DAC's it! (Monarchy Audio 22B DAC impressions)

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DAC's it! (Monarchy Audio 22B DAC impressions)

Postby vintage_dog » Wed Feb 19, 2003 1:09 pm

well, i've been DAC-less for several months due to a very tactless move - I plugged my MSB to a vintage amp that has 110v running on the RCA input jacks !?&%$#! and burned the DAC! :cry:

after agonizing the loss for several months, I finally scored a Monarchy Audio 22B DAC last Dec and was able to pick it up from a friend in the US last week.

okay, here's some info on it and the reviews. i didn't really believe everything said on the reviews until i finally heard the unit for myself. it's all true!!!

http://www.monarchyaudio.com/DA22.htm



here's my set-up

Pioneer LDP (1995) -> Monarchy Audio DIP -> Monarchy Audio 22B DAC -> Audible Illusions Modulus I (1985) -> amp

digital cables: used an MSB optical, Monarch Audio coax and vdHul 1st coax

Impressions:

boy oh boy, huge 3D sounding with deep bass i never expected from my CDs. depth and layering all there. wow, what i've been missing all these months and years! but then, the MSB didn't sound as good, maybe just half as good. detail, transparency and dynamics....name it.

i spent a marathon 15 hours yesterday while burning out my jet lag, playing and listening with no digital fatigue! and am craving for more!

for amps, i used:
- Eico HF87 35wpc EL34's PP
- Dynaco ST70 with Sound Valves board and KT66 tubes (!!!)
- Dynaco ST35 17wpc EL84's PP

all these driving the SF Concerto which played very nicely even with the ST35. also tried the mini-Voigt Pipe using the 6"RS drivers and the JMLabs experimental Voigt using the Sony 4.5"

awesome DAC! i'm :D !

v 8) d
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Postby rtsyrtsy » Thu Feb 20, 2003 4:34 pm

Congratulations on the new DAC!

Mind sharing the thrill of the hunt for this thing? How did you come across it?
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Postby vintage_dog » Fri Feb 21, 2003 10:19 am

through another Audio Asylum guy who had this unit for a couple of years. he sold it as he was moving to analog...

anyway, he posted this at ebay, and i got this at a third of the price brand new. the unit is in mint condition, and was shipped in its original carton with manuals and all.

now, am really enjoying this piece of gear...one of the best upgrades i've ever done in digital land...
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Postby rtsyrtsy » Wed Feb 26, 2003 10:21 am

Yes, you're demo of the Pioneer LD analog out vs. Monarchy analog out is convincing.

While it may not be a fair comparison, I think the exercise highlights what the Monarchy DAC really does.
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