I'm a LiAV(!) and the future is Not Vinyl or CD, it's DAC / Streaming, what do yo think?

[daveh75]

Pretentious name, ugly, tacky looking design, pointless format support and overpriced.... No doubt it'll be getting shilled to death all over the forum.

 

[Kenneth Fernandes]

They have servers and bills to pay

Aren't the servers powerd via 100% renewable energy. Which has a high one time cost and lower operating costs.

 

[Revolutions]

Aren't the servers powerd via 100% renewable energy. Which has a high one time cost and lower operating costs.

I doubt they'll ever achieve that goal. Servers are power hungry & renewables don't have the required infrastructure to make it feasible, even if its viable.

They did have a target to make "a percentage" of their servers powered by renewable a few years back. And I know they signed up to net zero by 2030. Where they are with that, well, I doubt even the team who manage the reports inside Spotify have an accurate answer.

 

[manicm]

Ain't that the truth!

It's all subjective, personally I find it attractive and it stands out because it's a functional control.

Having a standalone DAC is indulgent, so why not make an object attractive to look at and use?

I find this kind of nitpicking extremely petty and common here unfortunately, especially since the Laiv promises exceptional performance for its price range.

 

[Stuart83]

I think the HIFI sector is a small part of the bigger picture, when it comes to media and entertainment, but the industry is gearing up for streaming to take over physical sales. Your TV can stream anything these days and headphones will be the next item to allow this, along with mobile phones obviously. It's short sighted to think the current technology won't become a bigger part of society and everything you can buy will soon be available on the internet, with easy access to all sorts of media and nonsense probably. Streaming TVs, streaming phones, streaming amps and even streaming devices in cars, will be the preferred method of accessing media. At some point, your kit will be completely immersed inside this streaming bubble and it will also allow other forms of communication, whilst out and about. Many people still prefer the old ways of doing things, but society develops and so will technology. Who thought back in 1991 for example, we'd have the internet and mobile phones and be able to stream our tunes everywhere we go? There are so many things on the way and although some stuff will be useless, much of what will arrive is going to improve work and leisure time. I wish all the stuff we have now was around in my youth. I think the future looks great, from a technology perspective and many of us will miss out.

All that aside the physical ownership will always be a factor especially within the collection side of things.

We all like to own our things.

I find streaming a good way of finding what I like then purchasing the CD for relative peanuts.

We've all been through the long quality debate and to my ears CD remains king and that's what dictates my purchasing and listening habits.

We're all different but streaming to me is just another box that plays music within a hifi unit or device.
It has it's plusses and minuses like the others but it is here to stay and outright convenience seems to be it's main strength.

 

[Jasonovich]

Looks very nice inside (if with a few too many electrolytic caps for long-term comfort).

I know talk of the need for blind testing can get tedious - and it's not going to happen but; I would really like these reviewers to be completely unaware of what they're listening to when making notes/ comments / judgements on sound performance.

(They used to do it in Hi-fi Choice magazine - and it gives you so much more confidence to believe - especially because they used a panel of listeners).

He's another one with plenty of DAC sound knowledge though and you can bet it doesn't sound bad......as well it shouldn't.

I was purely looking at the aesthetics , I'm sure it sounds mighty fine and agree 100%, blind testing is the the best way to evaluate the sound. When you flip the lid open, it's a work of art. I know, it's a strange thing to say about toroidal power supply and capacitors but the engineer who designed this DAC must have been OCD!

 

[Deliriumbassist]

Modularity makes me slightly nervous. It introduces additional failure points, and everything in the future of that product has to be designed within the constraints of the form factor, including space and thermal considerations, as well as power requirements.

 

[Friesiansam]

Regardless of how good, or otherwise, the LAiV DAC is, I'm not going to spend $2700 plus VAT, import duty and delivery, to buy an item direct from Singapore. No UK consumer protections, not interested when spending that much money. The company has not even had time to build up a history of sending products to the UK, from which one might assess it's reliability.

 

[podknocker]

Regardless of how good, or otherwise, the LAiV DAC is, I'm not going to spend $2700 plus VAT, import duty and delivery, to buy an item direct from Singapore. No UK consumer protections, not interested when spending that much money. The company has not even had time to build up a history of sending products to the UK, from which one might assess it's reliability.

I would consider buying one, if I was looking for this sort of device AND had the funds spare, but this would only happen if I could order from a UK distributor. Risking an import and all the problems this can cause is not on the cards for me either.

 

[Friesiansam]

I would consider buying one, if I was looking for this sort of device AND had the funds spare, but this would only happen if I could order from a UK distributor. Risking an import and all the problems this can cause is not on the cards for me either.

It appears you have to buy direct from Singapore.

 

[podknocker]

It appears you have to buy direct from Singapore.

Oh dear. Never.

This might enter the channel at some point and a UK company might import it.

Audio Emotion sell the Eversolo kit, as do a few more. If there's the demand, it could happen.

I really do want one actually, after watching the HIFI HUFF review.

 

[Jasonovich]

Regardless of how good, or otherwise, the LAiV DAC is, I'm not going to spend $2700 plus VAT, import duty and delivery, to buy an item direct from Singapore. No UK consumer protections, not interested when spending that much money. The company has not even had time to build up a history of sending products to the UK, from which one might assess it's reliability.

Yes that's a real shame. One can only hope in the near future, there will be a UK distributor.

 

[Steve983]

Not for me.

 

[daveh75]

I find this kind of nitpicking extremely petty and common here unfortunately, especially since the Laiv promises exceptional performance for its price range.

It offers nothing that can't be had at a fraction of price, and I doubt it's anything other than indistinguishable SQ wise under proper blind test conditions....

Won't stop the believe your ears brigade shilling it all over the forum though despite never actually having seen it in the metal though I suspect

 

[Jasonovich]

Oh dear. Never.

This might enter the channel at some point and a UK company might import it.

Audio Emotion sell the Eversolo kit, as do a few more. If there's the demand, it could happen.

I really do want one actually, after watching the HIFI HUFF review.

FYI - a little bit of background info on distributor. It would be prudent to wait for market traction and yes quite possibly a UK/EU seller in the near future will stock.

LAiV Harmony DAC review | Darko.Audio

Is this the new Denafrips?

darko.audio

 

[manicm]

It offers nothing that can't be had at a fraction of price, and I doubt it's anything other than indistinguishable SQ wise under proper blind test conditions....

Won't stop the believe your ears brigade shilling it all over the forum though despite never actually having seen it in the metal though I suspect

What you say can be true of any DAC at any price. And when you say it offers nothing, well you haven't heard it either, have you?

I still stand by my comments.

 

[podknocker]

Harmony DAC

6moons.com

The production line looks very smart.

 

[podknocker]

FYI - a little bit of background info on distributor. It would be prudent to wait for market traction and yes quite possibly a UK/EU seller in the near future will stock.
View attachment 6623
View attachment 6624

LAiV Harmony DAC review | Darko.Audio

Is this the new Denafrips?

darko.audio

Buying direct (with the risks involved) will be cheaper than buying from a UK dealer, because the UK dealer will expect a profit margin. This DAC could cost £5k if it lands on UK sites.

 

[nopiano]

Buying direct (with the risks involved) will be cheaper than buying from a UK dealer, because the UK dealer will expect a profit margin. This DAC could cost £5k if it lands on UK sites.

Indeed, it’s a big call for a small manufacturer to make on distribution. Do they want to give away 40% to an importer and make more units or are they better off selling fewer items direct and keeping the bigger margin themselves.

Experience from a pal who has distributors keen to market his product, but as you can imagine production volume ramps up, and profit per item is much lower. It’s not an easy decision especially if you’ve a handmade product, not a mass produced item.