The initials post was the body of email that Kostas sent to me and considering it’s format he presumed that I will me post it on my site. So, I did it (with his permission). I ran all those tracks once (some of them just a few seconds) and below is very brief log or my initial impressions. The files were running off my DAW, via Lynx 16 to Lavry Gold DAC. I do not interpret the result and juts print my row data.

Sound Devices 744T, using it's line level ins/ADCs

1) Slightly thin
2) The piano player should be shot in his head
3) Slightly transient challenge in upper bass.
4) At lower dynamic ranges looses dynamics.

Metaxas - Wolfson ADC - SPDIF output to Sound Devices 744T SPDIF in

1) The kids have very crappy instruments.
2) Sound Very slightly flat and hollow.
3) Though the sound is “better” but less “pregnant”, those I admit that the performance is very week.

METRIC HALO with latest Apple Laptop

1) Some crappy “clinking” noise
2) The lowest octaves are absolutely artificial
3) Sever lost of resolution and transients
4) Compression, Tone… everything… the sound is completely cooked…. trash it.

PRISM DREAM ADC - SPDIF output to Sound Devices 744T SPDIF in

1) For some reasons the tone is not there
2) Imaging is further as in 744T but was flatter
3) Moderate compression
4) Sound has some strange inner-echo
5) Very low contrast

LAVRY GOLD ADC - SPDIF output to Sound Devices 744T SPDIF in

1) Some thinness
2) Deficiency in lowers bass
3) Minor compression
4) Emphasis of unnecessary and artificial details – I do not like it
5) Low transients in upper bass, poor upperbass tone.

KORG MR-1000 [DSD] with it's proprietory DSD-PCM conversion software.

1) Minor compression
2) Very poor MF tone
3) Actual very poor tone everywhere. Unusable

Thylantyr,

Yes, you have a point. It might be something fishy is going on in there and I have thought about it too. Still, I do not really see in Costa’s actions any rational for perpetrating the intentionally fraudulent tests.  Yes, his Metaxas-Wolfson ADC (whoever it is) sound more interesting then other exampled  AD processors but you do not see him commercializing his “better” product. As I understand Costa’s does purely for own benefits as he is actually is a practicing recording engineer… Sure, he might be a self-deluded as many others but do you have many others who present data about ADCin the format that Costa does?

Anyhow, sure it might be interesting to hear more tests, performed perhaps in more methodologically clean environment. It would be interesting also to plug into the game the Pacific 20-bit processor… The more the merrier… BTW, the pops and clicks were not soothe that annoyed. I did not bother myself to pay attention to the details of imaging as the sound right the way quite different from those converters… Was it the sound of the converters or Costa was laying with DCP? Who knows! You want to be absolutely certain you have to make your own tests. Without own experience everything aisle should be trusted as anything else coming from internet.

I was looking at the German-made TrueMatch RMC ADC:

http://www.stagetec.com/stagetec/e_truematch.htm

They claim the 137dB noise level and dynamic range of 159dB.  I wonder if the dynamic range of 159dB is a pure violation of the rules of thermodynamic. I am not convinced but I do not think that 159dB dynamic range ever exists in air…