Big Thanks to Heiney9!!!!
Devlon
Posts: 355
REF: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?133568-Entry-Level-DAC-Comparison-Results
Back in August I really got interested in the above thread started by AsSiMiLaTeD (Danny I think, but hey I'm over 50 lol). As you become familiar with various members within a forum you begin to identify those who seems to know what they hell they are talking about. That's the impression I've had about H9 for a while, and then closely followed by AsSiMiLaTeD. So, in this "Entry Level DAC Comparison" thread AsSiMiLaTeD said that the the Keces DA-151 impressed him quite bit. Later H9 said that the Keces was just a correct sounding DAC......well, here's the quote: "I love the Keces DA-151. It's just a very "correct" sounding dac. Dead neutral, great soundstage, great bass, smooth, open and my favorite description is "effortless". The music just flows naturally. It edged out the Audio GD NFB-3 in just about every area. Attention to design details and high quality parts sets this above all in it's price class and many that punch higher. It's a superb sounding USB dac. Surprised the hell out of me and continues to everytime I listen."
H9
Well, this comment was enough to push me to a witch hunt for this DAC. I understand that any Keces is extremely hard to find as those that have them don't wanna sell them. I got on Ebay right after reading H9's comment and got lucky. A guy had just posted his Keces DA-151 for sale with a buy it now price and I pulled trigger on that baby faster than Jesse James!
As I waited for this DAC to arrive I went from being really anxious to an attitude of "concern". Even after hearing some positives about this DAC, I was beginning to have negative thoughts about it I guess. I thought I had messed up by buying this DAC onimpulse sort of which is often a mistake on anything. I was thinking this was only a USB DAC for God's sakes? This DAC only does 16/44.1!! And to make it worst this DAC's USB is adaptive and not even non-asynchronous....uggg! Oh wow, everything within was screaming old, out of date technology which could mean not that good of a sound!!! What the hell was I thinking?
But here it comes one day. I hook it up, and can't believe my ears. I was blown away. Every fear got melted into oblivion. I was in audio heaven. H9 and others mentioned about going from the BB OP604's that was in mine to the LME49710's and what a difference it makes. Then FTGV on this forum was nice enough to ship me all the way from Canada a pair of those LME49710's no charge! The dude would not let me pay even for the shipping! FTGV, if you're reading this, again thanks a million! Those op-amps were da bomb. The change in the sound was in no way subtle. They changed everything so much! More clarity, separation, bass definition, sweet detailed sound.... and the most amazing thing about this DAC with those op-amps was the front to back sound stage. Yes, the left to right sound stage was nice, and it's what I am used to thinking about when I think of a sound stage, but this DAC greatly expanded the sound stage depth! I not only could close my eyes and hear where each musician was on the stage left to right, but I could also hear their positions of how far they were in front or behind one another on the stage......friggin' unreal. I have not enjoyed listening to music any more than I have with this DAC. You are captivated by it's sound and transported to another place. Danny, (AsSiMiLaTeD?....dang, somebody correct me if I'm wrong on his name here!) I'm sorry I never followed thru and sent you this DAC to evaluate, but damn it man.....I just can't let it loose! It's that good! I listen to it everyday. Maybe on your next DAC comparisons the newness of it will have waned enough for me to let it loose a while, lol
I have ordered some LME49990's on adapters and now I can't wait to see what these might sound like. They are getting good press everywhere. Also, when I find out if the DEXA Class D Op-amps will fit in the Keces I probably will try them. The EE Minmax DAC Plus guys are pretty amazed at how these things a sounding. Anyway, thanks to everyone on this forum! It's a great place to be. This is one of those lucky times you pick up a piece of gear, much by chance, and that ends up truly being a game changer in your audio system!!!
Thanks again all.......Devlon
Back in August I really got interested in the above thread started by AsSiMiLaTeD (Danny I think, but hey I'm over 50 lol). As you become familiar with various members within a forum you begin to identify those who seems to know what they hell they are talking about. That's the impression I've had about H9 for a while, and then closely followed by AsSiMiLaTeD. So, in this "Entry Level DAC Comparison" thread AsSiMiLaTeD said that the the Keces DA-151 impressed him quite bit. Later H9 said that the Keces was just a correct sounding DAC......well, here's the quote: "I love the Keces DA-151. It's just a very "correct" sounding dac. Dead neutral, great soundstage, great bass, smooth, open and my favorite description is "effortless". The music just flows naturally. It edged out the Audio GD NFB-3 in just about every area. Attention to design details and high quality parts sets this above all in it's price class and many that punch higher. It's a superb sounding USB dac. Surprised the hell out of me and continues to everytime I listen."
H9
Well, this comment was enough to push me to a witch hunt for this DAC. I understand that any Keces is extremely hard to find as those that have them don't wanna sell them. I got on Ebay right after reading H9's comment and got lucky. A guy had just posted his Keces DA-151 for sale with a buy it now price and I pulled trigger on that baby faster than Jesse James!
As I waited for this DAC to arrive I went from being really anxious to an attitude of "concern". Even after hearing some positives about this DAC, I was beginning to have negative thoughts about it I guess. I thought I had messed up by buying this DAC onimpulse sort of which is often a mistake on anything. I was thinking this was only a USB DAC for God's sakes? This DAC only does 16/44.1!! And to make it worst this DAC's USB is adaptive and not even non-asynchronous....uggg! Oh wow, everything within was screaming old, out of date technology which could mean not that good of a sound!!! What the hell was I thinking?
But here it comes one day. I hook it up, and can't believe my ears. I was blown away. Every fear got melted into oblivion. I was in audio heaven. H9 and others mentioned about going from the BB OP604's that was in mine to the LME49710's and what a difference it makes. Then FTGV on this forum was nice enough to ship me all the way from Canada a pair of those LME49710's no charge! The dude would not let me pay even for the shipping! FTGV, if you're reading this, again thanks a million! Those op-amps were da bomb. The change in the sound was in no way subtle. They changed everything so much! More clarity, separation, bass definition, sweet detailed sound.... and the most amazing thing about this DAC with those op-amps was the front to back sound stage. Yes, the left to right sound stage was nice, and it's what I am used to thinking about when I think of a sound stage, but this DAC greatly expanded the sound stage depth! I not only could close my eyes and hear where each musician was on the stage left to right, but I could also hear their positions of how far they were in front or behind one another on the stage......friggin' unreal. I have not enjoyed listening to music any more than I have with this DAC. You are captivated by it's sound and transported to another place. Danny, (AsSiMiLaTeD?....dang, somebody correct me if I'm wrong on his name here!) I'm sorry I never followed thru and sent you this DAC to evaluate, but damn it man.....I just can't let it loose! It's that good! I listen to it everyday. Maybe on your next DAC comparisons the newness of it will have waned enough for me to let it loose a while, lol
I have ordered some LME49990's on adapters and now I can't wait to see what these might sound like. They are getting good press everywhere. Also, when I find out if the DEXA Class D Op-amps will fit in the Keces I probably will try them. The EE Minmax DAC Plus guys are pretty amazed at how these things a sounding. Anyway, thanks to everyone on this forum! It's a great place to be. This is one of those lucky times you pick up a piece of gear, much by chance, and that ends up truly being a game changer in your audio system!!!
Thanks again all.......Devlon
Living Room: HK AVR 354 as pre/pro, 2 x Polk Audio Micropro 4000, Adcom GFA-7500, 2 x Mirage OMD-15
2 x Mirage OMD-5, 1 x Mirage OMD-C1, APC H15, Sony S790, Philips 52" LCD, Beogram 3000, FAT (Firestone Audio Tobby DAC), Harmony One
Den: Sherwood R-972,as pre/pro, 2 x Velodyne SPL-1000R, 3 x Crown Drivecore XLS1500, 2 x Polk Audio Lsi9
1 x Polk Audio Lsic, 2 x Polk Audio Lsifx, Sony S790, APC H15, Dspeaker Dual Core 2.0, W4S DAC 2, Keces DA-151
2 x Mirage OMD-5, 1 x Mirage OMD-C1, APC H15, Sony S790, Philips 52" LCD, Beogram 3000, FAT (Firestone Audio Tobby DAC), Harmony One
Den: Sherwood R-972,as pre/pro, 2 x Velodyne SPL-1000R, 3 x Crown Drivecore XLS1500, 2 x Polk Audio Lsi9
1 x Polk Audio Lsic, 2 x Polk Audio Lsifx, Sony S790, APC H15, Dspeaker Dual Core 2.0, W4S DAC 2, Keces DA-151
Post edited by Devlon on
Comments
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And so it goes. The latest DAC tech isn't always the best.
The Keces was on my list. I ended up with an Audio-gd.
But there are some DACS that work way beyond their price point."The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
Yup.
The Keces is still on my list but my Audio GD NFB-5 is quite nice for my headphone setup."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
sucks2beme wrote: »And so it goes. The latest DAC tech isn't always the best.
.
Amen bro...but the latest dac tech sure sells dacs though. lolHT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Brock is a good egg, with good ears.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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Brock is a good egg, with good ears.
Yep, Brock is a good dude. At least when he's not fingering tubes and listening to Satanic messages being whispered in his ears by those circus midgets.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Jesus.. he's got a big enough head without this thread lol
Just messin Brock.
Still want to try a Keces but right now the Cambridge DACMagic has my eye lol."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
You should be looking at slightly better my friend. Ps Audio nu-wave should be on your list as well as the Cary Exciter.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Yep, Brock is a good dude. At least when he's not fingering tubes and listening to Satanic messages being whispered in his ears by those circus midgets.
you freakin kill me man LMAO -
you freakin kill me man LMAO
Oh man, don't say "kill". If you drop dead tomorrow Homeland security will be up my arse. You hear me NSA ?? I DIDN'T DO IT !!HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
With a nugget like that, I bet his neck is country strong.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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Hey Devlon, glad you are enjoying the Keces. I just call it how I hear it. I doubt I will ever part with it, unless I decide to go much higher up the ladder. Honestly, for a part-time office rig you couldn't ask for more. One of these days I'm going to get a decent USB to Coax converter and throw in the main rig just to see how it holds up. I am still planning to replace the Dayton coupling caps with some Clarity caps I have sitting here. Even a couple years later it still amazes me how "correct" and "effortless" it sounds in my rig.
David Keces has moved on to another DAC design, see here. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NAR-DAC-101-3-from-Acoustic-Fun-/161013696015?pt=US_CD_Players_Recorders&hash=item257d2a060f
Looks like another well built and well thought out piece. I wouldn't hesitate a bit recommending anything that he designs. The price point for NAR above puts in competition for a lot of others, be interesting to see how well it does against those competitors.
Enjoy
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Yep, Brock is a good dude. At least when he's not fingering tubes and listening to Satanic messages being whispered in his ears by those circus midgets.
Did someone say tubes and circus midgets!!!! :eek:
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
