E13: the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC 

Hello Dave B. I couldn't agree more... It truly is one of the finest DACs available today - at ANY price! How long have you had yours?

Hi Greg... about 2 1/2 months now... mainly because of you! Thx!

Hello David, thanks for your kind words about my work, and for taking the time to share you thoughts and suggestions! First, you should know that Bill and I are in regular communication on such matters. I'm well aware of what can be done with a Next Unit of Computing device. Secondly, I am an IT Engineer by education and training... (I spent 15 years as the Senior IT Engineer for the Athletics Department at the University of Notre Dame before taking my early retirement). I started programming computers in 1970 while still in high school. By the time I graduated, I could program in BASIC, PL-1, FORTRAN IV, COBOL, machine and assembly languages. Let me assure you that the purpose built "PC" I've configured for dedicated music playback leverages, manages, and prioritizes its core functionality, services, and processes in a way that is far from typical, and easily rivals, if it doesn't completely surpass, the performance of any stand-alone NUC.

@@theaudioanalyst Should just say to the Audio Analyst with that Canadian T-shirt that he's wearing for some reason, 16Hz isn't too great, you know EMI had 15 in the early 1960s and bettered it by the mid-1960s with 10Hz. Some subs today do 5Hz. Yeah, 5Hz but EMI had low distortion, subs are high distortion. We know you're an IT engineer and ... you know that's a joke. Bruno Putzeys or Belgian chocolates, which is best?

@@keplermission4947 It's a shame that we have no idea what you are getting at with this disorganize, unintelligible ramble.

Hello Giuseppe! Thank you so much for the kind words on my work. Please be sure to come back and share with us how you like yours once you have had it for a few weeks!

Hello again. I am SO pleased to know that you are finding value in my efforts and enjoying your time here. I've not heard that NAD, or - that version of room correction. I have to add that, to my ears, MOST room correction, while well-intentioned and having the ability to afford improvement in some respects, almost ALWAYS damages the integrity of the music somehow...some systems MUCH MORE so than others. But, it will ONLY continued to improve... I will have to see if I can correct that once we start doing more shows and travel if/when this Covid-19 pandemic is handled...

While that is a convenience, it does not compete with the sound one would achieve using a good active preamplifier. I've yet to hear any DAC driving amplifiers directly reveal the same subtleties, nuances, and texture as one using a buffered gain stage...

Thank you so much....

Brother, I gave the full recipe for my Hendrick's Arid Martini in the opening of Episode 6, my system update and review of the Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA 9's... SNIPPET - "This is my typical perfectly chilled, arid Hendricks martini garnished with three pitted Spanish olives - arid meaning I take Sir Winston Churchill’s recipe even farther…this martini hasn’t even SEEN a vermouth bottle…let alone become polluted with any! Now, back to our regularly schedule programming." No shaker needed or involved. And, both the Hendricks and the glass reside in my freezer until needed! ;-)

So envious. ;) Tambaqui + Kaluga is my dream setup. What speakers do you have?

Thanks for the kind words. In a more affordable range (~$7,000), I bought my LampizatOr Baltic 3...which I reviewed here. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gJNj-L3slfE.htmlsi=zBCxAr7qQV6fn8-N When the Baltic 4 changes were announced, they asked me to send mine back to be upgraded...and WOW... I STILL love my Baltic 4, and have no plans to part with it...

Hello Dave, thanks for writing. I have to say that, while it is about $4k more, it is a MUCH more involving and revealing DAC. I hope you get to check it out before you make your purchase... I think this is the most musically expressive and engaging DAC available for up to more than twice its asking price.

Preamp requirements aside, how does the Tambaqui compare to the Lampi in a full system?

@@divertiti Tambaqui is more analytical. Lampizator is more musical. So it depends on your speakers. Tambaqui works great with ported speakers, Lampizator works great with sealed box speakers or more analytical designs like Focal Sopra or Utopia.

What exciting news! Enjoy!

what were your thoughts in comparison to the dave

@@markw7303 Less like listening to really excellent digital (Dave), more like listening to my LP rig if that makes sense. I think the Dave is really good, but it reminded me of a (much) more refined Schiit Yggrdrasil A2 at 4x the price. I'll admit I have not heard Dave w/ the M-Scaler. After ~9 months of owning the Tambaqui, I have no regrets. I have recently started playing with running an external streamer vs internal. Initial impressions is that I prefer outboard slightly, but I also haven't tried anything top-class (I'm using an modded Oppo-203 as a Roon endpoint for comparison) so the margin might get wider.

@@ChrisMag100 nothing gets as effortlessly incisive as the Dave Brain fog removingly clear . Everything is unearthed and exposed as independent instruments . However tone colour body are something else. I went r2r with the sonnet Morpheus and soon upgrading the new model p something(prob useless vanity as system SNR can't touch the Morpheus already.) . And it's abiltys are outstanding but pcm as pcm gets. I have some luck with hq player some of the time up at 8 x rates. But the mola seems another valid direction . I'm seeing a lot of good use of crystal clocks at the chicom 3k ish segment and I'm tempted to try one is only for fun. I won't touch a streamer as I don't use roon ( to flexibly inflexible for all types of media so usb it is for now.) Does Molla mola processing/digesting get to you/ do you crave it.... What about noticable benefits higher sample rates ? It's Something I can deliniate with much more easily with more framiliear material on the sonnet. Half the reason for not getting either Dave or Molla Molla is a v2 comeing out(especially the Dave)

@@markw7303 I think the probability of a Dave v2 is high as FPGA's get more powerful. Perhaps a single-chassis Dave+M-Scaler combo or something. I like your description of "brain fog removing (clarity?)". That's a good description for the Chord. The Mola's strength is definitely "tonal color". Re: external up-sampling, I have played with a it a bit. The Mola can accept 384khz over Ethernet, so you can plan with DPS in Roon (if you were using it). I not entirely convinced it's better... different in some ways but it's subtle. I have an ancient Goldmund/Job Electronics non-oversampling discrete R2R DAC and a Sabre 9038 Pro upgrade board in my Oppo-203 (along with a linear power supply). For 90% of listening, I prefer the Tambaqui. The other 10% I'd lean toward the fuller, more colored sound of the Goldmund/Job DAC. Mainly, I like the NOS R2R for really bad recordings, where inner detail is less critical and the more colored sound (fatter mid-bass, less upper treble detail) takes the edge off the recording. I an example would be 90's era alternative rock like Jane's Addiction "Ritual de lo Habiltual".

Hello Divertiti. First, let me say that I have heard many, MANY other DACs, including the remarkable ~$28K LampizatOr Pacific and the ~$65k Kassandra II SIG, but have to say I do not recall having heard the ~$35k (€29,500) Totaldac d1-twelve-mk2. I’ve also heard many other flagship DACs, including several multi-box systems like the MSB, dCS, Esoteric, and others. While I’ve not direct head to head shoot-outs between any of these, I will say that the Tambaqui will not be embarrassed by any of them, and will likely embarrass some of them…

@@theaudioanalyst That's remarkable, Lampi Pacific and the Kassandra are said to be some of the best out there, do you remember what system they were playing in? Is it possible that your system is just that much better than the other ones hence elevating the experience with the Tambaqui? Not doubting but just trying to cover all possibilities, this hobby isn't exactly a science lol

Hello Hariharan... I take it you are new to my channel, so welcome! Thanks for stopping in... Just for reference, my entire system is reviewed in Episode 3 here at the channel, and there is a detailed description, with photos, drawings, and links, at my website www.theaudioanalyst.com/... The direct link to my reference system is www.theaudioanalyst.com/reference-system/. Take a look there... That should adequately answer all your questions. Thanks again for visiting and taking time to write... ;-)

@@theaudioanalyst thank you greg. ofcourse i saw your episode 3.if i have to assume that you will always be inserting the review component into your reference system, then fine.but it could also be the case sometimes reviewers test with the manufacturer matching pre-power amp -dacs to check the synergy.i was referring to those additional scenarios if u got the chance to check these configurations as well or not

@@trulyhari Hello again... I'm sorry for the confusion, but, this IS, after all, my reference system. EVERYTHING I review or discuss here will be evaluated against that system. Given the video tour of my system (Episodes 3 and 6), and its full description, with links, measurements, and other details at the website (www.theaudioanalyst.com/reference-system/), in conjunction with my Third Axiom, "Make only one change at a time," from Episode 9, I'm not sure how to be much more clear about my evaluation process. Again, I'm sorry you found this all confusing... Thanks again for your time and interest... Enjoy!

Hello again. I am currently using the simply stunning performing Audience frontRow 1M USB cable (audience-av.com/cables/frontrow/frontrow_usb/). I'll have to do some chin-scratching and pondering on the matter for a lessor priced recommendation.

@@theaudioanalyst Not a problem at all, thanks for sharing. May I ask how you settled on USB vs. going spdif or aes?

@@divertiti Simple enough answer... I've chosen to use a Windows 10 computer of my own construction (using alternately Roon, JRiver Media Center, or Audirvana, and Fidelizer Pro) as my music server... S/PDIF or AES3 (AES/EBU) would require the addition of a non-native connection to the computer.

Hello Mac Man... Thanks for giving the Fidelium's a shot. They are TRULY something special. And I think the ONLY way you could stream to the Tambaqui WITHOUT an external dedicated streamer or computer would be using Roon. It is a certified Roon End Point... roonlabs.com/partners But, I'd call Bill Parish at GTT Audio & Video (908.850.3092 - Monday-Friday: 8:30AM-6:30PM) for verification. Thanks again, and best of luck on the Tambaqui. PLEASE let us know how you find it if you make that decision. Enjoy.

Hello Adam. While I have no quarrel with you (or anyone, for that matter) liking what they like, we are talking about DACs here, not amplifiers or other gain stage devices, where making quality of performance assessments solely on weight may still be somewhat unfounded. But you are missing the entire point by suggesting weight has any form of correlation in determining the quality of a DAC. Realistically and fundamentally, a DAC is a computer. You certainly wouldn't use just weight as an effective way to "measure" the power or capabilities of a computer today, would you? Take the laptop I'm writing from and use to create most of my reviews, show reports, and RU-vid content. It is a Dell XPS 15 7590, going on two years old now, with a 15.6" display, it features a 64-bit processor architecture, using a seventh generation Intel Core i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz, with 6 dual threaded cores, affording 12 logical processors, with 16GB of RAM, with a practical battery life of ~7 hours. It weighs just under four-and-one-quarter pounds. Just 10 years ago, my Dell Latitude D810, with a 15.4" display, it featured a 32-bit processor architecture, had a single core Pentium M Dothan, with 2 GB of RAM, and its useful battery life was barely 4 hours. It weighed almost twice as much, at just under eight pounds. Do you get my point? Once you acknowledge the meaninglessness of attempting to evaluate the quality of a DAC on its weight alone, and you factor in that the Tambaqui was designed by Bruno Putzeys, you further drastically undermine your dismissal of this overachieving DAC from Mola Mola. Bruno graduated cum laude at the National Technical School for Radio and Film on the subject of power stages for switching audio amplifiers. He worked at the Philips Applied Technologies Lab in Leuven, Belgium, for the next decade, where he developed various digitally and analogue controlled class D amplifiers, noise shapers and modulation methods, and invented the "UcD" class D circuit, among others. He holds several patents in the fields of digital audio and power conversion and has published extensively in these and related domains... His story is too impressive and detailed to even attempt to convey here. But, you may find researching his work interesting, as this is subject matter that seems to be of importance to you. Further, as to musical comparison, I compared and contrasted it to a world class analog transcription system (KRONOS/Esturo/Audionet), in world class system, using music that I have been listening to, in some cases, for over fifty years.

It is not... I've graduated to a pricier arena, with the models vying for top dawg now being the LampizatOr Horizon (at $50,000), or maybe the superb three-piece Absolute suite from Ideon of Greece, the Absolute Stream ($19,900), the Absolute Clock ($9,900), and the Absolute Epsilon DAC ($47,900)... I am, well, chewing on these matters at this point.

@@theaudioanalyst Wow! A very rarefied air you're operating in now. Can't wait to hear more. How much better would you say this league as a whole is than the Tambaqui? More like a 2-3% or 10-20-30% (I know these are hardly precise measures:))?

​@@asegal4677 You are correct in suggesting that this is a challenging question. And to properly consider it, you must address it in a manner of relative scale. Further, in my estimation, you are addressing this concern correctly, as you have identified the matter as one of differing stratum, or league. At the risk of sounding smug or somehow, in any manner, condescending, which is NOT my intent, it can be ridiculously hard to put these things into perspective WITHOUT the awareness of what may be accomplished across each stratum of gear. Again, I want to make it clear that I do NOT see price alone as an arbiter of quality. We all have heard horrendously expensive products that sound like crap! By that same token, the finest sounding gear you are going to experience is NOT cheap. I hope that would be an obvious observation to any rational listener... With that in mind, once you reach the luxury audio level of gear, a level that I have chosen to christen Hyper-Audio, all bets are off... In the case of what the staggeringly good LampizatOr Horizon brings to the table as a stand-alone DAC, one MUST pair it with gear of the equivalent strata to really be informed about what it offers - which is STAGGERINGLY exceptional. The difference between something like the overachieving Mola Mola Tambaqui and the phenomenally seductive, musical, and engaging Horizon may be marginal in a mid-priced system. But, in play in a rig like I am fortunate enough to be using (the True Life Audio Supreme Series of electronics, the two-chassis SSP-1 line stage, with a pair of SSA-350 monoblocks, the DSA Phono III, and the Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA 9 loudspeakers sitting on Critical Mass Systems LS Footers), the differences are not subtle in the least... In this case, I would not hesitate to suggest an improvement of something on the order of 25-30 percent as more than realistic. I guess my best answer for you is that it is all relative... I hope that helps…at least somewhat! Sorry.

@@theaudioanalyst Thank you so much for the detailed thoughts! It all makes perfect sense. It is noteworthy how many reviewers such as yourself (i.e. those with vast experience and with uber-high end systems at their disposal) have emphasized the point you made that the majority of the difference in the upper strata of components such DACs only really becomes evident when these components are paired with components in the same strata in their respective categories. I mean, on one level it is obvious and intuitive, but I do admit that I was somewhat surprised by how much of a difference you're hearing -- that 25-30%. Must be a joy at this point for you to be able to get this magnitude of gain starting from such a high baseline to begin with. I'm not there yet with my system. Something to aspire to.

Hello Robert. First, thank you for the kind words on my efforts. But, yes, I do feel that the Tambaqui bests the Bartók, especially for in-room (not headphone) play. Take a look at John Darko's head-to-head run-off of the Bartók vs. the Tambaqui on his RU-vid channel. He says the same thing. As to the Rossini, I have to admit, I've not heard it recently enough to offer any valid comparison...

@@theaudioanalyst Greg, this price segment has gotten very interesting, thanks for your thoughts on the comparison. Do you have any comparison vs. MSB discrete, Briscati M3, or Rockna Wavedream?

@@divertiti Hello again...and thanks for taking the time to write. I have to tell you that, to my ears, the MSB gear is, well, entirely too analytical sounding. I've not heard ANY MSB digital front end, including and especially the Reference, that gave me the impression of live music. That said, with a nearly identical price to the Discrete, the Mola Mola simply crushes the MSB in terms of naturalness, neutrality, and ease of presentation. The Tambaqui offers a MUCH more musically authentic experience to my sensibilities. As much as I've liked what I've heard from the Bircasti M3, EVERY time I've heard it, (and I can say that I vastly prefer it to the MSB Discrete, even retailing for about half of the price of the Discrete), it cannot compete with the Tambaqui. Finally, I have not heard the Rockna Wavedream, but given its price point and everything I have read and heard ABOUT it, I'd suspect it to be more comparable to the M3 than the Tambaqui...

@@theaudioanalyst Hey Greg, thanks again for the insight. That's really interesting. I don't have first hand experience but what I've read indicate MSB really goes for the analog sound, but perhaps that's their older dacs and the newer ones took a turn in design philosophy. Last message I left out one more dac in the price range, which is Mojo Audio's Mystique Evo. Have you had any experience and how might it compare to the Tambaqui? This will really help me make my purchasing decision for next dac so thanks again.

​@@divertiti So, sadly, I've only heard the Mystique Evo twice, if memory serves...and once only very briefly. But, again, what I recall was hearing the $6000 base model, not the nearly $10k Pro iteration... With that in mind, while I was not terribly impressed, I was not really familiar with the related components either, all of which were set up in what turned out to be an otherwise unmemorable demonstration. My apologies...

Hello divertiti... I have not... Of course I will have to wait to offer any first-hand assessment until I have. Yet based upon what I have read and the input from my colleagues who have, the key take-away has been that it is remarkable sounding - for its price - much along the lines of the value offered by the iFi iDSD Pro , that I reviewed here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-V1JVjvGs7Gg.html - at its $2500 price point. Nothing that I have read or heard would indicate that it might begin to compete with or come close to the sophisticated and utterly engaging organic, remarkably analog-esque presentation of the two-and-a-half times more expensive Tambaqui.

@@theaudioanalyst Thanks for your input Greg!

I'm a BIG fan of Hendrick's! 😄

Hello Owen. That is a very fair question, but one that I am not comfortably answering. I am very fond of Andreas' work, but I haven't heard any of his players in a number of years now, so I just cannot say with any certainty right now. That said, as the Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC carries a $22,000 retail, it is nearly twice the Tambaqui's $13,400 price, I'm SURE that the Playback Designs DAC is superb.

Hello Peter. Thanks for taking the time to write. As much of a value as the PS Audio DirectStream DAC represents at it $6k price, it is hardly comparable sonically to the more-than-twice-as-expensive, and remarkably overachieving Mola Mola Tambaqui. In fact, the Tambaqui competes directly with, and outshines, many DACs costing up to twice its asking price. It is an exceptionally musical DAC by any standard, and one of the most engagingly authentic sounding DACs available today, regardless of price.

Hello Connor. Thank you for tuning in and for writing. As engrossing as it is to believe that a tricked-out DAC designed by Jeff Zhu that, unmodified, sells for just over thirty percent of what the Tambaqui sells for (the stock May DAC is $4,198, the Tambaqui is $13,400), which was designed by the remarkable and renowned Bruno Putzeys, who holds nine patents (including UcD) and multiple patent disclosures, I would urge you not to delude yourself. True “Giant Killer’s” are EXTREMELY far and few between, and the KTE modified HoloAudio May DAC is not one of them. While I have great respect for the over-achieving accomplishments the Kitsune Tuned Edition of the two-chassis HoloAudio May DAC, at $5,600, using hand-picked DAC modules, better caps, enhanced shielding, audiophile fuses, etc., it is not in the same class, and it simply cannot compete with the Tambaqui. If you are able to audition them both in an exceptional system, you will quickly come to learn that, while both are over-achievers at the respective price points, the Tambaqui is in a class by itself, leaving many DACs in the $20,000 to $25,000 price range slinking off with their tails between their legs.

@@theaudioanalyst Thank you kindly for taking the time to provide such a detailed reply.

While the Tambaqui plays DSD files over DoP (DSD over PCM) and Native DSD up to quad speed, according to its specifications (www.mola-mola.nl/tambaqui.php) it will do so over USB and Roon only. I have sent your question on to Mola Mola and will post any response and clarification here.”

Hello Joe... This just in from Bill Parish, of GTT Audio, Mola Mola representative... "You are correct, the only way the Tambaqui accepts DSD is through the USB input or via the Network Roon End-Point."

​@@theaudioanalyst That is sad to hear. So you are saying there is no way possible to use a SACD Transport with the Tambaqui to play the DSD layer? It seems like such a future proof, well thought out product, it seems hard to believe they did not consider users would want to play SACDs from their player into the Mola Mola DAC. If that is the case, what is the purpose of the I2S on the Tambaqui? Thanks you for looking into this. I am drooling over the Mola Mola product line. :)

@@joemehalic4069 Sorry, Joe. But, that is the reality. Truth be told, this has just recently started to become more of an option. Typically, older optical players simply did not have a path to directly output the DSD stream from SACD...

@@theaudioanalyst Thank you for looking into this again. I thought I might have a solution, but probably not. :( Have you ever heard of a product from Geerfab? geerfab.com/audio/about/ Here is the bottom line on this product: Extracts DSD64 and PCM up to 24/192 from the HDMI data stream from a player/transport with HDMI out Outputs DSD64 via the DoP (DSD over PCM) protocol and hi-res PCM up to 24/192 through the S/PDIF Coax and Toslink Optical outputs to an external DAC Is there ANY SACD player that Mola Lola is aware of that would work with the Tambaqui? I guess I am still wondering what the !2S is for on the Tanbaqui. Thanks again, and I don't want to take up too much of your time. I am just so interested in the Tambaqui, and the preamp as well, I am trying to find a way to use my SACD collection with it. JM

Hello Marcus. Your statement is SO true. Some digital apps just SUCK! Not the Mola Mola app... Thanks for your continued support...

So of all the information presented here, all you can focus on is the conversion of the metric measurements (the device was designed and manufactured in Holland) to Imperial...

Hello jovan jelic. Well, I guess without taking the time to learn or research anything about the space (which is completely documented at my website - www.theaudioanalyst.com/reference-system/), a space which is really rather large, at 46′ X 13′ x 7′ 4″, so about 600 square feet or some 4300 cubic feet, and never having been here to actually hear it, you may jump to such an erroneous conclusion. However, given the number of industry experts, other reviewers, designers, and musicians that have actually been here to experience how remarkable it sounds, I have to tell you that your assumptions are completely incorrect. Please feel free to ask gifted product designers like Benno Baun Meldgaard (previously the lead designer for GamuT and Raidho, now with Gryphon), Kevin Hayes (lead designer at Valve Amplification Company), and Leif Swanson (lead designer at Von Schweikert Audio), or manufacturer’s representative, Bill Parish (who documented his visit to my room here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PbBLsZmJ7hQ.html ), or Dick Diamond, of YG Acoustics, how it sounds. You can ask Positive Feedback's and Enjoy the Music's Maurice Jefferies why he makes an annual 3-day trip to my place to listen and learn. Shoot, even world-class touring concert pianist, George Vatchnadze (music.depaul.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-a-z/Pages/george-vatchnadze.aspx), who I’ve known for over fifteen years and has been here to experience his own performances and recordings. Any of them, and many others, will be happy to relate to you just how remarkable the sonic results are in this room. Is it perfect? Hell no. But the sound regenerated in my room is undeniably exceptional.

@@theaudioanalyst So did you consider the VS Ultra 7 or the Ultra 11's, not that I could afford either. What other speakers were in contention, may I ask? Rockport's by any chance? magico's? how much do those Ultra 9's weigh?

@@dap777754 Hello! Thanks for writing. First, the ULTRA 7's didn't exist when I bought the ULTRA 9s... They were still years away from their creation. And after hearing the ULTRA 11's at AXPONA 2017 (positive-feedback.com/show-reports/axpona-2017-personal-journey-von-schweikert-audio-ultra-11-experience/), IF I had the room for them (my ceiling is only 7' 4" tall, and the 11's are 7' 6 ½” tall, sooo...), there is a possibility I would have gone with them. My room is 46′ X 13′ x 7′ 4″, yielding about 600 sq. ft., or some 4300 cubic ft. (www.theaudioanalyst.com/reference-system/). So, based on room length, it can support full development of frequencies down to about 24Hz, with primary axial resonances at about 44Hz and 78Hz. As it was, I heard the launch of the ULTRA 9's at RMAF 2018, along with the VAC Statement 450i iQ Integrated amplifier (enjoythemusic.com/RMAF_2018/weaver/page4.htm), both of which I reviewed for The Absolute Sound. Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA 9 Loudspeaker - Issue 298, Oct. 2019 www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/von-schweikert-audio-ultra-9-loudspeaker/ Valve Amplification Company Statement 450i iQ Integrated Amplifier - Issue 305, May/June 2020 www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/valve-amplification-company-statement-450i-iq-integrated-amplifier/ Truth be told, if you read my RMAF 2018 show report, you will see that the ULTRA 9's TOTALLY wowed me, as did the VAC Statement 450i iQ. It was during the High-End Munich show in May of 2019 that I committed to and ordered my ULTRA 9's in red. To the question of what other models were in contention when I chose the ULTRA 9's, the only other speaker manufacturer's that were in the running at the time were AlsyVox (the Botticelli X), Magico (the S7/Sub 7 system, or possibly the Q7), and YG Acoustics (either the Sonja 2.3, or the XV, Jr., or Studio). Finally, the ULTRA 9s weigh 500 pounds each. www.vonschweikert.com/ultra-9

It's a shame you just don't get it... But now I'm curious. Did you ask John Darko the same question after watching his rave review of this DAC (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GY0WuMpQDAE.html) as well? Did you ask ANYONE else who posted glaringly positive reviews of this stunningly overachieving DAC... No? This DAC is a monster overachiever... Just go do your research. Thanks for tuning in, even though I doubt you get the purpose or intent of this channel. Talk about a joke? You are it...

@@theaudioanalyst no, because it was fairly obvious he wasn’t reading from a pre-written script laden with superlatives that were likely sourced from the North American distributor of this product. I also noticed you failed to answer the question: were you paid for this review or not? It’s OK if you were. Everybody’s got to make a living. But I do think it is your responsibility to disclose it.

@@spasticnerd866 Good gawd, man! You CLEARLY do not get it, as I first stated. No one has ever paid me to make ANY of these videos, not the interviews, the instructional videos, the commentaries, the hardware or the music reviews. There is income generated by the videos based on views, which is the fundamental RU-vid model. As to working from a script, clearly I do so to make sure that I don't omit any of my points or examples or loose my flow. By the way, this was simply a companion video which was based upon my written review for Enjoy the Music, published July 30, 2020 - www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0820/Mola_Mola_Tambaqui_Hi_Res_Stereo_DAC_Review.htm Not that I think you'll bother, but if you knew a little more about my background and what motivated the creation of this channel and its content, such as how long I've been in and around and writing about this industry, including articles, reviews, books, show reports, interviews, and instruction, owners, and operation manuals, serving in so many different capacities, building, repairing, modifying, and designing products, you may begin to understand that when something as exceptionally good as the Tambaqui comes into my world, I'm going to tell my viewers about it. The fact that you mistake my sincere excitement and belief in a product as meaning that I must have gotten paid to present the information indicates that you have no understanding of what I, and therefore, this channel, are about. Might I suggest Episodes 1, 7, 9, & 10 as starting points? Then perhaps Episodes 4, 5, 19, 20, 23 and 28? Reviews are only PART of what this channel is about. Thanks again for watching...

@@theaudioanalyst well, then it’s clear I was completely wrong. Sorry for being a cynical, accusatory, douche. Unfortunately, I’ve seen so many dishonest product reviews, “influencer” planting, paid forum commenters, etc. in the audio industry that I always default to assuming people are completely full of crap. Sorry for being a jerk and good luck with your channel.