"I've worked as a front of house engineer in some of the cities best live venues and done my fair share of studio work as well, working with all sorts of equipment and performers I have a good understanding of how music should, and can sound. Like most audio guys who are into DIY electronics, I use live music as my reference. Never really heard a comercial system that did it quite right for me, although some came close... The Adelphi in Singapore is a good place to hear a broad range of gear, we don't have a place like that in Australia. I love that city.

The AYA II completes the system I am using. MAC USB > I2S > AYA II drives S&B 102Mk3 TVC which in turn drives a pair of all DHT xfmr coupled PP 2A3 amplifiers. The low output impedance coupled with low DC offset (adjusted to <1mV solid with TDA1541A S2) allows me to drive the TVC direct from the DAC and step up 1:2 with TVC (compensating somewhat for using low-mu DHTs - you know in theory gain structure is good but recording levels do vary) without consequence. So how does it sound? I was wondering why a lot of people say that it 'sounds like nothing at all'? After a few hundred hours I'm OK to comment on it and I think that is a pretty fair call; it's not coloured in the same was as most non-os DAC's that I've heard, it comes a long way to sounding like vinyl in my system but with better micro and macro dynamics, lower noise and larger sound field - totally unfatuiging yet detailed, big and live sounding, not dull, not bright, all the nuances and spatial cues are there. If it had a colour, it would be white. Not the product that is likely to be the weakest link in any system, and it if is, you'd already be going one up on a good live performance. I guess your philosophy on that would depend on what your reference might be. Thanks Pedja."

- Shane Ceglar, Adelaide, Australia (added in May 2008)

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"I started using PC as source with M-Audio Transit USB (bad), then the Onkyo PCI SE90 (decent), then DIY DDDAC TDA1543 NOS (good), then upgrade to DDDAC tower (12 TDA1543 in parallel), with Tent low jitter clock plus a lot of tweaking (very good), but the Pedja DAC is another world! In all aspects.

I'm in audio for 25 years (Carver Silver Seven, Carver tube CD, DIY 300B, DIY tube pre, Audio Note tube CD, my friends' Copland-Naim-Linn)... Some like Ferrari, some Porsche... try, if you don't like it I buy for spare parts :) (half price). There is a kit and support is fine."

- Emanuele Di Nardo, Ancona, Italy (added in March 2008)

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"In my system, this DAC replaces a very well designed NOS TDA1543. When I first received my TDA1543 DAC I was amazed at the sound coming out of such a low cost package. Although it did very well it had a lack of treble definition and glare that fatigued me at times. I can now safely say that my move to this DAC has solved that issue and more. It provides a deeper and better defined bass. It also had a treble clarity and definition that has me quite pleased. More air!

For those of you that are like me and are continually seeking an improved system, this NOS TDA1541A has been a big step towards that goal. Give it a try. You won't be dissapointed."

- Daniel Twomey, Whitby, Ontario, Canada (added in March 2008)