Context at home, when listening with the Calyx DAC
In a world of digital music, DACs are king.
About the Calyx USB DAC which is the subject of this article
Retail price in Canada: $1799
Manufacturer's Origin: Republic of Korea.
Calyx DAC USB 24/192
No one can deny it, music from a computer is a reality in 2012, the question is no longer whether it is better or not than music coming from a high-end CD player, but rather to find efficient solutions, easy to use and with an acceptable cost.
The trick is to determine what the word "acceptable" means to the consumer looking for a modern DAC in a rapidly changing market.
I'll give you my point of view: as far as I'm concerned, a DAC sold for up to $3,000 is acceptable; beyond that, you'll need serious arguments to convince me.
In this game, we can say that there are different types of customers concerned by either the mass-market product, often cheap and not worth much, or by the mid-range product between $500 and $900, or higher end, which is in terms of price in the $1000 to $3000 bracket, it is this last category of person that is targeted by the Korean manufacturer Calyx.
It is also the price bracket that seems to me the most coherent if we aim high.
I am deliberately omitting the high-end equipment of $10,000 and +, which escapes the majority of us, a market which I reassure you, is doing like a charm. The crisis? What crisis?
A first approach to the DACs available on the market had been undertaken with an interesting comparison , always around products with a good quality-price ratio.
About the Calyx
We had previously discovered the entrails of the "beast" , now it is time for the song to express itself.
Protocol
⚬ Calyx DAC model, new in original packaging, retail price: $1799,
⚬ Device received in December 2011,
⚬ Operating time before listening: 120 hours.
⚬ Duration of this trial: 2 months and two weeks.
Upstream material
⚬ Mac Book Pro 2.2 Dual Core 2 Duo from 2007,
⚬ 500GB hard drive at 7500 rpm,
⚬ Music files: AIFF, Wave, DSD,
⚬ Resolution: 44.1, 176K and 192K (Fidelio, 2L)
⚬ Without iTunes, SysOptimizer enabled or not,
⚬ Operating System: Mac OS Snow Leopard 10.6.8,
⚬ USB cables: the standard model for $5, an Audioquest Coffee model for $250, and a Siltech Anniversary model for $1,000.
USB cables used in these tests
⚬ Dedicated power supply for the laptop,
⚬ RCA cables: Kimber silver streak, Figaro silver from Blueberry Hill Audio,
⚬ XLR cables: Figaro silver/carbon from Blueberry Hill Audio and DNM Design.
The listenings
In order to fully understand the personality of this DAC, we listened to music at length before coming to talk to you about it, and this in different contexts, just to make sure we had constructive elements and criticisms to make.
The players
To play music files stored on a computer, you need to use a player, also called playback software, which will dissect the digital words stored on the computer, then transfer them to the DAC without damage, at least in theory, knowing full well that nothing is perfect in this world and that there will be steps to take before the sound reaches our ears.
We used several to come to the conclusion that each of them brought a particular sound, it will be up to the user to choose the one that in his ears will best match his DAC, a balancing act that requires patience, agility and temperament.
My advice, don't let yourself be too influenced by the opinions of others, form your own opinion, because if we hadn't pushed our investigations further, I'm not sure that our conclusions would have been the same about the Calyx DAC, perhaps we would have just stumbled upon its personality the first time, or we would have missed it, it's just a thread and a player.
⚬ Front Row (free, included with Mac OS X up to Snow Leopard),
⚬ Audirvana (free) and Audirvana Plus (paid: $50),
⚬ Audiogate by Korg (free but linked to your Twitter account),
⚬ Amarra 2.2 (paid: $690),
⚬ Pure Music 1.85c and the latest update 1.86 (paid: $130).
To the question, are all players equal in terms of performance?
The answer is: No, some are better than others, unanimously.
To the question, are all USB cables equal?
The answer is: No, unanimously.
This is to set the scene and definitively silence the rumor that all players are similar in terms of sound reproduction, which is false of course and once again, it must be repeated, even a USB cable will be able to make a big difference, only the hard of hearing will tell you otherwise, it may also be that your equipment does not offer the adequate performance to demonstrate it, this can happen, in this case be blessed.
End of the parenthesis.
If you are still one of the die-hard skeptics and you read what follows, you may change your mind 🙂
First of all, even if the electronic components of the Calyx are not high-flying, surprisingly it remains that when listening, this device was able to convince us of its audio qualities.
The warbling and the plumage are quite close in the end.
Electronic circuit and casing machined from the mass
Without a doubt, if we ignore the purely technical aspect, the Calyx will prove to you beyond any doubt that the chassis is a component as important as the electronics it contains, Eric Juaneda mentioned this to us and he was right.
Whatever the environment in which we installed the Calyx DAC, it proved to be versatile and even surprised us on certain musical tracks with its dynamic capabilities.
Discography
Norwegian 2L Label Catalog:
2L-064_stereo96kHz_01_08.flac
2L-064_stereo192kHz_01_08.flac
2L-071_stereo192_01_01.flac
2L38_01_96kHz.flac
2L38_01_192kHz.flac
2L38SACD_tr1_mch_96kHz.flac
2L49SACD_tr1_96k_stereo.flac
2L50SACD_tr01_stereo_192kHz.flac
2L53SACD_04_stereo_192kHz.flac
2L38SACD_tr1_mch_96kHz.flac
2L53SACD_04_stereo_192kHz.flac
2L53SACD_04_stereo_DXD.wav
Haydn- String Quartet in D, Op. 76, No. 5 – Finale – Presto _stereo_96k.flac
Haydn- String Quartet in D, Op. 76, No. 5 – Finale – Presto _stereo_192kHz.flac
Metallica in 24/96:
4 The Unforgiven.aiff
4 The Unforgiven.wav
8 Nothing Else Matters.aiff
8 Nothing Else Matters.wav
George Faber Blues
Beach No. 9 in 44.1
FIDELIO Canadian music label
DIR. DANIEL MYSSYK – IDYLA – 13 – RONDEAU__176k-24b.wav
LA MANDRAGORE – CONVIVENCIA – 06 – Toute_seule__176k-24b
Sevara Nazarkhan
Beach No. 8 Gazli.aiff
Karen Young
Live in your living room
Soul, body and desires: interlude
Roger Waters
Amused to death
Charlie Haden_Montreal Tapes
At Alain's
Context at Alain's during listening with the Calyx DAC
Listening protocol: XLR connection
⚬ Elac FS-247 Sapphyre Edition loudspeakers (made in Germany),
⚬ Integris CD player/CDP preamplifier (made in Canada),
⚬ Class Audio CA 2200 amplifier (made in Canada), rated at 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms,
⚬ Pro Design Audio furniture (made in Canada),
⚬ Pro Design Audio and inovaudio acoustic panels (made in Canada),
⚬ inovaudio 3-material tailstocks (made in Canada),
⚬ Power supply via an inovaudio titanium case (made in Canada) on Furutech GTX rhodium sockets,
⚬ Blueberry Hill Audio cables (made in Canada).
To the question, did you enjoy listening to music with the Calyx in your system?
The answer is: Yes.
I must first say that the finish, machining and weight of the Calyx are impressive.
This is actually the first time I really appreciate dematerialized music at an acceptable price. The sound provided by the Calyx was pleasant to listen to, whatever the type of music, classical, rock, operatic voice.
I even wondered what I could use as a server if I had a DAC like this.
However, I thought that nothing affordable would please me until I tried this product.
It is still necessary to put things into perspective, because you have to invest a good amount of money to achieve this performance, since it is necessary to acquire a second pair of XLR cables of the same caliber as the first to connect the DAC to the preamp and a high-end USB cable between your computer and the DAC, which makes the bill climb significantly.
Yes, the sound is really not the same from one USB cable to another, it's a fact and what about players, it's even more obvious.
To finish, I would like to tell you that I was seduced by the Calyx, beautiful presentation, very good sound and great ease of use.
By keeping things simple and effective, many of you will certainly be interested in a DAC like this and I understand them.
At Marq
Context at Marq, when listening with the Calyx DAC
Listening protocol: RCA connection
⚬ Drive Accustic Arts,
⚬ Audioaero DAC,
⚬ Bent Audio TAP Preamp,
⚬ Class D amplifier based on UCD400,
⚬ 3-way “Wapiti” speakers based on the famous Wilson design,
⚬ Goertz M2 speaker cables.
To the question, did you enjoy listening to music with the Calyx in your system?
The answer is: Yes.
I enjoyed this experience, but the results were unpredictable depending on the player used and the USB cable.
However, when it started playing music, I found it a very interesting experience, so I don't rule out one day experimenting with dematerialized music in my system for good.
At my house
Context at home, when listening with the Calyx DAC
Listening protocol: RCA connection
⚬ Elan acoustic speakers, professional active monitors (made in Canada),
⚬ Integris CD player/CDP preamplifier (made in Canada),
⚬ Hybrid Class D amplifier based on Audio Research,
⚬ Inovaudio furniture from the studio series (made in Canada),
⚬ Power supply via an inovaudio titanium case (made in Canada) on Furutech GTX rhodium sockets,
⚬ Blueberry Hill Audio Figaro silver rhodium AC cables (made in Canada).
⚬ Onda speaker cables (made in Canada) Rush model.
To the question, did I enjoy listening to music with the Calyx in my system?
The answer is: Yes.
Verdict on the Calyx DAC
Strengths/ Strong points:
⚬ Fair and balanced sound,
⚬ Impeccable machining, sober and classy casing,
⚬ Ease of use,
⚬ RCA and XLR outputs,
⚬ Performance on all resolutions from 44.1 to 192k,
⚬ Works on Mac and PC in plug & play.
Weaknesses/Weak Points:
⚬ Price yes and no, knowing that quality has to be paid for, we are in the presence of a high-end device due to its design, but especially due to its audio performance, if we put aside the pure electronic aspect.
Conclusion
Everyone agrees that it's a very beautiful contemporary object.
I told you about the Calyx DAC that the chassis accounted for 30% of the final result, it seems that the figures put forward by Eric Juaneda are more accurate with a good 50%.
I was waiting for the Calyx at the "corner of wood" and frankly this device pleasantly surprised me.
Apart from a price that deserves to be adjusted, we have nothing to complain about, the Calyx is a very good DAC that kept its promises across the board, against all expectations given its onboard electronics which are nothing extraordinary, at least on paper, it nevertheless managed on several occasions to surprise us with the ease with which it knew how to deliver the musical message without adding anything, no coloration, no tension, no noise, just music.
A word about the
$2000 price tag if we only consider the audio performance and the chassis, it is all to the credit of the Calyx, I would add that I would be very curious to perform a match with a Weiss 202 DAC ($7000), without any ulterior motive.
But to be completely objective, I am also obliged to take into account the type of electronic components that are in the box to evaluate it as a whole.
End of the parenthesis
Note to readers: the Canadian distributor has just informed me that the price has dropped to $1799, which positions it much better, so be it noted.
Whatever the type of file or resolution, it turned out to be very pleasant, with a sound structure without artifacts, as is (too) often the case when we talk about dematerialized music, in our contexts it was only pleasure, very close to that which we can experience from the performance of our CDP integris player, which in the circumstances is a damn good compliment, because there are not so many of us who are equipped with a machine of more than $12,000 as a reference.
We preferred to listen to music via the Amarra 2.2 player, followed closely by Pure Music.
Amarra 2.2 Interface
Amarra has a more "meaty" sound that other players don't have, it is also the most balanced, without erasing the dynamics while maintaining a nice tonal balance.
Its interface has improved but could be further refined, we are not obliged to use iTunes's, which is lucky because I hate iTunes to the last degree.
Pure Music is good too, but different in terms of sound timbres, it seemed to us more inclined to embellish the high midrange to the detriment of the bass, but this coquettishness is ultimately only a personality trait, easy to manage if you use a good USB cable, the Siltech and Pure Music would be a good marriage.
Its interface is less user-friendly, because accessing it through iTunes is a problem in my case.
Audirvana Plus is interesting, its interface is contemporary and easy to use, but I have not been able to evaluate it in the context of Alain, this will be done in the near future, because this player has very good assets.
Audiogate is also well done, with a pleasant and intuitive interface, the sound is close to that offered by Pure Music and Audirvana, it's a bit of a mix of the two in fact.
It's a player that I use frequently, I love the way it is built and the fact that it lets me choose my music tracks and save each playlist, sorted by date or title, something that Amarra and Pure Music also offer.
Another advantage is that it's free.
Audiogate by Korg
Front Row is okay, but nothing more if we compare it with the others, its interface is still as pleasant, one of the most pleasant on the market in my opinion, it uses iTunes as a catalog, but by hiding it... so much the better, let it stay where it is.
Another advantage is that you can advantageously use the Apple remote control to control the Mac Book Pro remotely.
We have access to sound settings and the choice of music tracks and albums.
The Calyx DAC is capable of showing us the qualities and defects of any element in its path, whether it be the player or the USB cable, it is also the best USB DAC that has passed through our hands.
In this respect, the Audioquest USB cable and the Siltech came out on top, with a preference for the Audioquest Coffee, which is more lively and smooth in terms of its reproduction. We appreciated the fact that the stereo image had a nice sound stage, which is excellent value for money.
Audioquest Coffee USB cable
We compared them to arrive at this conclusion and it is clear that if you do not immediately compare each player or each USB cable, it will be difficult for you to make an informed choice by highlighting this or that characteristic.
The $5 USB cable is tinged with colorations, thinner it does not deliver a very accurate sound if you compare it; in the event that you do not compare it immediately after, then it may turn out to be quite acceptable, but you will miss out on the good sound.
We explored different "avenues", it seemed more honest to me to take the time necessary to discover the true personality of the Calyx DAC on the one hand, but also of each of the elements connected to it.
Each player was used successively with the same USB cable, then after a few listens to the same music track, we did a "crossfire" with other music to validate our choices.
5 players and 3 USB cables, this gives us 15 different combinations.
The winning trio is the combination: Calyx DAC + Amarra 2.2 + Audioquest Coffee model USB cable, it was unanimously and without any ambiguity, the best match.
If your budget allows it, the Siltech USB cable could also appeal to you, but for my part I found it a little too tame, letting less detail appear to my ear. It is certainly balanced, but given its price, it would deserve to be more apt for exuberance. This model is, however, very interesting in terms of "punch", a marvel on percussion and orchestral masses.
DAC Calyx on the middle shelf, a 4kg ingot of aluminum
We put the Calyx DAC in very difficult conditions for a $2,000 device, it had to face direct and indirect comparison with our reference CD players, so it's not every day that a DAC does so well against a $14,000 machine (personal "fully equipped" copy), I'll let you think about that, but one thing is certain, this DAC is destined for success, I want proof of the time we spent listening to all kinds of music with it, which is the obvious sign that the magic is working.
Thought of the moment:
Can power go to an individual's head to the point of making him lose his mind?
This article was written by Marc PHILIP, a freelance writer. All rights reserved. Copyright 2012. Text and photos are the property of the author and the magazine.
Enjoy!
Marc Philip
Context at home, when listening with the Calyx DAC
In a world of digital music, DACs are king.
About the Calyx USB DAC which is the subject of this article
Retail price in Canada: $1799
Manufacturer's Origin: Republic of Korea.
Calyx DAC USB 24/192
No one can deny it, music from a computer is a reality in 2012, the question is no longer whether it is better or not than music coming from a high-end CD player, but rather to find efficient solutions, easy to use and with an acceptable cost.
The trick is to determine what the word "acceptable" means to the consumer looking for a modern DAC in a rapidly changing market.
I'll give you my point of view: as far as I'm concerned, a DAC sold for up to $3,000 is acceptable; beyond that, you'll need serious arguments to convince me.
In this game, we can say that there are different types of customers concerned by either the mass-market product, often cheap and not worth much, or by the mid-range product between $500 and $900, or higher end, which is in terms of price in the $1000 to $3000 bracket, it is this last category of person that is targeted by the Korean manufacturer Calyx.
It is also the price bracket that seems to me the most coherent if we aim high.
I am deliberately omitting the high-end equipment of $10,000 and +, which escapes the majority of us, a market which I reassure you, is doing like a charm. The crisis? What crisis?
A first approach to the DACs available on the market had been undertaken with an interesting comparison , always around products with a good quality-price ratio.
About the Calyx
We had previously discovered the entrails of the "beast" , now it is time for the song to express itself.
Protocol
⚬ Calyx DAC model, new in original packaging, retail price: $1799,
⚬ Device received in December 2011,
⚬ Operating time before listening: 120 hours.
⚬ Duration of this trial: 2 months and two weeks.
Upstream material
⚬ Mac Book Pro 2.2 Dual Core 2 Duo from 2007,
⚬ 500GB hard drive at 7500 rpm,
⚬ Music files: AIFF, Wave, DSD,
⚬ Resolution: 44.1, 176K and 192K (Fidelio, 2L)
⚬ Without iTunes, SysOptimizer enabled or not,
⚬ Operating System: Mac OS Snow Leopard 10.6.8,
⚬ USB cables: the standard model for $5, an Audioquest Coffee model for $250, and a Siltech Anniversary model for $1,000.
USB cables used in these tests
⚬ Dedicated power supply for the laptop,
⚬ RCA cables: Kimber silver streak, Figaro silver from Blueberry Hill Audio,
⚬ XLR cables: Figaro silver/carbon from Blueberry Hill Audio and DNM Design.
The listenings
In order to fully understand the personality of this DAC, we listened to music at length before coming to talk to you about it, and this in different contexts, just to make sure we had constructive elements and criticisms to make.
The players
To play music files stored on a computer, you need to use a player, also called playback software, which will dissect the digital words stored on the computer, then transfer them to the DAC without damage, at least in theory, knowing full well that nothing is perfect in this world and that there will be steps to take before the sound reaches our ears.
We used several to come to the conclusion that each of them brought a particular sound, it will be up to the user to choose the one that in his ears will best match his DAC, a balancing act that requires patience, agility and temperament.
My advice, don't let yourself be too influenced by the opinions of others, form your own opinion, because if we hadn't pushed our investigations further, I'm not sure that our conclusions would have been the same about the Calyx DAC, perhaps we would have just stumbled upon its personality the first time, or we would have missed it, it's just a thread and a player.
⚬ Front Row (free, included with Mac OS X up to Snow Leopard),
⚬ Audirvana (free) and Audirvana Plus (paid: $50),
⚬ Audiogate by Korg (free but linked to your Twitter account),
⚬ Amarra 2.2 (paid: $690),
⚬ Pure Music 1.85c and the latest update 1.86 (paid: $130).
To the question, are all players equal in terms of performance?
The answer is: No, some are better than others, unanimously.
To the question, are all USB cables equal?
The answer is: No, unanimously.
This is to set the scene and definitively silence the rumor that all players are similar in terms of sound reproduction, which is false of course and once again, it must be repeated, even a USB cable will be able to make a big difference, only the hard of hearing will tell you otherwise, it may also be that your equipment does not offer the adequate performance to demonstrate it, this can happen, in this case be blessed.
End of the parenthesis.
If you are still one of the die-hard skeptics and you read what follows, you may change your mind 🙂
First of all, even if the electronic components of the Calyx are not high-flying, surprisingly it remains that when listening, this device was able to convince us of its audio qualities.
The warbling and the plumage are quite close in the end.
Electronic circuit and casing machined from the mass
Without a doubt, if we ignore the purely technical aspect, the Calyx will prove to you beyond any doubt that the chassis is a component as important as the electronics it contains, Eric Juaneda mentioned this to us and he was right.
Whatever the environment in which we installed the Calyx DAC, it proved to be versatile and even surprised us on certain musical tracks with its dynamic capabilities.
Discography
Norwegian 2L Label Catalog:
2L-064_stereo96kHz_01_08.flac
2L-064_stereo192kHz_01_08.flac
2L-071_stereo192_01_01.flac
2L38_01_96kHz.flac
2L38_01_192kHz.flac
2L38SACD_tr1_mch_96kHz.flac
2L49SACD_tr1_96k_stereo.flac
2L50SACD_tr01_stereo_192kHz.flac
2L53SACD_04_stereo_192kHz.flac
2L38SACD_tr1_mch_96kHz.flac
2L53SACD_04_stereo_192kHz.flac
2L53SACD_04_stereo_DXD.wav
Haydn- String Quartet in D, Op. 76, No. 5 – Finale – Presto _stereo_96k.flac
Haydn- String Quartet in D, Op. 76, No. 5 – Finale – Presto _stereo_192kHz.flac
Metallica in 24/96:
4 The Unforgiven.aiff
4 The Unforgiven.wav
8 Nothing Else Matters.aiff
8 Nothing Else Matters.wav
George Faber Blues
Beach No. 9 in 44.1
FIDELIO Canadian music label
DIR. DANIEL MYSSYK – IDYLA – 13 – RONDEAU__176k-24b.wav
LA MANDRAGORE – CONVIVENCIA – 06 – Toute_seule__176k-24b
Sevara Nazarkhan
Beach No. 8 Gazli.aiff
Karen Young
Live in your living room
Soul, body and desires: interlude
Roger Waters
Amused to death
Charlie Haden_Montreal Tapes
At Alain's
Context at Alain's during listening with the Calyx DAC
Listening protocol: XLR connection
⚬ Elac FS-247 Sapphyre Edition loudspeakers (made in Germany),
⚬ Integris CD player/CDP preamplifier (made in Canada),
⚬ Class Audio CA 2200 amplifier (made in Canada), rated at 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms,
⚬ Pro Design Audio furniture (made in Canada),
⚬ Pro Design Audio and inovaudio acoustic panels (made in Canada),
⚬ inovaudio 3-material tailstocks (made in Canada),
⚬ Power supply via an inovaudio titanium case (made in Canada) on Furutech GTX rhodium sockets,
⚬ Blueberry Hill Audio cables (made in Canada).
To the question, did you enjoy listening to music with the Calyx in your system?
The answer is: Yes.
I must first say that the finish, machining and weight of the Calyx are impressive.
This is actually the first time I really appreciate dematerialized music at an acceptable price. The sound provided by the Calyx was pleasant to listen to, whatever the type of music, classical, rock, operatic voice.
I even wondered what I could use as a server if I had a DAC like this.
However, I thought that nothing affordable would please me until I tried this product.
It is still necessary to put things into perspective, because you have to invest a good amount of money to achieve this performance, since it is necessary to acquire a second pair of XLR cables of the same caliber as the first to connect the DAC to the preamp and a high-end USB cable between your computer and the DAC, which makes the bill climb significantly.
Yes, the sound is really not the same from one USB cable to another, it's a fact and what about players, it's even more obvious.
To finish, I would like to tell you that I was seduced by the Calyx, beautiful presentation, very good sound and great ease of use.
By keeping things simple and effective, many of you will certainly be interested in a DAC like this and I understand them.
At Marq
Context at Marq, when listening with the Calyx DAC
Listening protocol: RCA connection
⚬ Drive Accustic Arts,
⚬ Audioaero DAC,
⚬ Bent Audio TAP Preamp,
⚬ Class D amplifier based on UCD400,
⚬ 3-way “Wapiti” speakers based on the famous Wilson design,
⚬ Goertz M2 speaker cables.
To the question, did you enjoy listening to music with the Calyx in your system?
The answer is: Yes.
I enjoyed this experience, but the results were unpredictable depending on the player used and the USB cable.
However, when it started playing music, I found it a very interesting experience, so I don't rule out one day experimenting with dematerialized music in my system for good.
At my house
Context at home, when listening with the Calyx DAC
Listening protocol: RCA connection
⚬ Elan acoustic speakers, professional active monitors (made in Canada),
⚬ Integris CD player/CDP preamplifier (made in Canada),
⚬ Hybrid Class D amplifier based on Audio Research,
⚬ Inovaudio furniture from the studio series (made in Canada),
⚬ Power supply via an inovaudio titanium case (made in Canada) on Furutech GTX rhodium sockets,
⚬ Blueberry Hill Audio Figaro silver rhodium AC cables (made in Canada).
⚬ Onda speaker cables (made in Canada) Rush model.
To the question, did I enjoy listening to music with the Calyx in my system?
The answer is: Yes.
Verdict on the Calyx DAC
⚬ Fair and balanced sound,
⚬ Impeccable machining, sober and classy casing,
⚬ Ease of use,
⚬ RCA and XLR outputs,
⚬ Performance on all resolutions from 44.1 to 192k,
⚬ Works on Mac and PC in plug & play.
⚬ Price yes and no, knowing that quality has to be paid for, we are in the presence of a high-end device due to its design, but especially due to its audio performance, if we put aside the pure electronic aspect.
Conclusion
Everyone agrees that it's a very beautiful contemporary object.
I told you about the Calyx DAC that the chassis accounted for 30% of the final result, it seems that the figures put forward by Eric Juaneda are more accurate with a good 50%.
I was waiting for the Calyx at the "corner of wood" and frankly this device pleasantly surprised me.
Apart from a price that deserves to be adjusted, we have nothing to complain about, the Calyx is a very good DAC that kept its promises across the board, against all expectations given its onboard electronics which are nothing extraordinary, at least on paper, it nevertheless managed on several occasions to surprise us with the ease with which it knew how to deliver the musical message without adding anything, no coloration, no tension, no noise, just music.
A word about the
$2000 price tag if we only consider the audio performance and the chassis, it is all to the credit of the Calyx, I would add that I would be very curious to perform a match with a Weiss 202 DAC ($7000), without any ulterior motive.
But to be completely objective, I am also obliged to take into account the type of electronic components that are in the box to evaluate it as a whole.
End of the parenthesis
Note to readers: the Canadian distributor has just informed me that the price has dropped to $1799, which positions it much better, so be it noted.
Whatever the type of file or resolution, it turned out to be very pleasant, with a sound structure without artifacts, as is (too) often the case when we talk about dematerialized music, in our contexts it was only pleasure, very close to that which we can experience from the performance of our CDP integris player, which in the circumstances is a damn good compliment, because there are not so many of us who are equipped with a machine of more than $12,000 as a reference.
We preferred to listen to music via the Amarra 2.2 player, followed closely by Pure Music.
Amarra 2.2 Interface
Amarra has a more "meaty" sound that other players don't have, it is also the most balanced, without erasing the dynamics while maintaining a nice tonal balance.
Its interface has improved but could be further refined, we are not obliged to use iTunes's, which is lucky because I hate iTunes to the last degree.
Pure Music is good too, but different in terms of sound timbres, it seemed to us more inclined to embellish the high midrange to the detriment of the bass, but this coquettishness is ultimately only a personality trait, easy to manage if you use a good USB cable, the Siltech and Pure Music would be a good marriage.
Its interface is less user-friendly, because accessing it through iTunes is a problem in my case.
Audirvana Plus is interesting, its interface is contemporary and easy to use, but I have not been able to evaluate it in the context of Alain, this will be done in the near future, because this player has very good assets.
Audiogate is also well done, with a pleasant and intuitive interface, the sound is close to that offered by Pure Music and Audirvana, it's a bit of a mix of the two in fact.
It's a player that I use frequently, I love the way it is built and the fact that it lets me choose my music tracks and save each playlist, sorted by date or title, something that Amarra and Pure Music also offer.
Another advantage is that it's free.
Audiogate by Korg
Front Row is okay, but nothing more if we compare it with the others, its interface is still as pleasant, one of the most pleasant on the market in my opinion, it uses iTunes as a catalog, but by hiding it... so much the better, let it stay where it is.
Another advantage is that you can advantageously use the Apple remote control to control the Mac Book Pro remotely.
We have access to sound settings and the choice of music tracks and albums.
The Calyx DAC is capable of showing us the qualities and defects of any element in its path, whether it be the player or the USB cable, it is also the best USB DAC that has passed through our hands.
In this respect, the Audioquest USB cable and the Siltech came out on top, with a preference for the Audioquest Coffee, which is more lively and smooth in terms of its reproduction. We appreciated the fact that the stereo image had a nice sound stage, which is excellent value for money.
Audioquest Coffee USB cable
We compared them to arrive at this conclusion and it is clear that if you do not immediately compare each player or each USB cable, it will be difficult for you to make an informed choice by highlighting this or that characteristic.
The $5 USB cable is tinged with colorations, thinner it does not deliver a very accurate sound if you compare it; in the event that you do not compare it immediately after, then it may turn out to be quite acceptable, but you will miss out on the good sound.
We explored different "avenues", it seemed more honest to me to take the time necessary to discover the true personality of the Calyx DAC on the one hand, but also of each of the elements connected to it.
Each player was used successively with the same USB cable, then after a few listens to the same music track, we did a "crossfire" with other music to validate our choices.
5 players and 3 USB cables, this gives us 15 different combinations.
The winning trio is the combination: Calyx DAC + Amarra 2.2 + Audioquest Coffee model USB cable, it was unanimously and without any ambiguity, the best match.
If your budget allows it, the Siltech USB cable could also appeal to you, but for my part I found it a little too tame, letting less detail appear to my ear. It is certainly balanced, but given its price, it would deserve to be more apt for exuberance. This model is, however, very interesting in terms of "punch", a marvel on percussion and orchestral masses.
DAC Calyx on the middle shelf, a 4kg ingot of aluminum
We put the Calyx DAC in very difficult conditions for a $2,000 device, it had to face direct and indirect comparison with our reference CD players, so it's not every day that a DAC does so well against a $14,000 machine (personal "fully equipped" copy), I'll let you think about that, but one thing is certain, this DAC is destined for success, I want proof of the time we spent listening to all kinds of music with it, which is the obvious sign that the magic is working.
Thought of the moment:
Can power go to an individual's head to the point of making him lose his mind?
This article was written by Marc PHILIP, a freelance writer. All rights reserved. Copyright 2012. Text and photos are the property of the author and the magazine.
Enjoy!
Marc Philip