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When the Vaessen Galaxy Reference with their Raal ribbons took over from the Avantgarde horns, the musical message maintained its full character. In all combinations of electronics and loudspeakers with computer and NEM DAC as source it became obvious that native hi-res material of 88.2 and higher was ideal. At these rates there was a natural flow which became less evident on 16/44.1 Redbook material. Be it the broader response from higher rates or simply the synergy between software and hardware components, pure hi-res source material without oversampling really made the click.


Fortunately there's more and more good quality music available at true (rather than retroactively upsampled) higher rates. Larger bit depths should be accompanied by higher sample rates so forget 24/44.1 when playing in native mode. From the tracks available on the source streamer we discovered Keb' Mo's eponymous 1994 album in 24/88.2. In our ignorance and prejudice we though he was a rapper. How wrong we were! Ripped from its original DSD to PCM we enjoyed electric and acoustic blues to the fullest with great guitar work and a beautiful voice blended in a lovely recording.


Approaching digital to analog conversion from a different angle which bypasses fashionably paralleled DAC chips, basic power supplies and the obvious USB protocol, the men from Novosibirsk have really created a truly great and stable converter. Those who like a full rich sound that's processed seemingly effortlessly and true to the music really want to have a listening. The NEM is a bona fide set 'n' forget machine. Place it where the front-mounted power switch is accessible and concentrate on the music. Add a PC or Mac with Amarra or Audirvana Plus (or both) and lots of music to do the rest. Of course amplification and loudspeakers should be on par with the DAC’s high musical quality. Regarding loudspeakers an additional word perhaps. We found that loudspeakers not shy of forwardness like horns or those equipped with large ribbons matched the DAC’s glorious richness extremely well...

Condition of component received: Excellent.
Reusability of packing: n/a.
Website comments: Recent update of the NEM site now includes an English section.
Completeness of delivery: Perfect.
Pricing: Fifty euro a kilo makes for lots of musical joy.
Human interactions: Friendly, punctual and in German.
Remark: NEM delivered a very well-built DAC that should deliver musical enjoyment for literally decades. It’s truly Russian to work like a tank - always. Feed the DAC complex music like large orchestral works or opera and you'll be rewarded even more.