No matter what you do it will always be a average hifi dac unless you replace the valve output stage with a better one.
Ps:if you like it dont change it
I guess that in your opinion Audio Note does not know what it is doing.
Yes its a very bold statement i knew it would get some trousers flapping and hormones going!
regarding audio note i have only heard audio note dac 2.1
Audio note do know what they are doing they spend 2k to 3k on parts and sell a top of the line dac for 30k plus.They really do know how to make a good profit margin.
I was originally addressing your absolute statement that a particular circuit, that is used by many respected and technically accomplished comapanies, is not good. I really am not interested in purchasing Audio Note equipment now or in the future, but I would be much more inclined to do so over some much beloved dac here that is promoted with little information about its design and measured performance. But I do see from your postings that you think that your system is so great, computer audio is crap, opamps are crap, solid state amplification cannot match tubed and all other sorts of specious statements. If you think that your system is the greatest, that is fine, but you do not need to justify it by making a lot of absurd and general statements about other equipment people have. The Satch is a good dac, and improvements in the power supply will yield good improvement. Check out Lampizator and some other postings on the net.
I do have two systems, one horn based and one with B&W 803ds. I guess that you think that power cords and interconnects are critical, but I am not in that camp. I also believe that each component should be as neutral as possible and if it is not, then the design and implementation is probably not very good. Much of my gear is DIY, but some is commercial. I stumbled into the horn system when a friend commissioned a horn system and could not pay for it. It was acclaimed by the masses at the Manila Audio Show as the best in show, but after spending time with it, it was clear it was far from that. It had a pair of JBL 150-4 woofers in each channel, a Vitavox S5 and Vitavox horn and a JBL 2405 tweeter. The bass cabinets were open back with a very slight horn flare and sounded sh-t, which of course should be expected with those drivers, as they were not really being loaded. One Vitavox had a magnet gap that was packed with rust and debris and had extremely little excusrsion. I was fortunate to be able to save the unobtainable diaphragms. The 2405s were utter junk. I now have horn loaded bass cabinets with the JBLs, the Vitavox horns now cleaned and running properly and a Fostex Alnico super tweeter, a Pioneer D23 crossover and 3 amps driving this system, including a 300B for the mids with permalloy output transofrmers. It sounds good but will need to go through a lot of changes to reach any great standard. So, in spite of the acclaims by the club morons in Manila, it was really trash with potential. It is now just much better trash. If I were to start from scratch, I would go in the direction of the cat who was daring enough to try to participate here briefly. That guy knows more about horn systems and music than most all the people on some forums do combined. I suspect that a proper horn system is far more revealing than box speakers such as mini monitors with off the shelf Peerless drivers, but I guess that inexperienced opinion could differ.
The monkey coffin system is driven by some rebuilt and upgraded ASL Huricanes with V-Caps and Mundorfs. It sounds quite ok, although some revered guru here has expressed the general opinion that these caps are no good. Give me a break. It seems that arrogance reigns supreme on many audio forums. I also use Solen Teflon with good effect, but some may proclaim them to be crap too.
As to the other parts of the system, I use an Aikido circuit preamp, a 26 DHT preamp with permalloy output transformers and tube regulated power supply, an Aikido phono stage, a D3A phono stge with a 5687 gyrator output and tube regulated power supply and various turntables including Garrard 301, 401, Thorens TD124, Russco Mark 5 and Denon DP6000, with diffferent arms, including air bearing, 12 inch, 9 inch and so on. Cartridges range from old MM and some Denon MC models. Lots of SUTs also from TX103, to Partridge, Denon to Lundahl. Cables and cords, Kimber, DIY, Belden, Blue Jeans and so on. No big deal there.
For digital, have used different transports, but computer audio is the only way to go, to me. Mechanical cd players are a thing of the past, in my opinion, and perhaps contrary to the beliefs of old diehards. When you start to talk about bit perfect, Reed Solomon correction and jitter, a well done computer system is the better alternative, technically, sound wise and convenience wise. I use a Pace-Car II reclocker with a Squezebox, that outputs i2s to a double crown TDA1541A in an Aya Dac. It has transistor output stage with no negative feedback. No tubes needed or welcome. I have had a number of dacs, with different dac chips, including 1704, 1865, TDA1543 and TDA1541A, but thus far, the Audial dac has proven the most satisfactory. The next step will be a more modern chip, but so far, I like what I am hearing. I still think that analogue offers something different and more interesting to me, but most listening I do is digital.
I would not presume to be so arrogant to say that these systems are high end, reference standard or optimal, but I can confidently say I am learning all the time and that with incremental changes, it is improving to the level of acceptable junk. I am not a fan of any particular brand or acclaimed guru, but rather experiment, read and listen to get things to a better level. Even the previously aforementioned horn expert freely admits the limitations of his own system, which has evelved over many years and been reworked with fanatical obsession. The worst attitude is arrogance coupled with ignorance. There is far too much of that going on these days.