Wow looks like a beast!

Thanks for those impressions, very useful data point. I agree the TA-20 Plus is really enjoyable even on stock tubes, and the volume control is quite well done.

Interesting! Care to share any impressions? Obviously two very different amps with different topologies and prices, but still.

Can't wait to see more of this thing. I'm a huge fan of the HA-300 (original and mk2), HA-6A, and HA-1A mk2. So I am reasonably confident this thing will be great as well.

Sorry I don't know that one. Looks like a full tube design rather than a hybrid, and it's single ended, with less power, and a lower price. Could be interesting for sure but I have no experience with it.

It will stay at 256 if that's what you set the option to. Or, you can use a higher setting and it will upsample to that amount. You'd want to play with it and decide which way sounds best to you.

No that is Audio Art, a completely different company which I have used many times and can happily recommend. You won't find better service anywhere. Unfortunately they don't have umbilical power cables listed, but you can always ask.

How long ago was this? I think it's well established that the company did some great work at one point. The question now is will they reliably continue to do so. We've had quite a few reports of them going silent, not answering any calls/emails, and not delivering on promised/paid for work. If...

Regarding the points above, my thoughts are: 1) I agree, the Superclock should be much closer to the Deluxe compared to the base model. But there is more to a digital system than just the clock itself, so there's still room for the Deluxe to outperform the Superclock based on various other...

I know it's nice to see they already have options listed for umbilical cables, which is not a common thing among cable companies. But if a company doesn't answer your emails, that seems like a red flag that should immediately halt any purchases. Imagine if you have a problem with your order -...

Waiting (im)patiently here as well. Last I heard they were hoping for a Q2 release but I don't know where it stands at this point. Hopefully sooner than later! Thank you for that. Unfortunately that is probably the same answer for the base model as well... difficult to make a value judgement...

Not sure how we define "relevant" but it's still an enjoyable DAC and not necessarily blown away by newer models. That said, Cayin has since moved on to the updated iDAC-6 mk2 and now the iDAC-8 which should both offer at least some meaningful improvements. At this point the original iDAC-6...

I have heard from only one person using the base model, and he really likes it. Upgraded from an original AMR DP-777 which I think sold for around $5k back in the day. But he's an "upgrade my DAC every decade or so" kind of audiophile so I'm not sure how meaningful his assessment is. As for it...

Finally had time to get my review of the TA-20 Plus posted, if anyone is interested. Very enjoyable amp that hits a nice balance of technicality and emotion. And of course the upgrade path offered by tube rolling is welcome. But even in stock form it's a fun little amp.

Never did a formal write up on them but I have the Caldera (bocote LTD) and the Atrium Closed (aged cherry) and absolutely love both. Caldera is very technically impressive (approaching LCD-5 levels of resolution when used with the right gear) but mostly avoids sounding clinical or overly...

If you are happy with your result via AES connection then I would just stick with that. Honestly the only slight drawback I see is playing higher rate DSD or really high sample rate PCM. The AES connection can do DSD64 via DoP, and tops out at 24/192 for PCM. That's enough to cover 99.99999...

When you say "the streamer" I want to be sure we are on the same page. The Cen.Grand streaming devices have not actually launched yet, so I don't have one of those. Just want to be clear about that - I hope to pick one up when they do launch, and will of course post impressions once I can. When...

I can't speak for the Lumin U2 specifically, but generally speaking AES sounds very good in most situations. Imho it is often either the best sounding choice or in close 2nd/3rd place depending on the DAC (and streamer). Sometimes USB can sound better in certain instances (but often sounds far...

In my experience, a good DDC will almost always make at least a small impact on the sound. In many cases it will be an improvement, but of course there are exceptions, and in some cases it comes down to preference rather than a clear improvement. The Aquarius has a really well sorted USB input...

Nice! Decware makes great stuff, and I imagine the contrast between those two amps is big enough to make them both worthwhile under specific circumstances.

This is true but I'd like to add some context if I may. The Niimbus was my reference for over 5 years, which is a rather long time under the circumstances. Keep in mind during that time I tried the vast majority of high-end amps on the market. I found many which I enjoyed quite a bit, yet...