I recently read an interesting essay by Srajan Ebaen in the “Industry Features” section of 6moons. Essentially, it posits there is precious little absolute truth in this hobby. An extension of this observation is that angst, anguish, and compromise are more the rule than exception. We are forever questing for betterment and ultimately our own version of perfection, though defining our own personal view of perfection is exceedingly difficult. Knowing how to get there is even harder.
Is the goal “flat frequency response”? As an owner of a TacT preamp which can make a full-range system “flat” in-room, I can say “flat” is generally undesirable. Even our ears do not have “flat” response, being more sensitive to midrange at quieter volumes and having flatter response as the volume goes up. Do we tune for quiet or loud volumes? TacT has a variable loudness feature in their newer models to compensate, but that is another matter.
Many cry “Make it sound like live!” How many recordings have that goal? Compression on nearly all recordings assures the failure of this idea. Should we try to replicate what the engineer heard during the mastering process? Maybe, though I expect most recording monitors would be considered boring by many audiophiles.
Sharing measurements can provide information engineers find useful, but reading Stereophile reviews shows the relationship between measurements and subjective feeling is dubious at best.
Subjectivists, me included, inform others to pursue what sounds good. This is a great ideal but breaks down in sharing with others. If someone on an audio forum says “I LOVE THIS”, what does it mean to me? Without knowing preferences, gear, and experiences of the writer, there is nothing a reader can use to make their own choices.
Somehow, we decide not only what sound we like but what framework of decisionmaking distills our choices in how to spend our money. I use my own ears and intuition, and a few reviewers’ opinions and tips. I have a few audio buddies whose ears I trust and their views are important too.
Using this haphazard “strategy”, I have wound up with the following setup:
Transport – Modwright CDP or Red Wine Audio Squeezebox 3
Preamp – TacT 2.2XP
DAC – Altmann Attraction (main array only)
Main array amplifiers - Yamamoto A-08s or Red Wine Audio Signature 70 monoblocks
Subwoofer amplifier – Crown K2
Speakers – Zu Definition Pros
Cables – various, primarily Zu
The TacT is capable of performing all functions in the digital realm. It has built-in DACs or can send a digital signal for outboard processing. I have always used the built-in DAC for subwoofer duties but have never been satisfied with them for mains.
My view is that instrumental Tone is the cornerstone of quality audio reproduction. Accurate portrayal of dynamic relationships is nearly equal and arguably intrinsic to convincing Tone. Both qualities live centrally in the midrange, which I believe is the necessary beginning of great sound.
My discovery of battery-powered, non-oversampling DACs with the Red Wine Audio Monica-2, then the Ack! DAC 2.0, much like single-driver, crossoverless speakers, showed me a new way of listening. Focusing more on how the reproduction makes the listener Feel instead of how it “sounds” paves the way for a personal shift. NOS DACs may sound soft around the edges but allow immersion and relaxation where digital reproduction can promote analysis and tension.
I consider the nonoversampling sound to be a move toward holistic presentation and away from audiophile detail. Focus is on lithe transition of notes rather than plucked strings. Much digital is strong with string and weak on wood where my preference is toward decay and tonal richness. Instrumental separation is often touted but digital can remove performers from their proper context in the band and present each separately, supernaturally.
NOS apologists would say the softness in the treble is better than the disorganized noise characteristic of so much digital gear. Softer transients? A necessary penalty for maintaining singularity of performance. The purely emotional ears can just let this sound wash over, forgetting all the normal audiophilisms.
However, the analytical brain does not rest, asking how the strengths may be maintained while adding the extension and dynamic pop of more conventional solutions.
Enter the Altmann Attraction DAC. This is a nonoversampling DAC without a case. Rather the circuit board is press-fit into a treated spruce board, said to minimize effects of resonances. It is available with a proprietary jitter-reduction circuit called JISCO, and can be upgraded to decode sample rates from redbook standard of 44.1 khz up to 192 khz.
I used this machine primarily from the digital outputs of my TacT 2.2XP preamp. Somehow, the two did not get along perfectly. The TacT outputs a 24-bit signal where the Altmann is a 16-bit machine. Both TacT and Altmann said this should not have mattered but even shipping both units to TacT for a couple of weeks did not cure the problem.
Essentially, the problem was related to a rushing noise at quieter volumes. I was able to listen extensively to the unit at louder volumes, though I sometimes do enjoy my system playing quietly and this was not an effective, long-term solution. I was able to use the volume control out of my Red Wine modded Squeezebox 3 and also used the unit out of a Modwright Music Hall CDP with none of these noise problems.
Without question, the Attraction DAC aligns sonically with the nonoversampling camp. Immediately with the first few notes, it was obvious that this is a piece that quiets the soul and promotes long listening sessions. The lack of “digital sound” is obvious.
This plays out in the performance. Musicians are part of the band, not occupying individual and separate spaces. Second and third harmonics of instruments are clearly portrayed with long and sultry decays. I find the stereotypical digital presentation to be skewed toward the leading edge of the note, such as the plucking of strings and popping of a drumhead. This can be exciting but misses much of the instrument’s personality.
The NOS sound is good at revealing these harmonics but generally worse at the leading edges. Dynamic pop is deemphasized and details are obscured. The Altmann is much better than the NOS average with appropriate sharpness and detail retrieval. Add superb organic flow and this is an intoxicating piece of audio equipment.
Treble response is quite good, and struck cymbals have long, shimmering decays. The midrange and upper bass are fantastic with loads of texture, strong leading energy, and outstanding harmonics and tone. I cannot comment on deep bass response, as my system has powered subwoofers below 65 hz.
I hope this review gives some context to my own priorities related to audio and what about this DAC is so (quietly) spectacular to me.