You rarely see any write ups about the TotalDAC series in the USA, mainly because of their nearly non-existent distribution in the USA. It is possible to arrange for an audition in the Dallas area, but you can hardly say that TotalDAC is taking the US by storm....
My own experience discovering them was through my European connections and the time I spend there, often on a mixture of pleasure and business. Several years ago a colleague of mine and I evaluated many DACs in the upper price ranges, and this was the one we found to be most true to the music, though it was by no means the most expensive. Vincent Brient has created something (actually, a collection of somethings) which are fairly special.
In his Audio Streams column in the Jan 2016 issue of Stereophile (out now) Michael Lavorgna has an interesting write up on the vacuum tube buffered version of the TotalDAC. For me, the reason that this write up is so interesting and satisfying is that what he communicates and how he communicates it aligns so completely with what I believe to be important and music, digital audio, and this product in particular. Anyone curious as to why I went to the expense and difficultly of acquiring a TotalDAC D1 Dual is well served by his writing, which touches not just on the technology but the results in a way that I think any music lover can relate to.
On the Audio Streams site there are many interesting articles, and more coverage of TotalDAC- this one might be a good place to jump in if you're interested.
Interestingly, mine was one of the first units produced with the large copper sheet base for vibration and EMI stabilization.
Though I was vaguely aware of the Audio Streams site previously, I had no idea until yesterday that there was this level of digital audio coverage, especially with regards to the TotalDAC series.
Note that unlike Michael, I've given up on general purpose computers per se as a programmatic source (just don't sound as good) and find that network streamers like the NAD M50 or AURALiC Aries coupled with a re-clocking setup is the way to go... at least for the last couple of years!
YMMV, and I'm still considering getting a dedicated Cambridge Audio CD transport for playing discs now and then...
My own experience discovering them was through my European connections and the time I spend there, often on a mixture of pleasure and business. Several years ago a colleague of mine and I evaluated many DACs in the upper price ranges, and this was the one we found to be most true to the music, though it was by no means the most expensive. Vincent Brient has created something (actually, a collection of somethings) which are fairly special.
In his Audio Streams column in the Jan 2016 issue of Stereophile (out now) Michael Lavorgna has an interesting write up on the vacuum tube buffered version of the TotalDAC. For me, the reason that this write up is so interesting and satisfying is that what he communicates and how he communicates it aligns so completely with what I believe to be important and music, digital audio, and this product in particular. Anyone curious as to why I went to the expense and difficultly of acquiring a TotalDAC D1 Dual is well served by his writing, which touches not just on the technology but the results in a way that I think any music lover can relate to.
On the Audio Streams site there are many interesting articles, and more coverage of TotalDAC- this one might be a good place to jump in if you're interested.
Interestingly, mine was one of the first units produced with the large copper sheet base for vibration and EMI stabilization.
Though I was vaguely aware of the Audio Streams site previously, I had no idea until yesterday that there was this level of digital audio coverage, especially with regards to the TotalDAC series.
Note that unlike Michael, I've given up on general purpose computers per se as a programmatic source (just don't sound as good) and find that network streamers like the NAD M50 or AURALiC Aries coupled with a re-clocking setup is the way to go... at least for the last couple of years!
YMMV, and I'm still considering getting a dedicated Cambridge Audio CD transport for playing discs now and then...
