavelength Cosecant Silver USB DAC (MSRP $10K), so I was in the market for a DAC.

When I was first getting started I had gone USB to SPDIF through a Waveterminal U24 and also Toslink direct from the Mac. Because I believe that fewer connections are the best connections, I had already decided that the new unit had to be a USB DAC. (I electrically isolate the DAC from the computer using a Opticis fiber optic cable with a battery power supply. No ground loops.) I had also determined that I did not want an oversampling unit. I have no SACD or DVD-A content, and no plans to acquire any - if I do there is always the Oppo.

Truth is I stumbled across Keces on ebay. Having owned seven (7) DACs already - it was hard not to be a little skeptical of the seemingly brash claims of a one year old company. Still the obvious attention to detail, and the integration of a rugged power supply instead of a silly wall wart intrigued me. So I fired off a post into the cybersphere and got a prompt response  from David Wei in Taiwan. (I don't know how David does it but his replies are quicker then anything I get in the US)

I decided to take a (not very big) chance and buy the KECES DA-151. In fact I went all out and bought an IeGO L70530 + 8055 cable to go with it (a really nicely built Furukawa OCC copper cable with solid copper blades that has been cryoed).

Then I waited - a whopping five days for the unit to arrive from Taiwan. You need to know that this doesn't look or feel like a $250 audio anything that I have ever bought. It is cleanly built and substantial. No sheet metal rattle, no flex in the case, no sag when you plug in a cable. Just a rigid, carefully finished minimalist box purpose built for the job.

The plexiglass top offers a look inside at a neatly laid out array of  Elna caps,  and Bennic XPP coupling caps. Also visible through the plexi is a blue light indicating that power is on, and lights indicating the status of the USB connection (red no connection, green USB connection is active.) After consulting with David, I left the unit turned on 24/7 and pretty much forgot about it.

As noted I am in the process of downsizing  - the Merlins soon followed the Cosecant out the door and a vintage pair of Meadowlarks took their place. And recently I replaced my Graaf tube amp with a NuVista IA-7 which I am also comparing with a pair of Flying Moles through my Sonic Euphoria passive.

As the system cycled through these changes, I began to notice that no matter what was in the system, the music had a sense of life that I had never noticed before. There were layers and layers of detail - but there was also an ease of rhythm that created a tremendous cohesion - the pieces fit together into whole that just drew me in. Nothing was exaggerated or minimized. Bass was authoritative and punchy when appropriate; mids rich and detailed and the high end sweet. The soundstage had a real sense of the physical venue or lack thereof. Dynamics were there - whether the pop of a snare or the lingering decay of a cymbal. The opening of Beethoven's Sixth went from full orchestra roaring to a single flute easily.  Bad recordings remained poor but not horribly unlistenable. Great recordings soared to new heights.

Suddenly I was listening to music hours a day, discovering something new in almost everything I played. With the Keces upstream and the Meadowlarks downstream, changes in pres, amps and ICs were very apparent in terms of how they handled the detail that the Keces served up. The Keces can be a bit hard at the high end, and I am not sure I would like it in a lean system. Obviously its great with the Graaf, a 50w push pull. But its also very good with the NuVista and the Moles. I have been using it with a passive because that's what I have, I would guess matching the Keces output with a passive is potentially a synergy issue. I have noticed that attention to ICs is rewarded. And if your amp doesn't have a good grip on your speakers, the low end is liable to get a little loose.

If you have or aspire to the highest resolution system, if you truly do critical listening (as opposed to reverie and toe tapping), if retrieval of large orchestral detail is important, or if you want a balanced source there are other products you should audition. What is startling is that like my Cosecant, they will cost 20 to 40 times as much as the Keces. Some like the TriVista and Cosecant will offer more refinement especially in massed strings and the like, but nothing that I have heard offers more music.

With the Keces at the core of my system, I have been able to achieve my goal of assembling a truly enjoyable system for the $2K I set out to spend. I recommend this unit highly - the sound, the value and the customer service are all there.

And if the USB thing doesn't fit your bill, David also builds the KECES DA-131.1 which takes SPDIF and Toslink in and is 24/192 capable. And for their legion of fans on headfi.com, they have just introduced the KECES DA-152 which integrates updated 151 circuitry with a headphone amp for a tidy all in one package.

Associated gear
NuVista IA-7 integrated amplifier
Sonic Euphoria PLC
Graaf 5050 tube amp
Flying Mole 100 digital amps
BPT CPC power conditioner
Meadowlark Hot Rod Kestrels

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ckorody
Nice review. I also replaced my Cosecant V2 with a Tiawan DAC, the MHDT Paradisea +. I agree with your assesment that the music has a life like never before. This is just what I hear with the Paradisea + DAC.

I will have to remember to keep in mind this Keces DAC sounds like a real winner at 250 bucks.
Swampwalker - sorry but I don't know where David builds them - or if he sources parts from Mainland China and assembles in Taiwan. FWIW Taiwan has a very sophisticated well established electronics business so they certainly have the resources locally.

Ejlif - can't get hurt for the money that's for sure
Hello, I'm that David... :)

KECES products are made with parts from the following countries:

Chassis, Connector, PCB, Transformer : Taiwan
Electrolytic capacitor : Japan (If we run out of the current batch of Silmic, we might get Silmic II, which is made in Thailand, but still sound damn good.)
Film cap : ERO (Germany), Bennic or UCC MKP2000 (Taiwan)
Silver plated wires: Belden of USA
Resistors : Mostly US Military grade stuff.

We prefer using high quality parts, not only because they often sound better, but they also save everyone the headache and the costs of product failure.

So far we only have 2 whopping incidents of product failure out of the hundreds of units that we sold. The actual calculated percentage is way below 0.5%, sorry can't say the exact figure, but suffice to say that we are pleased with the figure and plan to keep it there or even further reduce the chance if we could. ;)
On the strength of this rave review (hey, there's one of me born every minute), I ordered a Keces, which just arrived. Incredibly fast delivery from Asia and I have to echo Ckrody's comments about build quality. I do not see how this product can be built and sold at such a low price. Very, very impressive.

I want to let it play for a while before doing any serious listening.
Nice review which echoes my sentiments as well. I ordered the Keces on wednesday nite and it arrived at my doorstep in the Boston, Ma. locale on Saturday. LESS than 3 full days overseas. Who woulda thunk?

Compared to my Onkyo dx-7555 cd player with a wolfson dac, i notice more bass weight which works well with my Focal 806v monitors (nearfield listening). The Focals tend to have lean bass (too much at times) and the Keces fills in the bottom end nicely. Although the burr-brown dac used in the Keces is reportedly not as resolving as the wolfson, I can not for the life of me hear any difference in the detail extraction of either unit.

I am very impressed with the build quality for a $250 dollar unit. The plexi top adds a little elegance to the unit and i love the clean look front and back. Most usb dac's in this price range or below are either self-powered or use a sub-standard wal-wart power supply. This unit comes with a standard size power cord and gives you the option to upgrade later if desired. Sweet! I would recommend this be put on your short list for a sub $500 usb dac. As Ckorody mentioned, this unit will more than likely add bass weight to your speakers so plan accordingly!

Regards,
Paul

Regards,
Paul