The buttons are different on the dac than they are on the standalone amp. How do they compare to the Fidelice RNHP? It appears that they are the same on that unit as they are on the original RNHP.
Also curious as to your impressions of the standalone amp.
Iāll get to that as well but Iāll need to sort out some cables first because that one is only single ended, and most of the headphones Iām testing have 4pin terminations.
ā¦and you call yourself a reviewerā¦psssh! 
Iām of course joking, just to be clear!
It probably is using the 4497, but the number of available channels isnāt a good indicator of that. You can put these DACs in different modes, bond the channels and run them mono or stereo for better dynamic range, SNR and distortion performance.
The quoted number of channels is just the maximum number of discrete channels they can do.
ahh that makes sense.
So now that Iāve spent the better portion of a day with the Rupert Neve Fidelice DAC Iāve been able to reach a few conclusions. Iāve 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, Iād 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 āgood enoughā, I can confidently say that Iām no longer okay with āgood enoughā.
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 āclarityā 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 āgood enoughā 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-6ās 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.
Recognizing that many of these experiential and anecdotal differences may also come down to more technical aspects like power, current, output impedance etc., Iāll leave those differences for a longer review, but hereās 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 āwow I like that oneā. I donāt know how this thing will measureā¦ but somehow I feel that last test is the most important one.
Just some more photos for now:
Sweet. The RNDAC is a Prime lens. Nice write up.
Itāll be nice to see the RNHP (new version in your possession) paired with the RNDAC and the ifi. That would be a good listening metric to have. It would give an idea as to how much of what youāre hearing is the dac section vs. the headphone output.
Yeah thatās actually a test Iām beginning to do now, even with the IHA-6. Iām running the RNDAC through the IHA-6 and I feel like itās more the DAC than the amp thatās making the difference. Of course, thatās hard to tell because itās also a different amp that Iām listening through, and one that Iām used to already.
Interestingly, your experience mirrors my experience borrowing Jexbyās Yggy A2 w/ Unison. Only Yggy isnāt lean. Clarity, details and staging were so precise compared to āgood enoughā dacs.
Iād love to see a round-up review of RNDac, Yggy, a solid resistor ladder DAC, and maybe something like the iFi Audio X Pro Nano iDSD X Micro DAC thingy.
You know which one I mean.
The big square $2500 one.
ā¦ AKA, Bob.
Pre-order is active!
$1195 for the RNHP. I donāt know if it will be available next Wednesday with the RNDAC but Andrew is talking to Tristan ahead of the launch for the exact details.
Thanks!
If anyone is seriously looking for the DAC or Amp feel free to shoot me a message here or e-mail at taron@headphones.com. Our forum members get first dibs on them along with some extra perks!
Nice.
So just thought Iād give an update on that one issue I was having. It definitely looks to be a pre-release usb driver issue for Windows. As @andrew reported he didnāt have any issues on Mac, and I just switched it out to Toslink and so far itās also flawless. The guys over at Rupert Neve were kind enough to provide the manual, which also indicates the need to download a windows driver, which I imagine will be available once the product launches officially.
As a friend of mine likes to say in these situations: āsolution solvedā
Andrew, what dac are you currently using (prior to RNDAC)?
My current go-to has been the burr browns of the iDSD Micro BL, but Iāve also got an oDAC and a Modi 2 kicking around. But Iāve also spent time with the RME ADI-2 and the IDAC6, as well as the higher end Chord stuff like the Dave and Hugo TT. I may get a chance to compare this with some of the Phonitor stuff in the near future as well.
Iām pretty sure he uses the built in DAC on his Dell tower motherboardā¦ 
Joking of courseā¦
