Listening
Contents
We start our listening session with “Blackbirds” by Bettye Lavette (Qobuz, FLAC 96kHz/24bit). A beautiful album full of soulful songs filled with emotion sung by this now 77-year-old singer. We immediately notice the rich instrumentation and excellent placement. Lavette’s voice sounds downright sublime. Fragile and weathered. Pure and precise, yet delicate at the same time. We quickly establish that women’s voices sound exceptionally well through the COS D10 V2.
Kurt Vile is our favorite slacker and although his latest album “Watch my Moves” (Qobuz, FLAC 96kHz/24bit) is not exactly innovative, it is still very enjoyable. The electric guitar on “Fo Sho” sounds excellent, and on “Cool Water” it’s the percussion that comes through with remarkable clarity. There is always a lot to experience and discover through the insightful nature of this unit. Everything sounds fresh and new.
Portishead’s third album, aptly named “Third,” is not a bite-sized chunk. You have to be in the right mood to appreciate this album and you have to have a system that doesn’t srew up the complex tracks. We rarely take this CD out of the cupboard but the dac in the COS D10 V2 does a great job. When Beth Gibbons sings “I’m always so unsure,” we get goosebumps. The COS D10 V2 is a real ‘truth teller’ but does so with feeling. No colouring, no softening. Just pure playback. The menacing beats and uneasy effects make us feel unsettled. Frightening.
Time for a little less drama with the delightful album “Flotus” by American band Lambchop. The auto-tune trick may be a bit gratuitous to some, but we love it. The CD sounds wonderful, much better than the stream by the way. We hear every little sound, every distortion and every sample. The beats are tight and controlled. This is an outstanding d/a converter that combines resolution with finesse.