[Grasshopper]

After a bit of a "break" from audio (home improvement projects).

I'm back! I plan to do a final assessment over the coming few weeks.

My DAC finalists are the following:

-Aries Cerat Kassandra MK2
-Playback Designs Dream DAC (MPD-8)
-Mola Mola Tambaqui

I just received my "new to me" Antipodes K50 streamer, so I plan to feed all three of these finalists the very best.

I've been burning in the MPD-8 for 3 weeks straight...(528 hours on the unit now). I've been playing music through my Aurender N10 non-stop into the Playback DAC.

When the Playback arrived into the arena, we listened a bit to the Mola Mola, and it is a top DAC for sure. It is a fantastic DAC, that eliminates the digital sound, definitely at home with the best components.

Then we listened to the Playback. Out the box, you can just tell it is "special". Me and my friend both said, the Mola Mola is going to get sold. Nothing wrong with it at all, its a fantastic "finalist" for sure. Now with over 500 hours the Playback simply blows my mind.

It is hard to describe, but symbols just sound real. It mops the floor with pretty much every DAC I've ever heard (excepting the AC Kassandra).

The Playback delivers a sound that I could live with and never look back. It is amazing! The presentation of music is very rich, real, and it gives you all the details but you find yourself tapping your toes and not skipping songs.

I am liking it so much (even with my "modest" Aurender N10) that I don't even want to change a thing. I have a killer Antipodes k50 that has sat unplugged for over a week, which I fully expect will take things up another level, and I have limited desire to even hook it up. The Playback is that good.

I'm going to let it season for a bit, and eventually let the goliaths fight it out.

I feel very fortunate to be able to have such fantastic choices in these 3 DACs... It's the best my system has ever sounded.

More to come!