I spent most of my morning listening to the the RNDAC using planar dynamic headphones and the hardest to drive cans in my collection.
So far I’ve not been able to even vaguely phase the amplifier on the RNDAC. I haven’t even needed to use “High Gain”. In low-gain, with the Audeze LCD-4, and playing extremely dynamic music, with solid bass content and extreme dynamic range, it has been utterly composed while playing at the highest levels I consider safe (for short periods). And there is still plenty of travel left on the volume dial.
More efficient, but lower-impedance (and therefore more current-hungry) headphones have been similarly well handled. The Rosson Audio RAD-0 pull a lot of current, comparatively speaking, but these too have been consistently clear, dynamic and authoritative with even the most demanding of my “test” tracks.
Makes me wonder how conservatively rated the amplifier is. As it is, I would expect it to have no issue driving things like the latest Abyss model. Though I’d want to actually try it before recommending it for cans like the HE6 or Susvara.
So … while I had some initial reservations about the power on offer here, those have since evaporated and are not a concern AT ALL!
@Torq
Thank you, for your initial thoughts on the RNDAC, looking forward to further updates and your review.
The RNDAC just might be the setup for myself as I am putting together my ‘endgame’ system.
I was considering doing a Holo Audio Spring 2 KTE edition R2R Dac and a Chord Qutest Dac to go with the Holo Audio Azure Amp. Headphones would be the Meze Empyrean’s and the ZMF Vérité. The aforementioned would also pair with my current setup, consisting of the Schiit Mjolnir 2, Monolith Liquid Platinum, THX AAA, and Soundaware P1 amps.
While testing for power on/off transients at the headphone output on the RNHP, I decided to try it on the RNDAC as well.
And it’s a bit disappointing to find that the there is, indeed, a pronounced “pop” both at power on, and off, with headphones connected. Much less expensive units have muting relays to prevent this (even some $100 amplifiers).
The RHNP has this statement in its manual (I don’t find the same in the RNDAC manual, but I may have missed it):
We recommend powering the RNHP ON and OFF without any headphones connected. This promotes long-term, stress- free operation for the user, the RNHP and pair of headphones.
Given the presence of the transients, then personally I would recommend disconnecting your headphones when turning the unit on or off.
This leads me to believe that the Fidelice RNHP is indeed a “re-cased” version of the original. It’s the only gripe I have with the unit.
Rumor is that it would make an odd distortion fading sound before they did a soft update to higher end Nichinon caps. Both of my units made the pop sound.
I just tested it, and the Fidelice RNHP definitely has a power-on transient (pop) that’s audible with headphones connected, and an odd woosh-pop sound if you power it off with them still connected.
incoming pictures =) I didn’t get a whole lot of time with this beast, but I will say it is a nice-sounding AIO, a little beyond what I would pay for it personally, but it did kind of grow on me aesthetically, not as much as the smaller form factor RNamp though =) still it is something to behold in person and definitely! if you get a chance to hear one, I highly recommend it!
I tried the RNHP and RNDAC at CanJam Shanghai in November last year. The RNDAC really blew me away. Well beyond my budget at the moment but I’m definitely keen to get one at some point in the future.
Re: The Fidelice headphone amplifier. I spoke with the rep there about what the differences were with the RNHP (aside from the new case). He said the gain had been altered so that it would get louder quicker as the volume pot increased, but the overall maximum power output is the same. Apparently some feedback with the RNHP was that people were concerned they needed to turn the volume put up so high. They also changed capacitor(s) (not sure how many) in the output stage. But he acknowledged that in a blind level-matched test he’d probably have difficulty picking which was which. So seemed like quite a steep price increase to me for fairly minimal changes.
I actually finished a comprehensive review of the the RNDAC just before I went to Europe for the holidays. Well the listening, comparisons and primary write-up of it anyway. I still need to do a final proof/edit pass on it but haven’t had a chance since I got back.
Probably won’t be very long before I finish that up though.
There’s a technical aspect to resolve, however, and with everyone at NAMM that’s holding things up. I don’t want to publish it and then have to make corrections when I know there’s a potential issue.
great review @Torq! I came away with similar feelings, though I must admit the aesthetic did grow on me more than I thought it would…and I kind of miss it on my shelf plotting my demise…
I did, principally with the Chord DAVE but also with the RME ADI-2 DAC fs.
At a high level, the amplifier section in the RNDAC is similar in overall technicalities to the Phonitor X, albeit clearly less powerful and with a slightly different rendering.
I would not buy the RNDAC just to use the amplifier/pre-amp and then feed it with an external DAC. The amplifier section isn’t good enough to justify the price-tag on its own.
I prefer the amplifier performance of the Phonitor X overall, which is half the price, isn’t as quirky (though certainly has its own quirks), has more power, more features, an aesthetic I vastly prefer, and is half the size.
Some excerpts from my review (with added emphasis):
Overall, I would expect to use this unit primarily in its DAC/amp mode, and would only tap the DAC’s output into another amplifier for operational or convenience reasons (e.g. to run an additional tube amp for a different presentation). Similarly, I’d be using the analog inputs to run an external source, most likely a turntable, in addition to the DAC, rather than purely as a dedicated amplifier.
and:
The Phonitor X has comparable amplifier capability to the RNDAC with its all-analog input/output possibilities and matches the RNDAC in terms of ability to operate in both studio and home environments, with inputs that have huge headroom for pairing with very hot-outputs from studio/professional gear. Sound wise, they’re more similar than not overall, with the RNDAC being a tad more open sounding and with a slight top-end tilt and leaner delivery which results in a slightly faster-sounding result, vs. the Phonitor X which exhibits slightly greater tonal density and a less airy sound (though employing the Matrix functions here will shift that in favor of the Phonitor X), but with better macro-dynamics and more drive authority - especially with big musical swings into the most challenging loads.
great review