The Garlubidor Divinity DAC arrived this week and I have been putting it through it's paces, listening to my playlist, and inspired to load up all kinds of music for long hours of listening.
For those who don't know, Garlubidor (is the hifi industry running out of creative names?) they are a sister company to Denafrips. They incorporate slightly different features, but sonically are very similar.
Music Selections
- Tweek Geek Studio Demo Tracks (Tidal version)
- Tweek Geek Studio Demo Tracks (Qobuz version)
I have a Merason DAC 1 MK2, A LAIV Audio Micro DAC and DDC around for comparison. The LAIV with outboard DDC is the closest price wise.
I was running an Innuos Statement into the DAC with an Audience FrontRow Reserve USB Cable. The amp is a Unison Research S6 with upgraded tubes, Aurai Z165 speakers helped by SVS 12" sealed subwoofers. There's a mixture of Audience FrontRow Reserve, Grand Activation, and Hapa Audio cables. Last, a QSA Gold AC receptacle feeds the whole system.
Initial Impressions
Within a few hours of firing up the Divinity, I was treated to a huge soundstage that expands all around the listening area, well beyond the speakers. Let's break down the sonic characteristics in more detail.
Amber Highs
Picture a room being bathed in warm candle light or vintage amber glass lighting. That is the feeling I get when listening to the Divinity. The presentation is like a warm glow. So relaxing and holographic. High frequencies are smooth, a little deeper within the presentation, but no less resolving. There is absolutely no listening fatigue from excessive sparkle or exaggerated leading edge transients. The LAIV by comparison sounds edgier in the high frequencies by contrast, rendering my 80's recordings rather unpleasant to listen to. With the Divinity, there is a glow, a sweetness as opposed to softness. Let me explain; Sweetness to me means resolving, with a softness. Perhaps a little less bleeding edge on transients. But it's that softening of the edge that allows me to listen to my 80's music without having to quit an hour later. Good recordings maintain an adequate level of sparkle and shine, but with a bit of that warm, inner glow.
The Midrange is Divine
The midrange is where the Divinity really shows it's strength. I think for me it was the Divinity's ability to render very close instrumental harmonics and vocal harmonies with natural separation. Phase correctness perhaps? The same for very quick decaying reverbs that I hadn't heard either with the LAIV or Merason. Musical moments that were layered and had very similar wavelengths were masked or blurred by the LAIV and Merason, and the Divinity was able to present them in a realistic way, while remaining very balanced and producing the harmonics as you would hear them in real life.
The Divine excelled with both male and female vocals. One could hear breathing, saliva, tongue movements (gross, right? But these details are also what fools your perception into thinking a reproduced voice is real) and emotion in the singer's voice that converted into a contagious energy in the studio during playback.
Last about the midrange. There was a sense of air in the middle frequencies. This is something that I think not many components pull off. They rely on creating the illusion of air within the high frequencies mostly, and this DAC pointed that out to me.
Bass
Bass was excellent. Plenty of speed, punch and attack when it was called for. String bass was quick, following the fingers of the bassist with enough speed and snap to come across very cleanly. Drum strikes had the impact of the drumstick, the tone of the drum, and the decay of the skin, making for a very realistic, dynamic presentation.
On electronic music, the Divinity DAC tracked the pulse, rhythm, depth and space that the low frequencies in the recording were intended to produce.
Right Now, I Could Totally Call This the Digital End
I have one qualm with the Divinity DAC, and it is very minor. The highs were a bit deeper in the stage. Slightly soft. At the same time this also allowed me to enjoy lesser music so much more. All in all, it's not enough to keep me from loving it.
Those DACs that have had more sparkle and air up top, didn't have me listening for hours on end, late in to the night, and eager to begin listening again first thing in the morning. The Divinity DAC did. It is magic to my ears. Listening to it makes me happy, connects me to the music, and has me listening with a sense of wonder. I wish it were $10,000, then I could at least make a good profit on it being a dealer. But I make very little after paying for shipping from China and the lovely tariffs that WE American small business owners are paying. But this to me is a product I am excited about, and I want everyone to experience the emotional lift I do when I listen to this DAC in my system. I could end my digital journey here and be satisfied. Saying that about a DAC that costs under $2000 is something that is hard to fathom, but there it is.
Thanks for reading this far!