The DAC in the Elicit
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The Elicit has a built-in DAC. The DAC is based on a Wolfson DAC chip, but the circuit embedding the DAC is a Rega design. And that makes this DAC very good sounding. It just makes the Elicit sound even fresher.
It is like being in the soundstage with a magnifying glass. The experience is not so much surgical, it certainly doesn’t get clinical or cold, but it is as if you are in the mix and can inspect the instruments one by one up close. When listening to a band playing, you feel like you are in the recording room, up close to the music. Combined with the power of the amplifier, this can make the Elicit confrontational at times.
When played through the Naim DAC, the sound becomes less confrontational. The entire soundstage takes two steps backwards. With the Naim DAC, more detail and texture can be heard in the notes and the bass gains more weight. It sounds more balanced than with the Rega DAC.
The Rega DAC is good, but the Naim DAC shows that the Elicit is capable of making things heard far beyond what is common in this price range. It also works the other way around: the Elicit shows things in the Naim DAC that I never knew were there.
