So now that I’ve spent the better portion of a day with the Rupert Neve Fidelice DAC I’ve been able to reach a few conclusions. I’ve always approached DAC and headphone amplifier comparisons from the experiential side of things, mostly just because I lack the equipment needed to properly measure these devices at the moment. But with that said, I’d like to think that I have enough experience with different source gear to appropriately know what to listen for. Related to this is the recognition that differences between DACs - as long as those that are compared are of reasonably similar quality - can often make very little difference to the listener in the long run. However, experiencing the RNDAC, and comparing it with gear that many would consider “good enough”, I can confidently say that I’m no longer okay with “good enough”.
Of course, the RNDAC also has an amp component, so really I’m just giving a quick rundown of how I perceive this unit in comparison to some of the other gear I have on my desk at the moment, namely the following:
Schiit Modi 2
oDAC
Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt
iFi iDSD Micro BL
iFi iCAN Pro
Cayin IHA-6
Listening so far has mostly been done on my ZMF Verite and Focal Elegia. The first thing I can say is that all of my music simply has more ‘clarity’ out of the 4pin XLR of the RNDAC when compared with both those of the iCAN Pro and the Cayin IHA-6 paired with the Burr Brown DACs of the iDSD Micro BL (one of my “good enough” sources). To be more specific, it sounds like the edges of each tone have a stronger emphasis, causing images to be more structurally well-defined. That on its own has been eye-opening. But beyond that, the RNDAC matches the perceived speed of the IHA-6, without being as lean. Moreover, one of the IHA-6’s better qualities is that it does really well for depth information in front of me, and I feel that the RNDAC does just about as good with a bit better separation and width information as well.
The iCAN Pro on the other hand doesn’t come across as fast, but it has a certain focus and thickness to the tones that can be appealing with the right headphone pairing. This is also one of the comparisons that leads me to conclude the IHA-6 sounds a bit lean. But on the whole I can’t say which of them is better, just different. On the other hand, I can comfortably say that I prefer the RNDAC to both of them. I haven’t heard the Verite sound this precise and surgical for its images out of any other source before.
Recognizing that many of these experiential and anecdotal differences may also come down to more technical aspects like power, current, output impedance etc., I’ll leave those differences for a longer review, but here’s how I would rank them for the most immediate categories that come to mind:
Speed - RNDAC = IHA-6 > iCAN Pro
Clarity/Image Distinction - RNDAC > IHA-6 = iCAN Pro
Tonal Structure (thick vs lean) - RNDAC = iCAN Pro > IHA-6
Stage & Perceived Space - RNDAC > iHA-6 > iCAN Pro
To put it another way for the photography enthusiasts among us, it feels like the RNDAC is like using an extra sharp macro lens for detail, and the others are simply good lenses with their own characteristics and purposes. Needless to say this first impression has been quite positive. Lastly, the amp also just recently passed the girlfriend test with a “wow I like that one”. I don’t know how this thing will measure… but somehow I feel that last test is the most important one.
Just some more photos for now:
