This is my second purchase of the Peachtree Audio Dac-itx and the first one did not pair well with my previous speakers, but this time around it pairs extremely well with my Emotiva Stealth 8 Speakers. In this review I will be comparing the Dac-itx with the Schiit Bifrost, HRT Music Streamer HD and the Emotiva Stealth DC-1. So Stay tuned for the updates as I make my final listening comparisons between the 4 DACs.

I think there is absolutely no DAC Preamp out there that can touch this unit in this price range and even between the $500.00-$1,000.00 mark. From the built quality, sound, the ease of use, the features it provides and to the convenience of the remote. I just can't be more grateful to have all of it at such a great price. Everything I need is in it and I couldn't ask for more. I also increased it's performance by swapping out the stock power cable with the Pangea AC9 MKll and the change is so significant that I won't be replacing this for a long time. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an all in one package with a price and performance to be reckoned with.
 
UPDATE: 04/18/15
 
This review deserves more than just a short one, and I'll start with Emotivas packaging where I sometimes find myself in disbelief at how much protection there is such as the triple boxed Emotiva Stealth DC-1. So in short...a box(original) in a box, in a box. Simply five star packaging! So rest assured that your package is always well taken care of. Now I've had this unit for almost a month now and earlier I had the DC-1 power supplied by a Pangea AC14 SE MKll power cable specially made for source components and to be honest I wasn't too impressed with the outcome. As one reviewer mentioned and I find it spot on and on the mark, this cable after proper burn-in had made my system brighter, thinner and decreased the bass significantly but still somewhat tight. I wasn't satisfied with the performance but from previous experience I knew I had to call upon the beast to remedy this unwanted and unpleasant sonic signature.. So I ordered the Pangea AC9 MKll from AA (excellent customer service there as always by the way) and upon receiving it I immediately installed it and whhaaala! And as I mentioned before...the increase in performance is so huge I love what I'm hearing from my Stealth 8 speakers. Headphone amp performance increased significantly with this power cable as well that I find myself using it more. So speakers on day and headphones by night, lol.

So this is my first day impression of the Emotiva Stealth 8 speakers and I will be updating weekly untill I have come to the conclusion that I've finally made it through the burn-in process. Recommended burn-in time for these speakers are said to be at 100-200 hours so sit back and follow me through this process as we all know that there are not too many reviews about these speakers and being that there is non here on headfi makes it more interesting. Most owners claim to have reached the Stealths 8's full potential at a little over a month so the road to that audio nirvana is going to be a journey.
 
So I pulled the trigger for a pair of Emotiva Stealth 8 active speakers last week and I just received it today. Before this I was torn between the Stealth 6 and Stealth 8 speakers, I spent hours upon hours reading so what little review or comparisons there was between the two over and over like a mad man! I've also at times considered getting the Adam A7x but read to many bass issues about it, the KRK VXT 8, JBL LSR308 and the Genelec 8040a's but too pricey and honestly I think it's ugly, no offense 8040a owners. What lead me back to the Stealths was it's power and it's Air Motion Transducers, and I forgot to mention that B-2 bomber stealth look just simply catches my eye. Now what made me make the Stealth 8 decision was the thought of purchasing the 6's and forever keep wondering what the Stealth 8's would sound like and for just a few hundred bucks more I could of had had it. Plus it had power to spare and that low end extension would eliminate the need for a sub.
 
Now for my first day impression... let me start with Emotivas packaging. Like one reviewer mentioned...you could literally drop the package from a three story building and no harm will be done to the speakers. They come double boxed and the foam that surrounds the speakers are like mini bunkers or bomb shelters, well, not really but you know what I mean. There're real heavy as well and packaged separately for better handling. I think having both in one box will be too heavy for one to lift and dropping it at that weight won't be nice. After the unboxing I finally got a closer look and feel of the Stealth 8's and this I tell you right now that they look intimidating and stunning! The built quality looks and feels like it was made for the military, solidly built. They're also indeed very huge and not a good idea to be placing them on a desk because of it's sheer size, weight and the vibrations it will cause.
 
Sound quality...with the new Audioquest MacKenzie XLR cables and the new Stealths that needs burn-in and connected to an HRT HD DAC...right off the bat, I think it's simply AWESOME! Even without burn-in I'm simply loving everything I throw at these speakers. Dub-step, Electronic, Reggae, Pop, Country etc... these speakers have no trouble rendering all types of genres. The Speakers are dead quiet as well, no hissing when on pause. Imaging and soundstage is exceptional and will certainly change over time. Bass is deep and I feel a sub will absolutely not be necessary, perhaps because I have a medium sized room. The AMT's treble here is the most interesting one, I'm not not getting that scratching and piercing high frequencies I get from dome tweeters. I don't know exactly how to say it but the treble is there as if it's flowing through the air. It's just all around you and not pointed at you giving that piercing effect. But overall within the sound spectrum I still feel everything to be holding back still and should open up as I put in hours. I also have the Emotiva DC1 DAC that I will be adding to the mix so watch out for that. As of now I have the speakers being fed by an HRT HD DAC using the digital volume controls on iTunes, VOX and Fidelia music players and they go beyond normal listening level. Also, for alternate volume control I use the TC Electronics Level Pilot. Stay tuned for next weeks update as I should be in the 30th-50th burn-in phase. Remember, this is only my first day impression of the Stealth 8 and already it's a keeper.
 
UPDATE: 03/07/15
 
A week and half into this at 35hrs burn-in time and things have gotten noticeably different, but before I begin I'd like to say that I did not expect the level of performance these speakers are capable of. For a medium sized room with the speakers on a pair of 35lbs. 27" steel stands filled with sand on spikes resting on spike pads its actually all I will ever need, anything else added will be overkill for me. First off, let me start with what I feel is its strongest qualities because I have no doubt in my mind I will never have to go through mentioning it ever again. Let me start with imaging, in this area I never fail to notice how instruments make the transition from one speaker to the next, I could easily tell left and right where everything is coming from, and this speakers simply does that with ease. Next is it's dynamics, this is the quality most obvious to me, because as soon as I hit play I immediately feel that power, energy and speed, especially when I go beyond listening level in which I only did once to see how these speakers can handle such punishment and to my surprise they did it with aplomb! Next is bass response, and as I mentioned before I absolutely do not need a sub and at this point of the burn-in process it seems to me like the bass is getting tighter. Kick drums, impact and punch are beginning to sound natural. Next is the AMT rendering the high frequencies, and as I mentioned earlier it is not sharp or piercing, I still find myself in awe at how the treble seems to be hovering around me, it’s airy and spherical, little has changed here at the moment but I feel the changes in the mid bass driver only enhances what I’m hearing on the AMT’s. Next is soundstage, and with all my experiences I think this is where your sources and cables make that magic. At the moment I have the HRT HD DAC which gives a wide musical presentation. I have the speakers 6ft. apart but vocals seem to be coming from the center and could tell where instruments are left to right and the space between them. At this point the speakers are barely broken in so hang on for the next coming weeks to find out what the speakers are truly like.
 
UPDATE: 06/4/15
 
​It's been three months since my last update and a lot has happened, including the long awaited complete burn-in process of the Emotiva Stealth 8 speakers and the cables in use. I've had a lot of things involved to get to where I'm at right now, and it will stay as it is. Within the three month period I've had auditioned different DAC Preamps, power cables and XLR interconnects, including the great Emotiva Stealth DC-1 DAC Preamp, one that I had previously reviewed here on Headfi and have not completed. You might be shocked to hear that I've sold my Emotiva Stealth DC-1 (to a nice fella in Denmark) and HRT Music Streamer HD, and now have purchased the HD once again. But this time it's a different beast, because now I've added the AQVOX USB Power Supply from Germany to the chain and with it comes a dramatic increase in performance, performance in which the DC-1 cannot match. It is much more dynamic, transparent and actually surpasses the DC-1 in every sound category besides all the connectivity the DC-1 possesses. Other DACS that I've auditioned are not even worth mentioning because it was either thin and cold sounding or just plain dull. As for power cables... I got a pair of Pangea AC9 Mll and AC14 SE MKll power cables, and here again one might be shocked to hear that I prefer the AC14SE MKll power cables for the Stealth 8's than the AC9MKll. Why, because the AC9 MKll was made for power amps and the AC14's are made for sources. But in this case it's the AC14SE MKll that performed the best for these speakers. Interconnects....Kimber Kable Hero, Zu Audio Misson, Audioquest MacKenzie and Yukon and the latter is the best sounding hands down. 
 
So now here we are, the Emotiva Stealth's are fully burned-in and performing at it's full potential. One thing I've learned through out was that these speakers are extremely revealing of your sources, interconnects and power cables. These speakers like I mentioned before are dynamic, transparent and powerful. So it is complicated to describe how they truly sound because they're very revealing and truthful to what you put in the chain therefore they act as windows or mirrors to what ever you connect to it. It is simply spectacular! It is certainly a big speaker so they sound huge. I still do not need a sub for these as I've mentioned before.

This particular DAC is to me unique, to my experience this DAC sounds more like vacuum tubes, specifically the British Orange Globes or Mullards and the American RCA tubes. A combination of both, being that it has this sweet, sweet midrange, very smooth, liquid and luscious sound like a British tube, as well as this clean, clear, powerful bass and very detailed like the American RCA. Before this DAC I had the HRT MS ll+ and the Peachtree Audio DAC Itx. Now there is no doubt in my mind that the MS HD is a huge, huge step up from the MS ll+ so I'll leave it out. It only took me instantly to realize the level of superiority the HD has over the MS ll+. Now with the DAC Itx although it was a very detailed DAC, it was too forward, thin and cold sounding for my set up. I think it be well suited more for studio monitoring because of it's flat response and it's accurate sound reproduction. Note that both the MS HD and the DAC Itx are in the same price range but to me neither one is better than the other, they just sound different, and I think that until we audiophiles come into the conclusion and realize that nothing is better but just different then we'll all appreciate more the things we love and enjoy, it's just a matter of preference as well. So in this case I prefer the sound of the HD. 
 
Set up: 1. Late 2013 iMac using multiple audio players such as Amarra, VOX, Fidelia, Bit Perfect and iTunes.
             2: HRT Music Streamer HD at 24/192 with Audioquest Carbon USB and Audioquest Sydney Interconnect
             3: Peachtree Audio DAC Itx
             4: Audioengine A5+ Speakers with Audioquest NRG 1.5 Power Cable and Audioquest Type 4 Speaker Cable with Silver BFA
 
Now as you can see here with my set up some of you might know that the Audioengines and HRT's have this thick sound signature and so I remedied that by using silver plated cables from Audioquest and with it comes this balanced out sound reproduction. You'll also notice that I've only used the RCA outputs of the MS HD and not the XLR's. So my review here is based solely on that. I know using the XLR's will provide better performance but at this time I can't with my current set up.
 
My first impression with the MS HD upon receiving it was well... I expected some kind of weight. As I lifted the HRT box of the package I was shocked! I did not feel that heft I felt with the MS ll+, this was extremely light weight. I wondered if there was anything inside, but there it was as I opened it. It feels a bit cheap to me but it does not look all that cheap, the XLR's is the only thing to me that makes it look high end. But looks can be deceiving, as this little DAC is small but terrible, as in it has a big bite! Anyway I got right to it, I immediately plugged in my Audioquest cables and played music. I pretty much listen to all types of genres such as reggae, electronic, rock, dance, pop, country and etc... you name it I listen to it, as long as it's music to my ears. The first thing I noticed was it's black background, this makes for an airier presentation and it's openness making for a larger soundstage. Definitely bigger than both the MS ll+ and DAC Itx. Then of course the bass response that most of the HRT line is known for, but this was a different beast! I heard bass notes as clear as the Hawaiian tropical skies on summer. Well... cuz it rains a lot here during the rest of the season, lol. Here the Peachtree Audio DAC Itx is weak. Then I heard something only possible with tubes, at least to what I'm aware of, I do not know of any solid state device that can render music with such liquidity as the MS HD. Female vocals and instruments sounded like a combination of a Mullard and RCA tubes as I described. With instrument separation and micro details I say the Peachtree Audio DAC Itx takes that category. Here the MS HD is balanced. As I was mesmerized by how the low and mid frequencies sounded and was drooling, I snapped myself back together and thought how about the higher frequencies? Well, here it was very much extended and smooth, not ear piercing that could cause fatigue in time, something the MS ll+ lacked was enhanced, and enhanced beautifully. But all this at a very short period of time, I have not fully burned in the MS HD, I'm down 14 hours and I know in time the instrument separation and the micro details will reveal itself. So I'll update you when I've come into the 100th hour mark, as I did with the DAC Itx.