Transparent, smooth and airy sound. Volume control enabling you to do away with a preamp.

Price if you don't need the volume control.

This review is for the Adeon-AG not the lite version. There isn't a huge difference when using this DAC and my budget NAD C-540. That said, the improvements ARE noticable with more air, clearer window (like a veil was lifted), and smoother/less grating highs. It enables you to see further into the music so to speak. Is it worth the price? Maybe. For me, I plan to sell my integrated and get a better power amp to use the Odeon with direct and upgrade my CDP with a better CD transport. If you want to get rid of your preamp then it's a no brainer to get this DAC. If not, the decision will be a bit harder due to the price of this unit. Associated equipment: Von Schweikert VR-1 speakers NAD S-300 integrated amp(planning upgrade to Ayre V-3 or McCormack DNA-125 power amp) NAD C-540 CDP( planning upgrade to Audio Note CDT ONE transport) Birdland Audio Odeon-AG DAC SignalCable IC's DH Labs speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

none

Truthful. Natural, smooth, clean, & pure. You'll stop hating CDs.

Truthful. Product doesn't get much exposure compared to the other D/A converters.

This DAC will change the way you listen to music. Not the most impressive sounding DAC, but probably the one of the most natural sounding. This is because the Birdland does not emphasize any one section of music. The sound reproduced through this DAC is seamless from top to bottom. Incredibly smooth, clean, & pure. All of the noise, grit, and haze your ears were once accustomed to is gone. This definitely takes some getting used to. And one more thing - this DAC is truthful. If you want to hear everything on your CDs, no more, no less, your search is over. Criticism has been the bass is "light" and the sound is "rolled off". This is probably because the Birdland sound is seamless. When I first installed the unit, I would forget that my stereo was on. I also found it was a lot easier to relax to music because the sound is completely noise free. Connect this unit directly into your amp and you'll be hooked on the tonal purity of its sound.

Incredible transparency, soundstaging, dynamics, good dimensionality, has a volume control so you can do without a preamp.

Could be slightly more dimensional when used straight in to an amp.

This DAC is a brilliant design that impresses more with every use. It is easily the most revelatory of any source component that I have used in my system. I have heard demos of Spectral, Krell, and Levinson DACS in very pricey systems, but none have impressed me they way the Birdland DAC has in my much more modest rig.

The Bel Canto and MSB upsampling 24/96K DACs are good, but the Birdland delivers on what they hint at. The Birdland's resolution is so great that you can easily hear the effect of any tweak, change of cable, or component. It responds well to cones and I found that a ten-pound weight (non-magnetic) placed on top pushed the resolution factor even further. Clearview cables by Omega Mikro, both digital and interconnect,proved essential to discovering the wonderful qualities of this audio tool.

It's nice to have the option to use the Birdland into a preamp (Audible Illusions) and straight into the amp (Sonic Frontier). The transparency straight in is bewitching and addictive; yet, the lack of coloration is somewhat stark, as if the music is tonally revealed without embellishment; perhaps, this is what some refer to a neutrality, and indeed, it is like peering into the recorded event.

When I used it with the preamp there was more low-end air and, generally, a more forceful and palpable presentation. This came at the expense of a coloration, a darkening of the sound of any musical program. Dismayed, yet reconciled that I was hearing the coloration provided by the tubed preamp, I changed the volume setting on the Birdland DAC. Gilles Gameiro, the designer, suggests putting the volume at the twelve o'clock setting if the device is used with a preamplifier, and this is how I was using it. When I opened the volume up to the two o'clock setting, the coloration receded as if a curtain was being pulled away. What was left was a most splendid sound: acoutics material from Reference Recordings, Mercury, and Opus sounded even more lifelike, each instrument gained an extra measure of air around it, and the recording venue was easily discerned; electronic music from St. Germain, the Orb, Future Sound of London, and the Higher Intelligence Agency was positively transcendent. Not having the technical background, I cannot explain this in terms of impedence, capacitance, and the like, but can only report what I heard.

Either way you use it, I don't think there is a better DAC anywhere near this price ... and maybe none better period. Highly Recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Bel Canto, MSB Gold

I purchased this dac July 17th. The first one they sent did not work at all! they sent another unit which I used until August 9th. I spent the recommended time ( 55-60 hours) to burn-in the unit. After that it was see if you notice any changes. The only change I noted in my system( Anthem Integrated II, classe CDP.5 and Magnepan Mg12's) was a bit more air around the instruments. Not worth the $ 980.00 expense. I took the unit over to a friend to insert in his system( ASL mono's, AMC pre, Rotel cd player). Since I find tube equipment soft, warm and not my style, I have to admit it really made a difference in his system. The dynamics improved, closer to solid state gear and there was that sense of air around the instruments not heard before. Since my friend is a tube guy, he did'nt care for the change in overall sound, but agreed that there was a sense of more air around the instruments. He agreed with me that the difference was NOT worth the expense.

Detail, imaging, midrange, speed, soundstage, accurate

Not cheap, wouldn't be considered warm, bass in tight but not huge

This DAC allows you to take out the pre-amp since gain is included. Once this has taken place, the difference will bring tears to your eyes.

I initially used this DAc with the Musical Fidelity a3cr preamp ( the best pre-amp I've used at any price - adcom 750, blue circle, thor audio, Classe, Krell). I compared it to the Rotel and found many of the advantages above relative to the rotel. Even though the Rotal was very competitive and possibly better extended frequency performance ( low and high). It was still clear that the Birdland was better. The rotel has been auditioned vs. the 508, fmj, and others using various pre-amps but always performed at least as well.

However, once I went directly into my Sim Audio w3 pre-amp, game, set, match by far. I was listening to Bill Evans (Waltz for Debbie) last night and felt at times that the instrunments were right in the room. Guys there is no screen, the instruments are in the room. It is incredible. Detail that I used to have to close my eyes and concentrate for hit me right in the face. Incredible. I would put my sound up against anyone with modest equipment accompanying the Birdland.

Sim Audio w3
Rotel rcd 971 ( transport)
Analysis plus interconnects and cable ( these allowed me to really understand the impact of the Birdland)
Tara Labs digital interconnect
NHT 2.5i ( soon to be upgraded to Newform R645)

Why has no one else posted for this product?

Similar Products Used:

Rotel rcd971, Arcam FMJ, Meridian 508, etc,etc