Right out of the box, this being a broken-in unit, I was startled…really startled…within seconds by the exceptional quality of the Tambaqui's playback of a favorite reference DSD256 album that I had put on.
I really was amazed.
No matter the platform, the quality of the Tambaqui remained a reliable constant in my daily experience. What a rock it is!
Qualitatively, regardless of the recording that I used, the music it produced was transparent, clean, and clear. Dynamic albums had slam and slew rate to burn. The dynamic range was incredible, going from pure silence to "Incoming!!!" in without breaking a sweat.
The texture of recordings was all laid bare with the Mola Mola. There's a tactile feel to the sonics, as if you reach out and rub the air.
Soundstaging and imaging are top notch with the Tambaqui. No matter which combination of components that I was using, and assuming proper placement of the speakers, the results were enveloping.
Above and beyond that, however, there was an incredible ease and naturalness that enveloped all of the recordings, as if they simply floated in the air. This produced a potently seductive musicality that was anything but merely euphonic, since I wasn't hearing any coloration at all. This is the sort of audio virtue that I've identified with the exceptionally high praise of « organic ».
What more can I say? Bill Parish was quite right when he told me that this was a killer! DAC. I have to agree.
The Mola MolaTambaqui DAC is an absolutely extraordinary, top-o'-the-heap product, true reference-grade in every way.
It there fore richlymerits a "Ye Olde Editor's 'Very Highest Recommendation!'", and that with really great enthusiasm.
