AUDIO MIRROR TUBADOUR MKIV DAC

noticeable 3dB bump up in volume. I have the CD version but, for this review, instead I chose that slightly hyped remastered stream [Qobuz 44.1/24 Rhino–Warner Records]. It has a sharp top and louder low end that the 16/44.1 original lacks, making for a more obvious comparison. The remaster also includes the infamous shorter original “premix” that Horn updated and extended for the subsequent wider release. The Tubadour IV SE delivered on the axiom, “Go big or go home!” A wide soundstage, with silky detail and muscular bottom, all blended into a delicious whole. There’s a breakdown in the song at 4:59 and a huge synth bass drum comes in at 5:17. The mix is already over the top but this “kick” brought a smile to my face as it pressurized the room. For a different perspective, I had Mytek’s oversampling Liberty DAC II in house for an upcoming review. At half the price, you’d expect lesser performance and you’d be right. Now, the Liberty DAC II isn’t chopped liver but it lacks the subtle refinement exhibited by the Tubadour.

Straight out of Akron Ohio, jazz guitarist Dan Wilson’s latest is an uptempo romp through his own original material as well as chestnuts like “Eleanor Rigby” [Qobuz 48k Mack Avenue/Brother Mister Productions]. I’m not usually a fan of guitar jazz, but Things Eternal is powerful as well as subtle, with clean, modern engineering and a pleasant, close mic’d sound. About a minute in, the band lays back for an extended, minute–long solo by bassist Brandon Rose. As before, the soundstage was diminished through the Liberty DAC II, flatter and narrower.

Being a new–fashioned oversampling design, I would have expected the Mytek to be more precise, but this wasn’t the case. Well, I had to pick a descriptor to typify the two DACs, for the Liberty II I’d have to choose “taut” at the top and bottom. As seems to be the case when comparing well executed R-2R and oversampling designs, they are fundamentally different views of the same work. Overall the T4 is “relaxed” in the bottom and top, without blurring or loss of detail. Aggressiveness in recordings is managed through the T4. With present technology, only a locally stashed DXD file can be played back undisputedly at 352.8kHz. MQA can unfold to that sample rate but it won’t be completely

DSD, at least double (a.k.a. DSD2 or “DSD128”) to really communicate the complexity of the instrument. Morten Lindberg’s immaculate 2008 release of String Quartets vol. I: Haydn-Solberg-Grieg by Engegårdkvartetten [352.8/24 2L] gets the job done nicely, as does the Tubadour. Four busy bowed instruments under condenser mic scrutiny, two violins plus a viola and cello, can sound scratchy, slightly confused and often bleached of their richness. T4 to the rescue, imparting the texture and bite without being biting, yet still sketching the acoustical outlines of the venue; Oslo’s intimate, wooden A–frame Jar Church.

Husband and wife team Michael Trotter, Jr. and Tanya Blount make up The War and Treaty. Their R&B tinged Americana cut “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me” from their 2023 album Lover’s Game [Qobuz 96k UMG Nashville] is a full throated rebuttal of Satan’s evil behavior. Blount and Trotter perfectly play off each other in a recording impeccably captured by studio product, with the T4 exhibiting a lush panorama of keys, percussion and guitar all placed in a tasteful reverberant space. These two have serious pipes and the Tubadour let’s you slip into Blount’s sweet sound, at times reminiscent of Aretha. Despite overdubbing, each and every aspect of the mix is clearly conveyed thanks to the T4’s ability to delineate and define subtlety without harshness or grit. The T4 portrays the album’s production refinement which eschews the excess polish often heard in many Nashville recordings. A side note about Bazelkov’s chops. I was fortunate enough to hear the upcoming Tubadour V on his home system. That rig consists of horn–loaded speakers and hollow state amplifiers, both of his own design and construction, as well as a next generation Tubadour. For comparison, he had another DAC in the house. At $30k, one that would stretch the budget of the majority of audiophiles. Comparing LampizatOr’s flagship golden behemoth The Pacific, the T5 offered a more solid low end, improved midband clarity, and a cleaner, more extended top. This is an excellent example of smart design triumphing over eye candy.

“Pretty In Pink”, the fifth track on Lola Young’s new My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves

Completely

[Qobuz 44.1k Universal/ Island Records], is a big pouty multitrack mess of ennui and weariness of a relationship going south. When the jazzy bass comes in near the end, it’s a snappy surprise that T4 delivers out of the generous reverb wash. Liberty DAC II produced a soundstage confined within the speakers. Bass from the Mytek was firmer but slimmer.

With its blocky, rectilinear fascia, hemispheric knobs and minimalist but informative controls, the Tubadour IV SE showcases a retro design, but it certainly is hefty and rugged. One last item regarding construction quality…the stated warrantee is 2 years. That said, Bazelkov always has performed repairs for free, no matter how old the unit is. “All my customers know that whatever I build and sell; a DAC, preamp or power amp; unless it is a major, out of warranty repair, I repair for free even out of warranty.” Typically, the customer only covers shipping.

From hard rock to show tunes, Die Antwoord to The Bad Plus, the Tubadour IV SE had me aggressively nodding in time (if only I had long hair again…) or belting out the lyrics, deeply immersed in the artists’ intent. Merason, Mytek and Ayre have excellent offerings at higher and lower price points, but the Tubadour shares that comfortable middle segment of the consumer DAC market with the oversampling exaSound as a worthy rival. Standing head and shoulders above the bottom feeder R–2R imports, the Tubadour IV SE confers a refined and powerful sound. Audio Mirror’s DAC should be on the short list of every audiophile searching for mid–priced conversion bliss.

Tubadour IV SE R-2R Tube DAC $3500 https://www.audiomirror.com/ contact@audiomirror.com