Big Boy Value Alert... Resonessence Labs Concero

[machinehead]

Wee ooo Wee ooo.

Ive owned one of these puppies for about 2 weeks and it is a big hitter in a little package. I use it connected to my Mac via USB but you can also power it via USB and use the coax as an input.
Sound character is neutral and detailed, yet musical. Very balanced and what you feed it is what you get. So if you have crappy sounding cps you will get crap back.
Bass is not heavy, Id say its accurate. But it is not light either.
Top is smooth and not bright at all.

All this for $599 canadian or $650 for the package.

wee-ooo wee-ooo this has been a test of the big boy value alert system. If this had been a real emergency youd have crapped your pant by now. Now back to your regular scheduled shizzle. 

[richidoo]

I guess there's no big boys arounds here. 

It looks kinda small twss.  It's like 3" square!

[DaveC]

For that price it should have it's own power supply. 

[machinehead]

It sounds awesome... don't let the size fool you. I cant believe it myself! Id say its mainly for folk who go computer out. There is some kind of Galvanic Isolation is involved. Power supplies are overrated!

I think this is better than the maxed out EE Minimax Plus.
Ressonnence is owned by the developers of the Sabre Dac chip. Perhaps they know implementation secrets.

[richidoo]

http://resonessencelabs.com/

[lonewolfny42]

Mike....

A little package...what about....this Schiit... ?

Check out their DAC's....lowest priced one is $99.00....

[machinehead]

Most of the reviews are over on head fi. Schitt has great marketing, their site is a hoot to read. And their products get pretty good reviews.

[rpf]

It sounds awesome... don't let the size fool you. I cant believe it myself! Id say its mainly for folk who go computer out. There is some kind of Galvanic Isolation is involved. Power supplies are overrated!

I think this is better than the maxed out EE Minimax Plus.
Ressonnence is owned by the developers of the Sabre Dac chip. Perhaps they know implementation secrets.

Were you able to directly compare the Concero to the Minimax Plus?

[machinehead]

No. Auditory memory.. And some LSD. 
Your right... maybe its not the best endorsement. But....
the main dude on Head Fi said it sounds like the Bryston BDA-1 at its best. Meaning it has to be power conditioned properly...
But Im not sure if that was a direct comparo either.

I had the BDA1 for 2 years and would say the Concero is more on the neutral side and has better detail retrieval and there is no upper mid  grain which I felt the BDA had. Again thats just from memory.

[DaveC]

Looks like they sell a package with remote and a little wall wart power supply for an extra $100...

I would like to see if anyone has compared it to a Schiit Bifrost, the Schiit is a little cheaper but is also a 24/192 asynch DAC....

[lonewolfny42]

A new look Mike....

Stay thirsty my friend....

[machinehead]

lol!!

[machinehead]

So I ended up using the Concero as a USB to coax converter instead of as a DAC. I am feeding a Theta Chroma 396 which is what 15, 20 years old... Its old! like me... Anyways... on its own it sounds ok. A lot of smearing, probably a lot of jitter. Well the Concero takes the Theta up to a modern day level. I cant upsample, so its kind of a NOS DAC. Crisp. Clear. Great texture and really nice cymbals. Bass has always been a strong suit of the 396 and now there is a lot more detail in the bass vs the Theta alone. This combo id definitely better than the Concero alone, which has more air, is more neutral, and has more perceived treble, but isnt bright. It just wasnt my cup of tea. But in the end worked out well. Not that I wont be looking to update tomorrow.. lol

[mikef]

Mike, Just get the Metrum Hex. You know you want one....

I bought one last week and the reviews are all accurate. It's great!

Mike Fox

[machinehead]

I do... Sweet Mike.. Great dual review on 6 moons! Maybe bring it to Emil's or some future rave. Not that there are many ny raves anymore. I'll be at the NY Show tomorrow. maybe see you there.
M