Caiman II - my review and observations

[brainz2000]

Right ... some observations now that the DAC has burnt in and I have had time to spend some quality time with it ....

Firstly burn in, there is no doubt that a couple of weeks of running it in have made a big difference....

Like some others have said, the quality that makes this DAC special is its transparency ...

A reference for me is the Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Sessions.

This DAC reveals details that I have not previously heard - particularly the first track... Mining for Gold. Behind the vocal there is some background noise which I have never really heard before ...

I also think that the DAC provides a much better grip on the dynamics of the tracks - in a sense representing the real levels that there are in the master ...

Sticking with the Junkies, track 2 Misguided Angel demonstrates this with the balance of instruments being sublime and a proper 3d sound, reflecting the acoustic nature of the recording really clearly.

I think this is the most beguiling characteristic of this DAC - out of the box and without any special treatment, it just projects a natural sound stage and really realistic balance, with detail there in a really holographic way...

Another key feature is that it brigs bass in a much more controlled fashion than the Bushmaster Mark 1 it replaces ...

I could wax lyrical about the sound for days, but I am going back to listening, and that is what this DAC does - it sends you back to your collection to rediscover the music ..

Unreservedly recommended - I am looking forward to trying this with the Bantam Gold I have bought ...

It may just be I can now have solar powered hi-fi .... and really enjoy the music ...

[John]

A good summary for what this DAC cost its performing at a very high level

[nortot]

Ive bought quite a few Dacs from Stan on the upgrade trail over the years, the latest being the Bushmaster 2. When last emailed Stan I said I was at the limits of my hearing with BM2 and would not be going again, but in a fit of 'Grumpy Old Man, what have I worked all my life forism' I pulled the trigger for the Caiman 2. Boy am I glad I did.
The sound is glorious (Bantam Gold, Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SE's, Ankaka Battery thingy, Squeezebox with EDO mod, Arcam CD73). The holographic sound stage is much more evident now, with instruments and voices planted in precise spots back it seems to me as far as 10 feet or so through the back wall. This is a tremendous achievement. The bass is deep and controlled (think the Dyns and Bantam really help here)
and not boomy at all. My reference tracks are showing more detail than ever (some hi-res files, and HDCD's) but also some music I like but isn't that well recorded-like Nik Kershaw 15 minutes or Paul Brady Hard Station , are really shining now. Radio Paradise on the SB is fabulous as is Linn Radio--isn't modern technology wonderful??

[naitphile]

After I acoustically treating my room I was using Ammara Hifi which sounded identical to iTunes but offered automatic sampling rate, out via usb to a Chinese 500mhz capable a asynch converter by coaxial to a BM2.

Next I switched out to theCaiman MKii however despite a mains filter I had hum using the supplied psu so I switched to a battery.

There is a genuine step up in detail, staging and Bass response. My experience is that there is a little more equality across files of different sample/bit rates. A great DAC I am wary of spending too much in this area since black box technologies are easy prey for snake oil sales. Further As a scientist (but not an electronic engineer) i do not believe in electronic burn-in or of cables either (distinct from warmed up equipment). Whereas changed in performance of a moving part such as a cartridge or speaker I can buy

Subsequently in order to add DIRAC room calibration I upgraded to Amarra 3 this does change the basic output from Amarra Hifi and iTunes bringing a fuller sound it is quite noticeable. Adding DIRAC helped significantly with reflections and uneven speaker positioning.

It's good to take a holistic view before agonising over source upgrades

[Alp]

I received my CMII a few days ago. By my reckoning this is my 4th Standac (having had 7510, 7520 (Caiman I), BM, BMII) ever since I started this journey when the 7510 massively improved the sound I was getting from my Linn Genki CD player (which has long gone having been replaced by a SB3 and now a SB Touch).

Compared to my BMII (which was sounding very good indeed), like others, my first impressions are greater 3D stage, more detailed, improved dynamics and distinct separation of instruments. To my ear there is sometimes a touch of harshness in some pieces but I had this with several of the other Standacs and this disappeared after a couple of weeks burn-in.

I use the CMII connected to the SB Touch via an optical link and is powered by the Ankaka battery. The output is using the fixed outputs to a passive pre-amp and then to my battery powered Temple Audio monoblocs. So far I have only tried it with Redbook FLAC and not with higher sampling rate material (of which I have little). I tried using the CMII volume control and variable outputs but found the sound-level from my monoblocs was somewhat lower than from the fixed outputs, even with the passive pre-amp at full volume.

[MikeMusic]

"Standac"
Love it


With the Ankaka it is superb

[Jabberwocky]

I ordered my NEW Caiman 2 on Thursday afternoon and received it on Saturday morning - great service from Stan, as always.

Initial reaction (compared with my Bushmaster) is that it's getting much closer to the vinyl sound - the speakers have become more transparent (they draw less attention to themselves) and the imaging is much improved. Sibilants are better handled and the stability of the soundstage is excellent.
Very good at deciphering complex 'noisy' passages ( like the last few minutes of Dire Straits "Telegraph Road") - now all the instruments can be individually heard and located.
Remember that my vinyl signal source has cost more than 20 times the cost of the Caiman, which I'm feeding from an Apple TV (Mk1) that I bought off ebay for ~£60!!
I'll feedback more when it's had a few days of 'burn-in'...

You might be interested in the battery I found for it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...uct_refresh_T1
23000 mAH plus solar recharge.
I just need to make a longer cable so I can leave it charging in the window while playing music

Now we all just need to persuade Stan to design a similar quality A-D converter, for those of us who want to preserve our record collections...

[michaelgb]

I had a gatored 7520 a wile back and it sounded good, this new one must be really fab.

[maxrob200]

The Caiman II is a noticeable step up in musical performance over the already good Bushmaster. Lovely mid-range, music really swings along!

[Stresss42]

Was gonna write a mini review of the new Caiman....but everything I intended to write is already in this thread !

BUT....Upon turning the dac on, from the very 1st moment of listening - previously unheard mid range sounds were very clear, very subtle percussive sounds with mellow Jazz music
and Piano simply sounds astonishing.

I have read comments like ' Reference ' quality DAC and ' transparent '..... Couldn't agree more. Stunning.

( Still using Battery power - Deben Tracer 10Ah ).. Absolutely love it.