Yes, its in my 2 channel now. I’ll try to put some of my thoughts in wording but we warned, I’m not as eloquent as @M0N in the Lingua Audiophila and my critical listening skills are … yeah, well, I don’t know where they are. My listening is via Roon, local flac on a NAS, Tidal and Qobuz on dedicated streamers.
So on Project Stream Box S2 Ultra → WW Starlight 8 USB → La Voce S3-> WW Silver Eclipse 7 -RCA → Asgard 3 → DT1990 Dekoni Hybrid Pads.
Compared with the DAC it was replacing, Project Pre Box S2 Digital, its an improvement in everything I guess. First impression was the bass, it was more in presence, better extended, clearly defined, good bass is always welcome. What really stood out after a while is the depth and the accuracy in creating that depth and the image with it. Not every song does this as good but I was listening to some Beastie Boys, Brass Monkey I think, and they were positioned in a triangle, 1 front, 2 back. It was so real, like the front was 3-4m and the back 2 a few m behind, each on left and right, you could hear that distance and the image was so clearly painted that it was really lifelike. Soundstage was very wide on my DT1990, I’ve never experienced a soundstage this wide and deep on these headphones. I’ve read they soundstage pretty well and owning them I was like, ok, I get it, there is a bit of width to them, as far as headphones can do this. But now, with La Voce, wow, wide AND deep, I think only now I really understand what they are capable of, I’m pretty happy with how they scaled but now I want better headphones. One upgraditis cured, another in the making Also the Asgard 3, I’ve read it scales pretty well but for the money I really got a lot out of this pairing with the Aqua DAC and I’m really happy I got this depth thing going so well on the A3 + DT1990 combo.
Also worth mentioning is when I put the Bifrost 2 in the chain with Asgard 3, where it belongs. The initial impression was again with bass, there was immediately the impression of added bass. The Bifrost 2 has more slam to it, more meat on the bones and just more bass presence. It does not have the detail and definition from La Voce but the BF2 certainly has something going for it as well. My initial thought here was like damn, I will be losing some bass when I move this to the 2 channel… On soundstage and image, they don’t come close to La Voce I think but you can hear the BF2 making a good attempt in trying. There are hints of depth and the images are a bit hazy, you need some imagination to paint the picture. On La Voce it was sometimes so well defined that they could almost be there. BF2 is also pretty wide but I didn’t hear pops and little noise from far left and right like I did on La Voce. For the record, on the Project Pre Box S2 Digital its not worth talking about intangibles so I’m not comparing a lot there.
Then off to the 2-channel. There it replaced the Bifrost 2, my trustworthy knight in silver armor. The chain here was Ether Regen → Supra Cat 8+ → Sotm Ultra Neo + SPS500 → WW Starlight 8 USB → Aqua La Voce → Van den Hul The Rock RCA → Rega Aethos → Buchardt S400 MK2.
The changes on 2-channel are more subtle in most ways. Bass is a bit different, BF2 had a bit more slam maybe but La Voce seems to get more out of the recording in a way and gets more, well defined, bass from there if that makes sense. On the midrange, what stood out was the placement of the vocals. I didn’t really notice this on headphone, there it was mainly depth, depth, depth I noticed but On Englishman in New York for example it was like, hey, how come Sting is standing way over there now. I guess this is a DAC that puts you a few seats back, its also something that is more on some and less on others but it can certainly change the presentation compared to what you’re accustomed to. In my case it actually cured some forwardness in the upper mids I had in the speakers. By placing the stage a little further away, the forwardness was balanced out a bit. I miss a bit of the depth on speakers, I’m still/always playing with positioning but my room/setup is compromised in many ways so I’m not expecting any grand spectacles. Depth is there but not as clearly defined, not as deep as on headphones. Image is very sharp, no rough edges around instruments and soundstage is wide. There was also a noticeable improvement in dynamics with La Voce, on Jack Sparrow by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and with sections that had big changes in dynamics, it felt more as if there was an energy when the sound dropped or exploded. Also the little nuances in the play and separation of low and highs in the busy parts were from a different level then before on BF2.
On a general note I would describe this as a pretty neutral DAC, slightly tilted to the dark side maybe, with a smooth, laid back presentation. Tonality and timbre are natural, vocals have texture, soundstage is wide and deep, not front row but in the middle rows maybe. It impresses me especially with its accuracy in painting the image, the depth and then placement of sounds in that wide and deep soundstage.
On a more general note, this is my first DAC of this range in my house and I would have mixed feelings should I have payed 4k new for this. Diminishing returns and maybe even preference certainly come to mind when comparing with Bifrost 2. My respect for BF2 has grown and this little sucker punches way above its price level if you see some prices going these days. That being said, the small gap that La Voce closes brings you in awesome territory. You feel as if you have arrived at destination, the smoked glass is replaced with see through glass and you can finally see the painting now, especially on headphones. In that sense it gives you what you hoped for in every previous DAC but never quite got.
Now the warning, the experience with La Voce on headphone is sort of intoxicating/addictive, even on my very modest setup it brought me a lot of joy. I’ve resisted the headphone game, although being on this forum doesn’t help, and kept it modest. But putting this DAC on my desk has showed what my DT1990 can do, I’m already missing it and browsing the used markets again for DAC’s so that’s not a good sign. I’m also wondering a lot what a better headphone, let’s say ZMF Auteur, would add to the experience. I’m enjoying my BF2 but as the old saying goes, you can’t unhear what you have heard and I want it again. For my mental health I might just have to give in but my wallet has already tried to make a run for it. I need to act fast when something pops up, before conscience kicks in