I contacted a couple of dealers, which might be the same guy as far as I could tell, and they gave me $4-500 prices. Then I got to talking to one of them and he finally offered me one for $300. Pretty strange interaction all around. Hope it works out well and I don't end up with a fake or used one.
I know he has more than one storefront so it could have been the same guy or same umbrella
Likewise. I had a similar thought
. I've come up with some options, but I'd love some help with them from anyone who's used the pendant before. I'm trying to avoid ESS DACs since I'm bored with them and don't find them very special. Here's what I have so far:
Sonnett Morpheus is excellent. Preferred it over the TT2 I sold after getting it. ZMF sells them (still I think) and occasionally in the classifieds where I got mine.
It is in, and it powers up. Good signs. Unfortunately, it turns out that my excellent sounding RME ADI-2/4 PRO SE has TRS unbalanced connectors instead of the RCA unbalanced I wrongly assumed it had. K, time for a new DAC - RME is up in the classifieds
Schiit Bifrost 2/64 - seems to be the default recommendation
Schiit Yggdrasil - upgrade?
AudioNote DAC - a store out here may sell them
Chord Qutest - had one, liked it a lot
Border Patrol SE-i - tube DAC
Musician Pegasus
RME ADI-2 - actually has RCA outs
Audio-gd R1 DAC
MHDT Orchid - long wait to get in
Matrix AudioMini-i4
Holo Cyan 2
Benchmark DAC B
If there's anything I am missing you think should be on my list, lemme know. Thanks for the help!
Better than the TT2 is high praise indeed.
Holo Spring 3 KTE (or Holo May KTE)
It is in, and it powers up. Good signs. Unfortunately, it turns out that my excellent sounding RME ADI-2/4 PRO SE has TRS unbalanced connectors instead of the RCA unbalanced I wrongly assumed it had. K, time for a new DAC - RME is up in the classifieds
Schiit Bifrost 2/64 - seems to be the default recommendation
Schiit Yggdrasil - upgrade?
AudioNote DAC - a store out here may sell them
Chord Qutest - had one, liked it a lot
Border Patrol SE-i - tube DAC
Musician Pegasus
RME ADI-2 - actually has RCA outs
Audio-gd R1 DAC
MHDT Orchid - long wait to get in
Matrix AudioMini-i4
Holo Cyan 2
Benchmark DAC B
If there's anything I am missing you think should be on my list, lemme know. Thanks for the help!
Good stuff, but out of my immediate price range unless a couple things sellHolo Spring 3 KTE (or Holo May KTE)
I love my Morpheus as well, and will never get rid of it. The Morpheus is amazing at making music sound lifelike, and gets a big rec from me.
That is an absolutely gorgeous looking Pendant! That walnut burl is one of the best I have seen.
It is in, and it powers up. Good signs. Unfortunately, it turns out that my excellent sounding RME ADI-2/4 PRO SE has TRS unbalanced connectors instead of the RCA unbalanced I wrongly assumed it had. K, time for a new DAC - RME is up in the classifieds
Schiit Bifrost 2/64 - seems to be the default recommendation
Schiit Yggdrasil - upgrade?
AudioNote DAC - a store out here may sell them
Chord Qutest - had one, liked it a lot
Border Patrol SE-i - tube DAC
Musician Pegasus
RME ADI-2 - actually has RCA outs
Audio-gd R1 DAC
MHDT Orchid - long wait to get in
Matrix AudioMini-i4
Holo Cyan 2
Benchmark DAC B
If there's anything I am missing you think should be on my list, lemme know. Thanks for the help!
You guys are definitely selling the Morpheus for me haha
I have been using the Audio-GD R-1 NOS for 8 months and its been a great time. It takes a lot of burn in time but the performance is really superb for the price. Honestly you have picked a lot of respectable DAC's. I don't see how you could go wrong with any of them especially if you buy used.
It is in, and it powers up. Good signs. Unfortunately, it turns out that my excellent sounding RME ADI-2/4 PRO SE has TRS unbalanced connectors instead of the RCA unbalanced I wrongly assumed it had. K, time for a new DAC - RME is up in the classifieds
Schiit Bifrost 2/64 - seems to be the default recommendation
Schiit Yggdrasil - upgrade?
AudioNote DAC - a store out here may sell them
Chord Qutest - had one, liked it a lot
Border Patrol SE-i - tube DAC
Musician Pegasus
RME ADI-2 - actually has RCA outs
Audio-gd R1 DAC
MHDT Orchid - long wait to get in
Matrix AudioMini-i4
Holo Cyan 2
Benchmark DAC B
If there's anything I am missing you think should be on my list, lemme know. Thanks for the help!
Compared to the TT2, it was every bit as detailed and as wide of a sounstage but just had more body to the sound. I wouldn't say dramatic differences, but the Hugo 2 & TT2 even more so when used as amps directly just have this sharpness to vocals which can be awful when listening quite loudly especially watching videos rather than music. They also make the Pasithea but from comments it doesn't seem to be a huge jump and has less warmth so I've stuck with the Morpheus for a couple years now and have zero desire to look for another DAC. At one point it was one of very few DACs ZMF sold back when they were still selling the Pendant, which says a lot of what Zach thought of the pairing.
