Hi Guys
Yes the shoot-out happened.
Everything was level matched and except for the Phasure done blind. The reason the Phasure was known is it ran off different software and a different machine and you could tell by the different mucking around in changing DAC's which it was. Because of that no attempt was made to hide which it was.
There were three tracks played on each DAC:
1. Yello - Boston Reflected
2. Leonard Cohen - Secret Life
3. LA Philharmonic - The Planets
There were 11 people that were done in 3 sessions with a max of 4 people per session. The score was 1 to 4 - 1 being the best - 4 the worst.
First. LenehanAudio PDX .......................... which received 4 first place votes
Second. Phasure........................................... which received 3 first place votes
Third. AMR DP777 inc upgrade board............Which received 2 first place votes
equal Third KillerDac......................................... Which received 2 first place votes
The second list tabulates peoples ratings from most preferred to least preferred (first to fourth) this means the lowest number wins. In this list after tabulating preferences the AMR shifts to second place and Phasure goes to third.
First Place............... LenehanAudio PDX.........................22
Second Place........... AMR DP777 inc upgrade board.......27
Third Place.............. Phasure........................................... .28
Fourth Place............ KillerDac......................................... ..33
My and an acquaintance of mine comments follow.
For me the shock was comments even I made about the Killer - harsh, lacking midrange fullness and warmth, unpleasant top end. Leonard Chohen sounded like artificially contrived electronic music. This is NOT the signature of the Killer - its very sweet and musical with an entrancing midrange. It was last spot in my ordering. Amazing - and what a leveller blind testing is.
I gave third position to the AMR - more realistic but a bit dead and lifeless - not much toe tapping PRAT.
Second place to the Phasure - which was to me was the AMR in overdrive - but with even less PRAT than the AMR - like I said the AMR in overdrive - both strengths and weaknesses. Still impressive accuracy, clarity, purity - all the hi fi terms were there in spades - except one important thing - no PRAT - no toe tapping smile that allows you to relax into the music for me.
First place to the PDX - it was simply involving - toe tapping PRAT that allows you to relax into the music - the imaging also enveloped you - seeming to go over your head and behind you.
When DAC 1 was revealed to be the Killer it was really head scratching for me. So I asked it to be put on again in the free for all after - this time with some Peggy Lee - Fever. It sounded wonderful. A number of people commented - was this the same DAC?
But we have the blind test result - and that's that. I have some conjectures why it was - but they are simply that - conjectures.
Of course it must be said anyone that chooses a DAC based on a shoot-out like this has rocks in their head.
Now my friend, Kdoots, comments:
We had three tracks played on each DAC, but the identity of the first three DACs was hidden from the listeners. I found the first DAC somewhat unpleasant, especially in the top end, lacking in mid-range warmth and fullness but impressively grippy in the bass. The second wasn't as strong down low but brought a far more pleasant and even-handed delivery across the whole range without losing any sense of detail. When the third DAC started playing I forgot about taking notes and just listened, foot tapping, face grinning. It was super engaging as well as delivering all full dose of detail, body, warmth, impact, soundstage etc etc.
Then there was the Phasure. I was extremely impressed by the digital filtering and the brilliantly clean, noise-free presentation. But it was all left-brain engagement. No grin. No tapping foot. Hmmm. But it's exactly the kind of thing I look for in a DAC and I'm pretty sure that once I got over being analytically impressed I'd relax into the music all the more.
It was a very close call, but I gave my top vote to the Phasure in the end. 4, 3, 2, 1. From the tally of all the votes most popular preference was... DAC 3! Jolly good show.
Some further comments by Kdoot:
First I want to say that when listening to the first three DACs I honestly had no idea which was which. The only thing I was comparing was the sound I heard and my reaction to it.
It is hard to identify exactly what it was which made the new PDX so enjoyable for me. One thing it didn't do was exaggerate the treble "snap", "rasp" and "shimmer" the way the Killer did in the shoot-out. The top end was all there and exquisitely detailed but it didn't over-excite or lose composure. There was also far more depth and resolution to the acoustic space than what I'm used to hearing from a PDX, especially on the orchestral track. At the same time, each instrument still had a fully convincing body to it rather than being a bit ghostly the way some "spacious" sounding DACs can do.
What caught my attention the most, though, was how my whole body responded to the music. It cut straight through my analytical filters and hit me right in the boogie nerve which DACs 1 and 2 had apparently not been able to locate. Interesting.
At that point, DAC 3 (identity still unknown) was clearly ahead of the other two by a mile as far as I was concerned. I would have rated 9.5, 8, and 5 out of 10 compared to my hopes/expectations for this collection of hardware.
Then there was the Phasure. It's different, and it sounds it. I've been spending quite a bit of time with my own 192kHz NOS DAC experimenting with different digital filtering via computer software, so I immediately felt I could identity the traits of a really well done bit of code driving some ultra-low-noise, highly resolving solid-state hardware. With that strong analytical appreciation for the quality of the sound combined with perhaps a bit of weariness from hearing the same tracks for the fourth time in a row, I didn't have the same "musical" reaction that I had with the PDX. But again because I've spent so much time in musical bliss with my own system, I suspect that with a Phasure level of performance the experience would be even more about the music and the quality of the recording and less about the contribution that the DAC can bring to the mix.
So in the end I gave the Phasure my vote for the technical success of its advanced technology, just pipping "DAC 3" which now is revealed to excel due to the high quality implementation of its more classic design.
End of Kdoots comments.
I will probably be able to post more as more peoples comments come in.
Thanks
Bill
