Marantz HD-DAC1

Nice new combo unit from Marantz. It costs $799 and according to some reviews the build quality feels like it's worth at least twice that.





Review: http://www.stereolife.eu/reviews/item/1044-marantz-hd-dac1

I'm not going to buy one but it does seems like a very nice piece of kit for the price. I thought I'd post it here for anyone looking for a new semi-affordable all-in-one solution. If anyone does buy one I'd love to hear some impressions.

 

I read this amp Puts 800mw in 32ohm, so Power hungry planars might bei Underpowered!

 

It's pretty good with the HE1000. Not very good, but pretty good. Sounded pretty neutral to me, but for the HE1000, I prefer a bit less treble energy. Tone wise, the TEAC 503 is a better match for both HE1000 and HD800. But I think it would suit Audeze fazor planars, which is slightly darker. The Marantz trumped the TEAC in separation, air, soundstage, details, etc. For the price, it's good

 

some hi res photo of internals:
http://www.hifidiy.net/index.php?s=/home/article/detail/id/8038.html

The internal layout looks well thought out and components looks high quality. Though I didn't like COTS CS4398, but it does have custom DSP.

 

Can you elaborate a bit on this? Is it something in particular that is worth noting?

 

Anyone ever pick one of these up?
Any impressions?

 

I did own one once, it was okay. I can write further impressions tomorrow, I have to go sleep now!

 

So, I bought my HD-DAC1 late 2015 and sold it in the next summer. I had a change to compare it directly to a Chord Mojo, which I ultimately ended up buying. In retrospect it was probably more of a lateral move (or a downgrade in some areas) than an upgrade. I used the Marantz mainly as a dac+preamp with my Genelec 8030 monitors in a near-field configuration. Headphones (AKG K702) were used mostly at night or during gaming, but certainly enough to draw my conclusions about the device. My findings apply for both of these use cases unless otherwise stated.

The build quality is very good and I liked how the device looked and felt. Certainly the best <1000$ device in this regard I've ever tested myself. The side panels are plastic, but you have to touch them to find out. Remote control looks basic, but works well. Isn't too small either. If you want to nitpick, the display cannot be read from a high angle, but hey, it has a display!

HD-DAC1 has multiple gain settings for the HP output, so you shouldn't have any problems with different kind of headphones. Channel balance was essentially perfect - I reckon it uses an IC for volume controlling.

I tested all the inputs with my computer based setup and found out that spdif / toslink were equally good fed from an Esi Juli@ soundcard. USB is not galvanically isolated and I experienced some noise issues from time to time. Has happened with other dacs too, but someone might consider this as a dealbreaker.

Generally speaking, Marantz has a somewhat warm tone. Or could I describe it better by calling it as a tad full/dark? Either way, it has a slight emphasis on the lower frequencies, somewhere between bass and midrange. You can make this out without too much hair splitting, even if I wouldn't call this sound signature overwhelming. Midrange is not colored per se, but it has this very slight soft/smooth character. It may rob some information from recordings, but I found out it to be a quite good compromise between accuracy and fatigue. Treble has nice extension. Still, Marantz doesn't sound very airy/spatially extensive - mayby this is because the overall warmish tone? I know, however, that this is not because of the treble. Good amount of detail and attack without sounding sibilant at all. It actually must be one of the best reproductions I've came across at <2000$ price-range. Certainly better than Chord Hugo and Nad M51! Chord Mojo is less offensive than those two, but its treble is noticeably recessed. My friend tested HD-DAC1 with his AKG K812 headphones and found the treble to be bit over the top, so your mileage may vary. I didn't share his opinion.

One notably feat is the bass reproduction. It is not the most accurate ever, but it had a good amount of slam. At least in my setup and compared to Chord Mojo. Mojo really wasn't an upgrade in that regard.

About dynamics: Large-scale macrodynamics are okay. I've certainly heard better. Maybe this is because of the slightly soft midrange. If you can compare macrodynamics and microdynamics, I'd say microdynamics were better, thanks to the treble department.

I have owned a few different products from Marantz in the past years and HD-DAC1 has certainly the Marantz house sound, even if it is a new kind of product from them. If you are familiar with it and like it, you'll probably end up loving the HD-DAC1.

However, for those who don't know, the Marantz house sound is also somewhat dry. It certainly doesn't try to make anything sound any more euphonic. You either like this or don't. I'd call it borderline clinical or very least analytical. This was also the reason I sold the unit and switched for a wetter presentation of the Mojo. However, my speakers are known to be notoriously ruthless and uncolored. AKG K702's sounded always a tad more sweet driven by the HD-DAC1.

 

I have one. Got it used locally on a whim.

I compared it at length with a Modi Multibit & crack w/ speedball using stock hd6xx, fully expecting to prefer the crack. Ended up keeping the Marantz and selling the other setup.

The marantz had way more detail. I'd hear things when listening to it that I'd have to listen for with the crack. Wider soundstage too. But not fatiguing.

I'm a noob, haven't tried much else, but based on how well people enjoy Modi Multibit and/or crack, I'd think more people would like this thing too.

Only downside is that mine has some background hiss, noticeable between songs. And the relay click, which doesn't bother me personally but may bother some.

 

This was my first big-time DAC purchase (stepping up from a Modi 2). The Amp is no joke either.

I demoed this awhile back and was amazed , off the bat, at the separation, clarity, and tone I was getting from the music on my phone. At the time I tried it with the LCD XC (that I own) as well as a Sony MDR Z1R.

I love how there is just crystal clear imaging while being tasteful and not overly bright or dull and analytical. Also the zero noise floor (subjectively). It's a sure win for those who really relish the details in their music.