[dcguy73]

Picked one of these up at the DC/MD Headphone Meet...the Ack! Dack 2.0 is a sweet little DAC. It was an awesome match with the Rockhopper 3 amp and the Grado RS-1s. Plus Chris from Ack! makes great interconnects.

I must admit, however, that I was pleasantly surprised with the Grace m902's performance at the meet. The Grace's DAC through its headphone outs was clean and neutral -- as compared to the Ack!, which I believe to be a bit more lush.

I shall be having a DAC runoff between the Boulder Mensa-modded ART DI/O, the Ack! Dack 2.0, and the Grace m902, as soon as I finish breaking the Ack! in. One of these has to go. I don't need 3 dacs. Heh. Or do I?

 

[Edwood]

Woohoo. I like three-way DAC reviews.

Post pics too.

-Ed

 

[lan]

the m902 has more features than just being DAC. for polar extreme sounds, maybe keep m902 and ack. if i were to keep one dac, it would be non oversampling one. i like that sound.

or you can just keep them all for future multiple systems!

 

[ayt999]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_guy I don't need 3 dacs. Heh. Or do I?

I think you need more.

 

[agile_one]

dc_guy, you only have 3 dacs? What a slacker!

j/k - thanks for doing the comparison, will be most interested in your impressions. Also, it is good to hear the m902's dac fared well at the MD-VA meet.

 

[adhoc]

so.. any updates?

which dac came out on top?

 

[KenW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by agile_one dc_guy, you only have 3 dacs? What a slacker!

Not sure what that makes me as I'm still looking for my first! Just can't decide what to get. Does that qualify me for a wee bit of slack?

 

[KenW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc so.. any updates? which dac came out on top?

As a guy lookin' to buy, I'm interested in the answer as well!!!

 

[GoRedwings19]

How does the Grace 902 compare to the 901. I thought the 901 was a lot better than anticipated and not as bad as everyone said it was as a bonadfide all in one headphone reciever.

 

[KenW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 How does the Grace 902 compare to the 901. I thought the 901 was a lot better than anticipated and not as bad as everyone said it was as a bonadfide all in one headphone reciever.

Somewhere(here?), I seem to recall someone voiceing disappointment over the 902 as compared to the 901. I'll see if I can find the post.

 

[Edwood]

There were alot of issues I had with the Grace 901 that were solved in the m902. Namely, the 901 was really prone to electrical noise and ground loops. The m902 has a markedly quieter noise floor and seems to be virtually immune to ground loops (as far as I can tell).

Grace Design created a much better power supply sections for both the DAC and Headphone amp sections.

I will find it difficult to part with my m902 as it is just a connection wh*re. It really has become a central hub in my desktop audio system.

But if you are just comparing headphone amp sections, there is not much difference between the two, IF you have well conditioned and clean power.

-Ed

 

[agile_one]

Like Edwood, I too owned the 901 prior to jumping all over the 902 when it was released. The 902 is better than the 901 in all respects - features, performance, and usability. To me, the headamp is slightly better, and that's saying something, because the 901's headphone amp was excellent.

If you like, clean, crisp, accurate, fast, detailed, punchy (are you getting the idea?) sound, it's a wonderful amp. Throw in the Dac, USB sound, balanced inputs, and preamp capability, and it's a real winner. I love my Grace m902.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Ack! Where is your review of the Ack! Dack!?

I am waiting with bated breath.

-Matt