Hi Darth,
I have heard a lot of DACs over the years and it has been my experience that many of the up and over sampling DACs have amazing detail but are tough on the ears over the long haul. It amazes me how many "well regarded" DACs are found in great numbers for sale on AudioGon. Some of this may be due to associated equipment and poorly recorded CDs (goodness knows that there are plenty of those) ..... but I get a distinct impression that what might impress a listener at first quickly turns into serious listener fatigue .....
In my initial post, I stated that "The amazing thing to me is that the ZDAC sounds as fabulous as it does with no tube buffer and is as easy on the ears as an NOS design" and extended listening provided no reason to change that view. With all but the most "raw sounding" CDs in my collection, the ZDAC provided a civilized and non-fatiguing sound.
I still preferred the Havana with the best tubes in my collection in the buffer stage, which just proves to me how important the quality of a tube can be in a system ..... but the addition of a ZBOX or Steve's new tube stage with a high quality tube could very well produce similar results. Having said that, the ZDAC sounds very good on its own and offered a nice balance between detail and musicality.
There were a couple of attendees at the recent DecFest who were blown away by the ZDAC and ordered one before the 'Fest was over. There was a very pricey CD player at the 'Fest which spent some time in the system, so the attendees got to hear the ZDAC compared to some pretty stiff competition. I have no problem recommending this piece and doubt that you will see many of them on AudioGon due to the original owner having "bloody ear syndrome" .....
Best wishes,
Randy
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