Each line is a proven production platform reworked to compete with factory units in a far higher price class. You source the donor device yourself — I return it upgraded, under warranty. Prices and availability — in the OLX listings.
Quotes from chats and comments under the videos. Names and contact details have been removed.
My system is on a different level now.
A different level, a different dimension. It’s like comparing a rough log to a finished piece that gives you aesthetic pleasure. I’ve just been listening to Sting with Eric Clapton and got goosebumps — and that counts for a lot.
I want to thank the master for his work, his skill, his intuition and his experience. This DAC already sounds very, very good out of the box — but it isn’t fully realised; thanks to the master its potential has been unlocked.
On the sound: you can hear the character of the AKM chip straight out of the box, but after the upgrade the soundstage changed a great deal — it became more three-dimensional, detail increased, the bass became powerful yet stayed articulate, with no boom or drone, and the treble is soft and precise. I listened through ADAM T7V monitors. I unreservedly recommend this DAC and its upgrade. Nothing but the best impressions!
Thank you very much! Wonderful work, a fair price — one of those cases where you get back more than you put in.
The DAC got better in every respect: more resolution, far less boom in the bass, the treble is clean and never harsh, it’s a pleasure to listen to music. And all the improvements are audible even when you’re in another room down the hall.
Honestly, I didn’t expect this kind of effect from the upgrade myself. The stock DAC in the ROD RAIN is night and day compared to what the master did with it. It’s a completely different level — it feels strange even to compare them.
The soundstage is now huge, spacious, genuinely three-dimensional. The instruments don’t blur into mush — each one sits in its own place, sharply focused. There’s a sea of detail, yet your ears don’t get tired. The sound is smooth, with a pleasant colouring; you can listen for hours without any fatigue.
What surprises me most is listening to familiar music: it’s as if it were some kind of remix — a wealth of new details and emotions appear. You put on a playlist and simply drop out of life for a couple of hours — the music pulls you in that strongly.
I’ve listened to the DAC after your upgrade… It sounds delicious, you don’t want to turn it off. Thank you so much!
It sounds clearer, the structure is more defined. Especially at the frequency extremes — the bass is deeper, and the treble is fine, as far as R2R goes. And the midrange is something else entirely! Overall it feels like grown-up sound.
I’d been blaming my speakers, my amp, the ageing capacitors inside it and so on — no, everything’s great, it was the initial sound processing that was the problem.
For a clean experiment I put on Spotify, connected optically from the TV. Even over that horrible a connection the sound was even, saturated, with no skew or exaggeration anywhere. And the cherry on top: goosebumps from tracks I know well! Bottom line — respect to you, thank you!
Long story short — I can’t get enough of it. It plays almost round the clock, both in my free time and while I’m working. Thank you!
You’re simply a genius!
