I'm posting here on General Audio and not yet on review for several reasons:
1--I've only had the Audoi Note CDT Zero and DAC One.1x for a night (recommended break in >300hrs)
2--I've only heard it on my headphone rig
3--Digital I/C is a temporary Ixos, not one of those reputed to mate well w/ this brand/model (thanks to a dear friend who sponsored this one!)
Some quibles:
Ergonomics on the transport sucks big time. No controls on the fascia. Two buttons serve as Open/Close and Play/Pause at the back and that's it!
The remote control's button layout is so unusual (it has zero where 1 is supposed to be and 4 in the middle keypad where 5 is normally is). The buttons are not illuminated/glow in the dark and are the same size so no way you'd operate this in the dark at least for the 1st several weeks.
The fascias are refreshingly minimalist despite lots of text printed on it, but only when turned off. When turned on, the big green display screen on the transport has so many indicators (time, track, calendar-format track display, repeat, etc.) it becomes bothersome in the dark (and I have a small room). At this price level, at least a display off switch on the transport and a phase inversion switch on the DAC should be included.
Some observations/questions:
One of the specs on the DAC is it's high 3.5v output. After adjusting to subjectively comparable volume levels vs. a typical source w/ 2V output, have you eliminated all unfair advantages of high output voltage?
I heard much better dynamics but I'm not sure if that's really an advantage of the DAC or just an advantage of the high output voltage. I relaize I'm not saying much since I'm comparing dynamics of a player 10 times the list price of the other.
Online reviews of the unit talk about rolled-off frequency extremes. One of the measurements (HFC I think) said 5db off at 20k kHz and 20Hz. Hypertriode said he heard this. For me, so far inconclusive. Maybe because I've used standmounts all my life and have not quite heard deep bass. But I think I hear bass via the Sennheiser HD600 and I actually felt deep bass was better on the AN, again, remember the price difference vs. the 502.
I can't comment on imaging yet (in this area, the AN gets mixed reviews online) as I've only used headphones so far. Remember though that AN UK's Peter Qvortrup claims that imaging/staging is of secondary importance to him. PQ prioritizes tonality and timing and further claims that pinpoint positioning in a stage is typically done via frequency shaping to enhance the ranges that give off spatial cues.
The transport's physical performance is very good. The tray opens and closes w/ authority. TOC reading is fast. But some tracks on some CD's skipped (not on my NAD 502) on no mroe than 5% of all tracks played but at this price range and for a dedicated transport, I'd expect flawless operation. Note though that I've never replicated the phenomenon on the same disc constantly for a demo. Ferdi says this may be due to a pretty long time in storage/display.
The rawness, palpability, and direct emotional connection I heard when I first auditioned this unit and confirmed when I heard Audio Note 2003's heavily modded DAC 3.1x are still there. If this transport/DAC were a sport, this is rugby, not the all padded and helmeted American football variety. Or this is Thai boxing as opposed to olympic boxing where fighters have all sorts of protective gear.
I'm not suggesting this a a rough, brute, uncivilized source as it is very, very well-behaved. In the Old England tradition, I liken this player's character to a knight. Fiercely efficient and fearsomely barbaric on the battlefield but inside the bloodied armor is the noblest of gentlemen.
In comparison with the Audio Analogue Paganini (at a comparable price range) or the Arcam CD72 (at around half the cost), these latter two would be much more polite than the A.N.
PRAT is an area this exels in straight out of the box. Mozilla was right on the money when he commented on Ferdi's AN stuff in Cebu as "fast." My wife stepped out of the bedroom a couple of times while I was hunkered down on our sofa listening and not just toe tapping but at times FOOT STOMPING.
I listened for a good 5 hours straight last night and felt no fatigue whatsoever. Note, it was hot and the HD600, though comfortable, cannot be considered "breathable" like Gore Tex. I think this says a lot about how this combo presents digital. I just put disc after disc after disc and only slept because I had work today.
One of the biggest attractions of single ended (the triode part is in my future but not yet) operation to me is the way lyrics are articulated. It has the fleshness of tongue, cheeks, and lips, a hint of wetness of saliva (Racio, get that smirk off your face!), and from singers with impeccable diction like Ella Fitzgerald or distinct inflections like Harry Belafonte, that defined, very human trait that makes them very unique.
That's it for now. As the combo breaks in (I'm at 5% todate!), I'll post more notes. Meanwhile, enjoy the music!