MattyW Posted October 4, 2024 Posted October 4, 2024 Well, I've two of these on order costing less than a grand each which strikes me as an absolute bargain. The Serenade is a network streamer, discrete R2R DAC and class A JFET based output headphone amp all rolled into one that I stumbled on recently. Reviews seem to indicate its rather good for the price and for me a decent Roon Ready network streamer with integrated discrete R2R DAC is unheard of at this price point. The headphone amp is a nice bonus.  Anyway, I'm planning to use one in the gym setup once the new home is built and the other I'll use with my office PC with my not yet received Verum II headphones using the streamer for music and the USB input with the PC for playing computer games etc. Given there's no mention of it here on SNA I figured I'd start a thread. Hopefully its a little ripper and puches above its price point though I guess I'll see. It's meant to be nice and solid in the midrange and bass and a touch on the warm side which I think will go rather well given what I've read of the Verum II's, and as a DAC + streamer in the gym it's simply nice to keep the box count down. My main system has more than enough. 1
MattyW Posted October 14, 2024 Author Posted October 14, 2024 Holy cow, I'm a bit blown away by this thing. Have it hooked up at work using Roon ARC > Bluetooth Audio Receiver (my notebook) > Hifiman Serenade > Monoprice Monolith M1060C. Honestly I didn't know that the M1060C could perform at this level. It's going to be really interesting to try with the "Roon Ready" network streamer and Verum I Mk2 headphones on Thursday. Â Bass extension and impact is fantastic, mids a nice and open airy top end. The unit emphasises soundstage and sounds incredibly real. I'm very very impressed. How can it be this good at this price point? Seriously... Just how?Â
MattyW Posted October 15, 2024 Author Posted October 15, 2024 Hmmmm, it's far less impressive paired with the Verum I Mk2's. I'll leave it playing a week or so and revisit. On the upside the Verum I Mk2's will end up with my custom R2R DAC and Talisman Audio T-33H headphone amp anyway and that's a glorious combination.
MattyW Posted October 15, 2024 Author Posted October 15, 2024 I take that back..... A little warm up and simply stunning performance.
MattyW Posted October 15, 2024 Author Posted October 15, 2024 (edited) I must say that while music sounds stunning I prefer my custom R2R DAC over it for computer games. Its got that certain capacity combination which adds a certain organic/natural quality to everything which goes beyond the content itself. Takes Red Dead Redemption 2 to a different level of immersiveness which frankly the Serenade cannot do..... Due to it's neutrality. Might send one of my two Serenades to my mate for him to do his recap magic with. Probably just on the output stage is my thought. Edited October 15, 2024 by MattyW
MattyW Posted January 17 Author Posted January 17 Funnily enough the Serenade has continued to improve with use to the point that I prefer it vs my custom DAC + Talisman headphone amp in all areas. Might even end up with a 3rd. It’s a beautiful musical sounding unit 2
zengreg Posted March 11 Posted March 11 I'm with you MattyW. I love my Serenade - with HPs and as a DAC/preamp for 2-channel. 1
MattyW Posted March 11 Author Posted March 11 (edited) Yes, it surprises me how little interest there appears to be in the Serenade Jr...... The latest version is discrete R2R and is simply one of the best DAC I've run. Now factor in that it also has a decent streamer and headphone amp in addition to working as a DAC and it's absolutely incredible value. Nothing else I know of can touch it in terms of band for buck. Its an absolute ripper of a product Edited March 11 by MattyW
zengreg Posted March 11 Posted March 11 Agree. All the reviews I've seen give the Serenade (and less so, Serenade Jr) massive praise. It's built incredibly well, has plenty of features and is excellent value considering its performance. I had an Ares 12-1 DAC before I bought the Serenade, but the performance between the 2 was so close, I sold the Ares and now enjoy the Serenade convenience. I also rate this above the Burson 3C Reference as a DAC/preamp (and it has more features for less money). A bit bummed I missed out on the Wifi version which seems to have just landed, but I'm using a WiiM Ultra as source now, with no complaints.
MattyW Posted March 11 Author Posted March 11 For me it comes surprisingly close to the Gustard R26..... Until you give it an external clock signal and then that goes to new heights but still rather exceptional value.
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