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The Aqua La Voce S3 is somewhere in between two important segments in terms of price. On the one hand you have the relatively affordable Metrum Onyx, Mytek Brooklyn+ or Benchmark Dac3 and on the other hand the more expensive Metrum Pavane and Mytek Manhattan, to name a few. In the same price category we see the neutral Bryston BDA3 as its main competitor. The final choice of course depends on taste and which functions you find important.
The past few weeks we have often switched back and forth between the Metrum Acoustic Onyx and the Aqua La Voce S3 to look for differences between both Nos dacs. And you can take that search literally. After all, the differences are minimal. Because of our Audio Vector QR1 and the great ATC SCM 19 V2 speakers we hear almost no difference.
Almost, because after a while we notice something. The Aqua La Voce S3 gives instruments a fraction more daylight, which makes woodwind and brass instruments in particular splash a little more. This makes for just a little more sparkle and ‘warmth’ in the mid-high in a direct comparison with the Metrum which, in our opinion, plays ultra-linear and emphasizes nothing.
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That extra flavour in the La Voce S3, also found in Italian ice cream, is quite addictive. However, the biggest asset of the stylish Italian is its modular structure and the fact that it can receive dac updates via software. In this way, the dac future-proof, just like for example the more expensive Ps Audio DirectStream. This distinguishes him from many other dacs on the market and puts the cost price in a different perspective. Also nice is the five year guarantee.