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Massdrop x Airist Audio R-2R DAC
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Massdrop x Airist Audio R-2R DAC
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Product Description
Featuring discrete resistor ladder technology at an unheard-of price, the Massdrop x Airist Audio R-2R DAC is one of our most requested and anticipated products this year: a DAC with the looks and quality to match our new lineup of amps. An older technology that’s been making a comeback, R-2R is known to produce rich, warm, natural sound and can have benefits in spatial awareness and staging Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downLisasonictower
666
Jun 30, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Fantastic so far
Day 1
Ok so this is my first standalone DAC and I’m thoroughly impressed.
Im only using the optical connection with an Mpow optical Bluetooth receiver right now and I’m writing this after a full days use and there is no distortion/noise that some others have unfortunately reported. It’s really solidly built and feels premium.
I have read read many reviews and I agree with them when they say it’s on the warm side of neutral and sounds like analogue which is exactly what I was looking for. With a passion I do not like the digital sound which fatigues me, this DAC is not contributing to fatigue no matter what volume I use and I do play loud.
My music preferences is ironically electronic music predominantly and it sounds like vinyl but not popping crackling, it’s not gritty sounding but it has that element of authority that analogue has.
Ive only tried my 58X and SE215 with 4XX to go, used on Fiio A5 and an old Technics integrated. I’m awaiting the THX AAA 789 in the next to be delivered and I trust that will be an even larger upgrade.
I hope Drop make a tone control to match the aesthetics of their stack so I can have a much better stack than I currently have. It works ok but the potential to replace all my old set up with a Drop stack is too good to turn down. Please please please do it Drop 🙏
Day 2
Today I have set up USB with the driver Cee Tee provided for my windows 7 laptop and working perfectly and sounding as good as the Bluetooth optical set up if not slightly better.
On either configuration im only streaming online music that is not in high definition lossless files. everything is scaling up really really well and I feel there is so much room to grow into the system yet with the THX AAA 789 upgrade due, going balanced headphone output, going to lossless files but I may just connect my CD player to Coaxial some day.
What Is interesting and something I never expected a headphone system to achieve even with my somewhat basic and a mash up of old and new technology is being able to listen with the volume lower on the amplifier to hear what I consider my usual listening SPL and yet when I take my 58X off to hear they are very noticeably louder yet they aren’t even being pushed. It reminds me of a nightclub I used to visit, the sound system was the best I’ve heard to this day and this was around 2000-2005. It was crystal clear powerful perfection and whilst you knew it was loud being a nightclub it never seemed as loud as it actually was, in that when you tried to speak to someone it was literally impossible even shouting, it wasn’t fatiguing and the only system which never have ringing ears like many PA systems do.
Day 7
Apple camera connection kit is plug and play.
Everything is working superbly and overall I’m super happy with choosing this DAC.
Day 35.
My unit half died with losing all audio output on the right channel. RMA’d the unit and received a complete refund due to no other units available to replace it with and the drop had already closed for the order to go to the vendor. I can’t fault the customer service at all they were outstanding.
I do have the Grace SDAC balanced too and I do prefer this R2R DAC, whilst both sound very similar, to my ears I can sense the “digital” sound of the Grace and the “analogue” sound of the R2R. I wish I could have experienced both on the THX AAA 789 which is due to be delivered next week.
Hopefully in the future Drop will create a balanced version of the R2R as I really would like that form factor stack and I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase another R2R.
I’d still recommend this and still leave the 5 stars, I was just unlucky with my unit, new product teething troubles from the very very first batch to public release. RIP S/N 148 you were here for a good time not a long time!!
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
Lisasonictower
666
Mar 17, 2020
The resolution of the analyser isn’t a concern for me just the fact it has the dancing bars. It has a pink noise generator and a reason I use it. It’s in and out of use depending which way the wind is blowing that day.
What do do you mean you’ll be damned lol?
GenoG6
0
Mar 17, 2020
LisasonictowerI zoomed in and saw it had pink noise on it, I couldn't remember if it did, that and a mic input makes it actually useful.
MonetsChemist
72
Jul 6, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
First impressions: very good at the price, and maybe just very good period UPDATED
Digital music in our home stereo starts out in FLAC (lots of ripped CDs that sit gathering dust, plus in the last few years lots of downloads purchased in preference at 96/24 or as near as possible, totalling a bit over 7,000 tracks), living on a 2TB hard drive connected to a Cubox i4pro running headless Armbian 5.05, which is basically Ubuntu 16.04.06. The Cubox is connected by a USB to the new Airist R-2R, whose conversion duties were previously handled by a Schiit Bifrost 4490. The rest of the stereo is mostly Linn stuff, so quite decent quality.
First impressions of the R-2R are very positive. It worked with no fuss over USB to the Linux machine, which reports it being able to handle up to 768K in 16 or 32 bit format. There is also a "SPECIAL DSD_U32_BE" format supported but I don't have anything around to try that with at this point in time. No problems playing music, switching bit rates / word lengths, no clicks or pops. The sound quality seems very good. Compared to the Bifrost, my first impressions are that it is a bit less prominent in the bass and makes taller stereo images. Certainly no obvious flaws and lots to enjoy.
I'd especially like to compliment Airist and Drop for getting this right on the Linux end of things. Beyond that, I'm very happy with the unit so far. No regrets.
Shipping to Canada was reasonably quick; arrived in a shade under 3 weeks including customs tomfoolery. Much better than my previous experience with a set of headphones which actually took months.
Update, 4 January 2020.
Still very happy with the Airist, though I occasionally have an odd problem with it in my music chain: about 3-4 times since it arrived, it will emit a sort of loudish "hiss" and stop playing. It's possible this is happening on the music server end of things rather than the Airist, because rebooting the server always brings things back to playing again. Another potential suspect is the USB cable. Anyway, it's rare enough that I haven't bothered trying to track it down.
I recently upgraded the software on the music server to the current Armbian, which is based on Debian Buster with a 5.3.1 kernel, which I did primarily to give myself access to a later model MPD server. I also bit the bullet and started using lighttpd to serve cover art, and on the Android handset side I am now using MPD Remote, which I like quite a bit. I still use Cantata as the music controller on the desktop - what a wonderful piece of software that is!
At some point I should do a more thorough comparison to the Bifrost it replaced, but life seems too busy for that right now. Better to be listening to the music!!! And speaking of listening, I still find myself remarking on the taller images; on some music, the stage seems well above my head, which I don't recall with the Bifrost. In any event, I remain pleased with the sound quality and the flexibility to handle all the music formats I need. I've also been using it a bit with a Chromecast HD audio device on optical, for "tuning in" internet radio using RadioDroid on the Android handset.
All in all, I remain pleased with this purchase. I continue to recommend it.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
Fayne
2586
Jun 20, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Fairly good R-2R at a Cheapish price.
Initial Impression 2019.06.19:
I'll start this with my appearing to have lucked upon a unit with ZERO defect. No static on either channel during playback when using a fixed volume of 100%. No channel balance issues. Handles max sample rate properly.
That said all said, at the time of this writing, I've only had the unit operational for two hours. These are just my initial impressions as I verified the unit wasn't defective.
Likes:
- Good clean cheap R-2R loving. It sounds fairly good right out of the box. It didn't do bad things during initial listening with CTH and HD6xx cans. Handled all the music sent to it at max PCM rate (power of 2) from Roon.
- It does what the specs say it can do. All the I/O work. All the buttons operate correctly. No extra driver required, and verified as working fine on macOS 10.14.5 and Ubuntu 18.04.1, both driven by Roon.
- Has that full sized USB-B instead of the initially planned Micro USB-B. No need for me to worry as much about ripping the bloody micro off the board.
- The USB cable which arrived with my unit was faulty. At least one of the wires/connections has a short. Luckily it is a standard USB-B, of which I have maaaany cables. ( -0.25 stars )
- Lack of display. I do like seeing what the unit is doing. Either a cheap LCD/OLED display or simple strip of LED which indicate the sample rate and bit depths would have made the product better. ( -0.25 stars)
- The brains of this unit appear to be BUS powered. While it isn't the full R-2R board, it still kinda sucks that it draws juice even when the power is off. I'm not a big fan of unplugging things like this between every use... Luckily I've a Schiit WYRD on hand and can use it's hard switch for the USB. ( -0.25 stars)
- Has the same scratch magnet crap paint that all the other MassDrop AMPs and DACs have. I know it is a budget thing, but dang this stuff attracts scuffs. ( -0.25 stars)
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
Gramblor
83
Oct 14, 2019
I have Sennheiser hd650's 598c's and a Sennheiser gaming headset. They're all good, but my Nighthawk/Nightowl Carbon's absolutely cream them. I'm interested to know why you don't like them. In my experience, they create a three dimensional soundstage with unreal clarity that blows my mind. That said, I haven't heard other high end headphones, so don't really know how they stack up. For instance, I'd really like to hear Hifiman headphones, such as the Edition XX.
I use a Topping A30/D30 stack (with the Burson op-amp mod) and a Dragonfly Red, which I'm happy with, but these DAC/amp reviews make me wonder what I'm missing out on.
ClaytonJ
45
Jun 13, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Give it time
Don't judge from the first several hours of operation. There was no soundstage, very closed. But at ten hours, it's opened up. I'm getting happy. A friend said this is typical for R-2R; "The resistors values drift until the temp stabilizes". Run it for a day before listening.
Update: After a couple days of use, it's sounding really good. I've been playing it with Martin Logan Monolith III, so fairly revealing system. I'm making it 5 stars for value. I will have an opportunity to compare it with other recent to market DAC over the summer. I will update this review once I have feedback from friends.
Update: 07/08/2019 - The consensus from people that have heard it so far seems to be that it is a very good DAC, period. I've been admonished to make no qualifier regarding price / value when describing the sound. It's simply a good DAC. Took her to a local audio club meeting the other day and she went home with someone else. He's going to help me with a linear power supply. Since the meeting, I've received several email requests for the link to the drop. The serial number of my unit is 000015, for point of reference. My next update will likely be following the first Saturday in September as that meeting will be "DAC shootout" and I have been asked to bring it.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
A community member
Jun 15, 2019
ClaytonJYeah, the soundstage has opened up a bit. And I do perceive an improvement I sound quality after leaving it powered on to warm up for 24 hours, which I have heard is a necessity for resistor ladders.
roarWolfy
144
Jun 24, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Sounds good .... I think?
From what I can hear in my right channel this sounds like a great dac for the price. Very detailed and artculate. A almost sweetness to the highs that I tend to enjoy. However, the left channel is laced with static. Most noticable during talk and lower frequencies. Working with Support and they sent a second until. The static was x3 worse in the replacement. Sent it back today via a prepaid label. Next step in unknow. Hopefully we can work together to find a unit that works soon so I can update this positively.
Update: Support has now said I can not send in for repair nor try another unit since I sent back the replacement even though it sounds much worse. Excellent. $350 Paper Weight. Time to save up for a Schiit. >.>
(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
roarWolfy
144
Jul 23, 2019
roarWolfySo since the review edit feature is buggy I will add a summary of what I tried to type here. Hopefully it will show up later? Update 2: Finally support gave me two options. Keep the dac and get 20% refund, or return it with prepaid label and get a FULL refund. I chose to return the unit. According to the tracking number it arrived at Drop on 7/19 early Friday morning. I have yet to get a confirmation, my refund, or a response to my inquiry to the return refund status. Will update once I receive the refund or need to take further action for it.
WoodyWoodruff
55
Nov 9, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Screw the measurements
Update (12 days since delivery):
Wow, I never heard my PrimaLuna sounded so dynamic in triode mode. This DAC added so much detail, space, slam and bam back in but retaining all the sweetness that triode offers.
Really loving it. Cello pieces sound mesmerizing with it.
Days of burn in is KEY KEY KEY.
————————————
If I had followed the measurements as gospel like a good engineer should, I’d never given this a chance and bought one of those top of the class Toppings with straight As instead.
After reading every subjective and objective arguments online repeatedly a dozen times I decided to trust my success in assembling a system based on subjective comments from listeners who share my objectives in music reproduction, not numbers.
I listen to all genres, as long as it’s music to my ears, from small to large scale classical pieces, folk to Americana, blues to jazz, rock-pop-alternative, chants and acapellas, solo guitar/violin/cello/piano/organs/drums, male to female vocalists, and some new age electronics.
I have a Senn HD600 but only use them once a blue moon. My main consists of a PrimaLuna Integrated with KT-120s, driving Proac 1SCs with Nordost Frey 2 speaker cables, and a REL S/3 SHO, which I only turn on occasionally when the music can use it.
The main analogue sources are VPI Classic with SoundSmith, Manley Chinook phono pre with Audience cables. This is the reference sound that I try to get close to with the digital sources, minus the pops and add more dynamics.
Digital players are a Musical Fidelity CD transport, Wadia 171i and Wadia 121 DAC for decoding digital sources. Cables are Creative Coaxial and AZ MC2 AES/EBU, and Cardas Clear USB.
The Airist R2R is meant to replace the analogue like sound of the aging Wadia 121, without adding any brightness that the Proac and speedy Nordost would pass along without objection. I was also hoping it’d add a little more low end range and emotion than what the Wadia did.
I always warm up any new component for at least 120 hours before any comparisons. However, I did sneak in and listen a few times in the early hours to make sure the unit is not missing a channel or something.
I must say I was concerned with that I heard in the early stages of burn in. Noise. Plenty of staticky noise especially when there’s cymbals and tambourines. (The Wadia had no noise even when new.) Bass was punchy, almost too punchy compared to what I was used to. It was really forward and somewhat fatiguing. I thought I might have to return it.
I was patient and check in once a day to see how it’s progressing. Luckily, it was heading in the right direction, as it should.
Four days later, I’m extremely happy to say it is as quiet as it can be to my ears, soundstage and imaging are at least as good as the Wadia was, tone is equally natural, and the bass, the BASS. OMG, it’s really letting the KT-120s, Frey2 and Proacs shine in the attack of low end transients. Rhiannon Giddens’s Spanish Mary was hard hitting and full of drama.
The distant bells in Russell Holzgraf’s Bells of St Anne de Beaupre were really at a distant, and the low and loud bass from the big pipes were unrelenting.
For $350 this is a keeper for sure in my setup and musical tastes. The 8x8” square replaces the Wadia perfectly!
Would I want to try some higher end R2Rs later, like a Metrum/MHDT/Lab12? Sure but I’m in no hurry because I’ll be too busy rediscovering all my digital music again with the RDAC.
Brilliant. It’s a gem.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
rastus
1391
Dec 7, 2019
Yes, they have cleaned up the DS noise field, so throughly, to appease the the acolytes of the 1KHz Test Tone Temple, 1TTT, that they can no longer hear the bell, for the SINAD silence...
Love numbers, we need esp. since we are losing brick & mortar,, but the tree/forest thing & blinded by (your) science, slippery slope is ever present...
Design to test, to a tone, and make a nice clean pure spire for the temple, not to listen to the music, is actually easier...
If I were designing a DS DAC, perhaps I would want it to sense a continuous test tone(s) and act accordingly to accommodate...;)
You know,, how Volkswagen’s sensed being hooked up to an emission tester, and adjusted to please the poop chute qualification process folks...
(Edited)
fungxkevin129
19
Dec 18, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Sweet, nimble All-rounder DAC
In my brief career in audiophilia, I have experimented with various DACs, amps and headphones. The Airist R-2R Dac is one great piece of gear that strikes a great balance between musicality and technicality at a very affordable price. Here are my impressions at 3+ months of usage.
DACs previousy owned: Audio-gd R2R-11, Fostex HP-A8, Starting Point System DAC3 , NuForce HAP-100, Micromega MyDac, Schiit Modi 2 Uber.
Headphone amps tested: Lindemann Limetree, Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear Diamond Edition, Schiit Asgard 3, Massdrop CTH, Massdrop EC ZDT Jr., Garage1217 Project Sunrise III/Solstice.
Headphones tested: Audio Technica ATH-R70X, W10VTG, AKG K701, Grado GS1000e, GH4, GH1, RS2e, MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Closed, Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon, Fostex TH500RP, JVC DX1000.
The general sound signature of the Airist is mildy sweet with fairly good detail, speed and spatial accuracy. Out of all the DACs i owned, the DAC3 and HP-A8 impressed me the most. They both sound very fluid, engaging and have a distinct sweetness in their presentation. The Airist isn't as syrupy and intimate as my DAC3 nor as detailed and spacious as the Fostex A8. But I will take the Airist over the other two in a heartbeat. It nails a good balance between detail and sweetness such that it makes you wanna keep listening and pairs well with a great variety of headphones and amps. Factoring in the desktop-friendly form factor and USB isolation just makes it a superb purchase.
Favorite Amp pairing: ZDT Jr. (Tube OTC), Limetree (SS) and Project Sunrise (Tube hybrid).
Favorite Headphone pairing: Grado GH4 (Dynamic), Aeon flow closed (Planar).
Currently foot-tapping to: Airist R-2R via USB --> EC ZDT Jr. --> Grado GH4
I tried adding a 5V LPS, ifi USB purifier 3.0 on USB and Schiit Eitr on Coax hoping for better performance, only to come full circle and realize stock form everything sounds the most natural. Disclaimer: I do have my system connected to a Balanced isolation transformer, so the power is cleaned up nicely.
Test specs and audiosciencereview don't tell the full story. If the distortion figure is crap on this DAC, I guess I like this crap a lot.
Highly recommended!
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
nyureyez
1
Sep 19, 2020
fungxkevin129Hi, what Balanced iso transformer are you using and if I don't have one would it possibly be fruitful for me to try those things you found didn't help, namely 5V LPS (which one?), ifi USB ipurifier 3.0, and Eitr (not on their site anymore)? Surprised the stock wall wart sounded better than the LPS you tried as everything I'm reading says LPS almost always is an upgrade from any SMPS. When trying the Eitr did it sound better than the USB input? I'm also going to be trying an Uptone Audio ISO REGEN with LPS as my current transport only has USB out, thus the question in regards to the Eitr worth trying. Thanks
fungxkevin129
19
Sep 19, 2020
nyureyezThe Airist iirc was quite finicky when it comes to add-on components. A good 5V LPS should be regulated as close to 5V as possible but the wall-wart for the Airist is rated 5.3V. This might be a factor to why my LPS made the Airist sound off at the time. The Eitr is still available on Schiit's closeout section. It just didn't give the positive impact that it gives to my other gear when used with the Airist. The USB is already isolated and sounded better so I stuck with USB. Could just be the SPDIF implementation being lackluster in comparison. You can experiment with USB purifiers from other brands, but I would just invest in a better USB cable instead. After all, I find it easier to upgrade my audio chain when there are less components in it. For Balanced Isolation Transformer, I use a Zerozone PT-700S, but Keces BP-600 is also a great entry-level choice. I have easy access to these brands since I live in Hong Kong. Depending on where you live, a balanced transformer might be an overkill especially with gear of this price point. I benefit greatly from using one as I live in an apartment in HK and the power lines here are as dirty as it can get. Hope this helps!
(Edited)
Jupiter78
28
Nov 16, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Dont believe haters. Its great.
Im surprised to read negative comments in discussion. For me this is definitely improvement over previous DAC I had. It makes great pair with Darkvoice for HD6xx. Sound is very spacious=airy and more detailed. It also pairs great with Cavalli hybrid amp. I have other cans like purpleheart, jubilee, 4xx and others, but best combo is really darkvoice and 6xx. Its just amazing. Detail, harmony and bass.. all is present.
This is my feeling. I dont care about measurments. It just sounds great.
Jupiter78
28
Nov 18, 2019
Jupiter78One more information. With airist it is actually possible to some extent to use low impedance headphones like purpleheart or 4xx with darkvoice. With my previous DAC(s) was not the case, as sound was distorted and bass muddy. Not sure what makes the difference. Im happy to learn.
Cyberthingy
289
Jan 27, 2020
Jupiter78I found this to be true as well. I was using my ZMF Aeolus with the Darkvoice 336SE and the Airist R2R Dac and they sounded great together. My Aeolus experienced a driver failure so I had to send them in for repair. I took my Fostex X-00 Purplehearts off the rack and plugged them in. I was pleasantly surprised especially because of their low impedance rating. It was my understanding that the Darkvoice favored 150 ohm or higher headsets but maybe this DAC has something to do with the broader compatibility as you suggest. I really like this DAC regardless of the poor measurements done by ASR. I really have found that performance is so subjective and anyone who thinks they are re-creating what the artist intended is just fooling themselves. There are so many variables in the music production and recording chain that it's impossible to say you have reproduced it exactly. Not to mention, there are many who appreciate and prefer vintage gear because of nostalgic reasons or maybe that's what they are conditioned to. Everyone needs to quit hating everyone else for having differing opinions on what sounds good and just enjoy the music as you perceive it. Party on!
(Edited)
Loquah
61
Nov 7, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Great performance for the money, particularly for an R2R design
Despite measuring really poorly as mentioned in the discussion thread, this DAC sounds great. I've completed a full review here: https://youtu.be/c-W7v7tUl1Q
Recommends this product? Yes
msxmsx
144
Oct 4, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Rough sounding DAC
After 48 hours of warm-up I listened Airist R-2R paired with THX AAA 789.
A bit warm, not smooth, a bit fatiguing. Bass punch is emphasized. Soundstage is OK. Mediocre macrodynamics. Imaging is clear, crisp but not detailed. I don't think this is rich/liquid sound. This is rough. Actually it sounds like lossy streaming services.
I'm afraid to say that I'm pretty disappointed in this DAC.
As a non-DS DAC, Airist R-2R is better than Mimby (v1) at clarity and soundstage, but tonally I prefer Mimby (more incisive). And finally, a cheaper DS DAC SU-8 V2 is more precise, detailed, dynamic, spacious and yet musical. (It's true that some DS DACs are too much clinical and boring but SU-8 V2 isn't)
If you find recent DS DACs too much refined, or you just want a nicely stackable DAC with MD's amplifiers, this could be for you.
(edit)
Additional thoughts.
This DAC is good at playing things punchy and edgy. Poor at playing details and air.
Whether you like it or not heavily depends on your preference of music. Metal is the best match. Strings, pianos, nah.
Also, if you are using relatively harsh headphones, for example TH900, I think you should avoid this.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
pslayer1
274
Oct 21, 2019
msxmsxCurious... has time + use helped with the sound signature any? I've also paired the R2R with the THX AAA 789 and Focal Elex and got a different experience than you did.
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