Dammit man, I don't like your review one little bit.

It sounds much too true to be good - for my financial health.

Stuck here in the nether world at the other end of the earth, with too many DACs already, probably months before I can play with one of these myself and here you are with one in your system and confirming everything we all suspected from the getgo.

'Tain't fair I tells ya, tormenting poor folks like that.

OTOH I cannot think of anyone who more deserved first crack and your appraisal does sound very comprehensive, at least for my interests and musical tastes.

'Onya Bob 

I have recently read Bob's excellent review on the new Majestic and thought that as I have now had mine for 11 days I thought it was time I gave an update on my original review. This appeared on the 'Big DAC ' thread before this one was created. As it contains details of my system etc you might want to read it there if you haven't already done so.

I find it hard to disagree with the things that Bob has said about the Majestic DAC. He has confirmed my impressions. When I first listened to it I was overwhelmed by the clarity, detail and vibrancy of the sound that it produced. I couldn't believe that so much extra detail existed on familiar albums. why hadn't I been able to access this before? When you already think that you have something you think of as close to perfection just to know there is more available makes one very excited! I wanted to play all my old music to see what I've been missing! When you have thousands of tracks as I do this will take a long, long time! Having experienced the burn in of a Solo ULDE I knew that the sound and musicality of the Majestic would only get better.

I have now had the unit for 11 days and I haven't been disappointed! My original observations have been justified in spades! Unlike Bob I have only used the Majestic as a DAC so I am not qualified to talk about the many and varied other options available on the Majestic. All I know is that the unit has become even more musical while retaining its detail, space and balance. Before, everything was there, but not as integrated as it is now.

My overall impression is that the music I've played through the unit can be expressed with the words vibrant clarity!! There is nothing false about this 'vibrant clarity' it is my way of saying that one can hear the pluck of the string or the the core of the sound as the bow vibrates across the string. One becomes aware of the silence of the space around the music and the nature of the sound that breaks it. It is natural and moving!

A couple of years ago I attended a live concert where 'The Armed Mass For Peace' by Karl Jenkins was being played. I already had this work on CD but hearing it live proved to be a different experience to the recorded version. Live, the string section vibrated, the trumpets were sharp and piercing, the call to prayer echoed around the hall and the timpani shocked. The recorded version, when I returned home, seemed tame by comparison. One lost the individuality and power of the instruments as they melded into one orchestral sound. The choir lost its breath and the individuality of the singers in the the ambience of the hall. With the Majestic this has miraculously reappeared. It is vibrant and moving! I defy anybody not to be moved by the quality of the serene Benedictus in this lovely recording!

After 264 hours of being powered up, with many hours of playing, things which I noticed individually have settled in to a cohesive natural whole without losing its space and detail. The treble, mid-range and bass have become balanced so that no part dominates unless it is meant to. Thanks to Ash I have had the opportunity to try the unit using different headphones (HD560II and HD540II) to my Grado PS 1000. Without wanting at this stage to compare the headphones I can only say that each type of headphone is improved by the majestic. Each retains its own character but gives much more.

I have to admit that, on my headphones, I haven't noticed any lack of depth in the bass as Bob did it first. On my headphones the sound is deep, vibrant and detailed. There is nothing saggy or loose about this! Even on old recordings the bass sounds tighter and more detailed. Obviously one can't put detail where it doesn't exist However, I have some Billie Holiday, From The Original Decca Masters, and Ella Fitzgerald from The Great American Songbook and in both the overall sound is improved and the bass more defined.

With well recorded albums I had to smile and wonder at the scintillating verve of the sound! On the album Didn't It Rain by Hugh Laurie one can't help but be dazzled and impressed. From the breath of the saxophonist creating the sustained note of the saxophone reed to the barrelhouse sound of the piano’s dampened strings there is the awareness of a beautifully created sound stage. Nothing is missing! Equally, Paul Simon's Graceland is a delight as Ladysmith's Black Mambazo growl into action against the African style guitar riffs.

In my youth I used to play acoustic guitar in folk clubs, bars and restaurants in this country and in Europe. I had a range of good guitars including a Martin, and other handmade instruments. As a result I have a good idea how a good instrument should sound. I can confirm that the sound I get from recordings played through the Majestic faithfully reproduces the quality of sound that I know exists in reality. One can hear the vibrancy and sustain of the note together with the squeak of the fingers as they slide across the strings or hammer onto the soundboard. An acoustic instrument can be almost a living breathing thing, and this can be perceived.

In writing this review, unlike Bob who seems to have a musical vocabulary superior to my own, I have found that my words are inadequate to the job of describing the Majestic DAC’s sound and I have inevitably rambled. All I can say is that I cannot imagine being without it. And when I pay for it I will do so willingly. It is special and I believe that it is worth every penny!

Phil

I'm just reporting back with a brief update on the Majestic DAC. I have had it now for about six weeks and I had thought that perhaps the burning in process would have been completed. However, over the last week or so I have been amazed that there are still improvements taking place! How could this be? When I already thought it was near perfection!

In an earlier review I mentioned how beautiful The Armed Man – A Mass For Peace by Karl Jenkins sounded. A few days ago I went back to this work having not played it since the previous review. I was amazed that there could be a difference! I immediately noticed the bass was more detailed, informative and refined. This was also true of other parts of the sound register. Everything seemed that bit more authoritative, balanced and natural with a real sense of atmosphere. The percussion, and vocals were incredibly impressive with no detail left undisclosed – just perfect!

I checked out some other recordings and in each my impression was confirmed. Whatever detail was available was there in spades. Orchestral music consistently impressed! Even in older jazz recordings where the bass, piano or strings in the lower register had seemed a touch fuzzy or unnatural had improved, and firmed up. In more modern recordings no detail was missing. Everything had its own perfect balance and natural bite. Even on difficult recordings, which on occasion had left one wondering if the amount of detail was almost too much, there was a non-fatiguing sense of balance and rightness!

The Majestic DAC that I have will, I believe, shortly become the loan unit. Borrow it if you dare because, once heard, you will end up mortgaging the wife, car, dog and kids just to get one!!!

So, with just over 2 weeks of listening to the Majestic it’s now time to share my impressions.

I’ve noticed quite an improvement in sound over the 2 weeks, possibly due to further burn in of the Majestic but, I thought, most probably more from the burn in of the balanced input of my amp, powered up for a few years but not regularly used. Reading Phil’s comments perhaps it’s both that are steadily improving.

I can only agree with Phil, Bob and Ivan in their observations.

Overall I would describe the sound as smooth, valve like perhaps, but with considerable extension in the lower registers.

It is not over bright in the upper registers, manages to tame the harsh sounds experienced from some poorer digital sources, but maintains clarity particularly with female voices and the leading edge of cymbal and snare drum strikes are really sharp.

The bass extension gives good definition to each note, good articulation and no smearing of bass notes one into another.

Detail retrieval is exceptional, as others have similarly observed with the Reflex. Previously unheard details such as noises in the audience or background become apparent.

Soundstage is quite wide and realistic sometimes appearing to extend beyond the physical limits of the speakers and with well defined, stable imaging.

I think that for me to keep throwing well deserved superlatives into a review does little to help other prospective users/purchasers; it really does have to be heard to appreciate its qualities.

A few words are all that are needed to sum up its qualities; Transparent, detailed, involving, non-fatiguing.

I have only found one downside; for use as a pre-amp I really would have liked 2 analogue inputs one for my Genera (soon to be Reflex) phono stage and one for my FM tuner, neither of which (obviously) have digital outputs.

Sound wise I really can’t detect any difference between the optical and co-ax inputs. My laptop seems to output some digital hash via USB so I will reserve the USB input for occasional use with a portable player, when I get round to replacing my ageing iPod and Blackberry phone with something like the Samsung S3, which Ash has had good results with.

Some of the music used so far:

Elbow; Build a rocket boys – vinyl (45rpm) LP and accompanying MP3 download.

Elvis Costello; Armed Forces original vinyl LP, The return of the spectacular spinning songbook FLAC

Steve Earle; Exit D and Copperhead Road on original Vinyl

Florence & The Machine; Lungs on CD & Vinyl

Ian Anderson & Friends, Back Against the Wall – A tribute to Pink Floyd CD