Auricauricle
12-09-2009, 08:01 AM
Some of you may remember my purchase, a little while back, of a DAC: the Entech 245.2, shortly after acquiring the CAL Tercet Mk. III CDP. I enjoyed the CAL for some time on its own, hooking it up to a Sherwood Newcastle AV receiver. A few months ago, I unloaded the Newcastle and purchased a nice Kenwood KA 6006 integrated and matching tuner, KT6007, wanting to bring in some gear that reflected my fondness for the "classics"....
By itself, the marriage between the Kennys and the CAL is a nice one. The playback of the CDP is assertive, but not over demonstrably so. The sound is--as I have described earlier and in a Review here--resolutely black. This is especially noted when headphones are plugged in. For those readers who are familiar with that presence, which looms in cathedrals and concert halls, this Blackness is quite fondly recalled....
I won't spend any more time describing the timbral or other qualities of the CAL player, per se, for the rest of this note describes the addition of DAC. Like many readers here, I have become familiar with DAC's through readings of the literature and various discussions in forums like this one, but only had a vague idea of their utility. While terms like "clarity" and "staging", were informative, without hearing these things for myself, I was only vaguely aware of their applicability in terms of DAC's. What were these wonder-boxes?
To be truthful, I did own a DAC quite a few years ago. That was a Meridian, which was hooked up to my matching transport and preamplifier. While the three boxes looked impressive on the shelf, honestly, the addition of the DAC wasn't very impressive sounding. Whether it was not functioning properly or my ears were not prepared to know the difference, I cannot tell you. In time and as circumstances dictated, I sold the Meridians, and really did not miss them until I bought the CAL and the Upgrade Bug that came along with it reared back and bit me again...hard.
At this time, the set-up took a little Jerry Rigging. The Tercet I own does not have a digital out; some do, mine doesn't. Years ago, I bought a RatShack AD converter, a device I knew I would eventually want or need some time. I brought it out now, and brought the analogue leads on the CAL into it. In turn, the now digital signal is routed to the Entech, where the signal is thus brought to the Kenwood. Purists will be rolling their eyes now, muttering over the extranneous gear and so forth, but until I buy a CDP with digital outs (I don't reckon it will be anytime soon, boys), the CAL will just have to do.
How does it sound, you ask? Well, simply, beautiful, I must say. I live in a small-ish apartment and my speakers aren't really set up to ideal specs; but with the addition of the Entech, I do percieve that that the walls have been widened a bit. Quite a bit. Instruments and voices seem to be given more wiggle room to breathe. While the sound before was certainly appealing, the addition of the DAC has allowed the music a chance to relax.
More listening has revealed other characteristics which even now amaze me. Strings have a plucky quality that--while noticeable before--is more palpable. Piano is produced with wooden chunky-ness, and brass instruments are just, more...brassy. And the bass, you ask? Oh, yeah...Oh, yeah! Not only is it louder, but is better defined and better articulated and..just better! In some passages, in fact, I have noticed an absence of the familiar "bum-bum-bum" to a more realistic "dum-dum-dum" that leaves me shaking my head to this day. Lastly, there is, Heaven be praised, BREATH! Listening to vocalists is almost eerie, now. Whereas before I was quite aware of vocalists' breath, it was only a passively reflected upon artifact. With the addition of the Entech, it is as though their breathing is a vital part of their singing voices, becoming as integral to the cmposition as any other instrument. Wow!
The Entech 245.2 is capable of resolving any signal from 18 to 24 bits. With the CAL which is but an 18 bit machine, it is more than enough to do the job and has me listening for hours with no trace of fatigue. I am confident that I will enjoy this DAC for a long time and will look forward to every moment. To those of you, who own these things, well, now I know what you were talking about. To those of you who are unititiated, do yourself a favor and check one out. If you own an older player and want to bring more life into your listening experince, there are plenty of second-hand DAC's out there at very reasonable prices. Believe me, you won't be sorry....
By itself, the marriage between the Kennys and the CAL is a nice one. The playback of the CDP is assertive, but not over demonstrably so. The sound is--as I have described earlier and in a Review here--resolutely black. This is especially noted when headphones are plugged in. For those readers who are familiar with that presence, which looms in cathedrals and concert halls, this Blackness is quite fondly recalled....
I won't spend any more time describing the timbral or other qualities of the CAL player, per se, for the rest of this note describes the addition of DAC. Like many readers here, I have become familiar with DAC's through readings of the literature and various discussions in forums like this one, but only had a vague idea of their utility. While terms like "clarity" and "staging", were informative, without hearing these things for myself, I was only vaguely aware of their applicability in terms of DAC's. What were these wonder-boxes?
To be truthful, I did own a DAC quite a few years ago. That was a Meridian, which was hooked up to my matching transport and preamplifier. While the three boxes looked impressive on the shelf, honestly, the addition of the DAC wasn't very impressive sounding. Whether it was not functioning properly or my ears were not prepared to know the difference, I cannot tell you. In time and as circumstances dictated, I sold the Meridians, and really did not miss them until I bought the CAL and the Upgrade Bug that came along with it reared back and bit me again...hard.
At this time, the set-up took a little Jerry Rigging. The Tercet I own does not have a digital out; some do, mine doesn't. Years ago, I bought a RatShack AD converter, a device I knew I would eventually want or need some time. I brought it out now, and brought the analogue leads on the CAL into it. In turn, the now digital signal is routed to the Entech, where the signal is thus brought to the Kenwood. Purists will be rolling their eyes now, muttering over the extranneous gear and so forth, but until I buy a CDP with digital outs (I don't reckon it will be anytime soon, boys), the CAL will just have to do.
How does it sound, you ask? Well, simply, beautiful, I must say. I live in a small-ish apartment and my speakers aren't really set up to ideal specs; but with the addition of the Entech, I do percieve that that the walls have been widened a bit. Quite a bit. Instruments and voices seem to be given more wiggle room to breathe. While the sound before was certainly appealing, the addition of the DAC has allowed the music a chance to relax.
More listening has revealed other characteristics which even now amaze me. Strings have a plucky quality that--while noticeable before--is more palpable. Piano is produced with wooden chunky-ness, and brass instruments are just, more...brassy. And the bass, you ask? Oh, yeah...Oh, yeah! Not only is it louder, but is better defined and better articulated and..just better! In some passages, in fact, I have noticed an absence of the familiar "bum-bum-bum" to a more realistic "dum-dum-dum" that leaves me shaking my head to this day. Lastly, there is, Heaven be praised, BREATH! Listening to vocalists is almost eerie, now. Whereas before I was quite aware of vocalists' breath, it was only a passively reflected upon artifact. With the addition of the Entech, it is as though their breathing is a vital part of their singing voices, becoming as integral to the cmposition as any other instrument. Wow!
The Entech 245.2 is capable of resolving any signal from 18 to 24 bits. With the CAL which is but an 18 bit machine, it is more than enough to do the job and has me listening for hours with no trace of fatigue. I am confident that I will enjoy this DAC for a long time and will look forward to every moment. To those of you, who own these things, well, now I know what you were talking about. To those of you who are unititiated, do yourself a favor and check one out. If you own an older player and want to bring more life into your listening experince, there are plenty of second-hand DAC's out there at very reasonable prices. Believe me, you won't be sorry....