Phasure NOS1 DAC (1 Hour) listening Experience

[boleary]

Yep, I got the virus bad....went to bed at 1 a.m; woke up at 4:30 a.m. Wife is in Boston.  Don't have to be in to work till 10. Tunes are cranked.
 

[Suteetat]

Well, I had the pleasure of listening to Phasure NOS1 DAC very briefly yesterday in my system when my friend brought it over to check out a couple of things. My system went through a major change just a few days prior (new pre/power amp) and I was still burning in those equipments. At least I am very familiar with the sound of my trustworthy Playback Design MPS-5 even in my relatively new system. Phasure has a very different presentation and actually remnid me more of my old DAC, Esoteric D05. Phasure has similar open, extended top, slightly on the thin side. However, this unit is still quite new and has not yet benn burn in thoroughly. However, where it differs from Esoteric was that it was very smooth, very liquid and not so digitalized-hifi-ish sound like Esoteric. Playback has bigger,weightier, slightly darker sound. I am looking forward to hear Phasure again when it is completely broken in.

My biggest complaint is that Phasure is very sensitive to associated equipment. I am using a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. My computer is next to my stereo equipment and I run a long HDMI cable to my monitor next to my seat and I use bluetooth mouse for control. Whenever I engage the mouse, there is quite a bit of distortion coming through but when the mouse is inactive, all is ok. This was repeated several times with my friend so I am pretty sure it is the mouse.

[PeterSt]

Thank you Suteetat.

I'm afraid your bluetooth devices do not influence the DAC at all, but influence the PC.
I always sais that WiFi and IR stuff is out of the question; you just don't want to know about the continuous blast of activity that implies. I also always said I don't know about Bluetooth because it should be inactive when not used. Well, I guess you just prooved how evenly that is "blasting" when used. But only when used I guess ...

Again, thanks,
Peter

[boleary]

Wanna check out your "drum Kit": Sibelius, Symphony #1, Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmoniker. Its right up there with the Dallas Wind Symphony's, "Crown Imperial". I'm putting this here cause it needs the NOS1 to be "heard"!

[manisandher]

Phasure has similar open, extended top, slightly on the thin side... Playback has bigger,weightier, slightly darker sound.

This is pretty much exactly what I felt when I first compared the NOS1 with my PM Model Two. But two things have happened to change the sound of the NOS1 more in-line with my preferences: 1) it's burned-in 2) I'm now using Special Mode (very, very important to get the NOS1 sounding tonally 'right').

Of course, the MPS-5 is a supposedly superb DAC. At this level I suspect we're in the realm of personal preferences more than anything else. FWIW, I 'hung-on' to the sound of my Model Two for quite a while after I had the NOS1. But right now, I prefer the sound of the NOS1. And I never thought I would say that of any DAC on the planet.

I've said this before, but I think it's worth mentioning again. I think the Pacific Microsonics Model Two is one of (if not the) best digital components ever made. But it is just very difficult to interface to a PC. Here's an experiment I quickly did before dismantling my main hifi (to get the room re-wired). I fed the output of the NOS1 into the ADC/DAC of the Model Two. And you know what, it sounded pretty much identical to the NOS1...

Mani.