I've been listening to mine for about a week now and here's the run-down on how they're sounding with a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 1's:
Pros:
They are pretty overall neutral-sounding and the built-in dac is clean and accurate.
There's plenty of power, and there's no way I'd be listening at the levels this thing is capable of sending.
I was surprised to see how small its form-factor was. Much smaller footprint than its predecessor, a Rotel RA-01.
Cons:
No 1/4" headphone jack. I would have assumed that was a standard for stereo equipment, but isn't a deal-breaker.
The headphone output is just bad. The RA-01 filled out the low end much better than the AD18. Sounds weak.
I don't really like the volume control - it doesn't seem fine tuned enough for my tastes, and the click dial feels clunky.
Using one dial to control every function of the unit is frustrating, but once you figure it out it's ok.
mgwashWhich headphones do you use? The headphone output on the AD18 is noisy with low-impedance or sensitive headphones and IEMs, but is pretty good when used with Sennheiser HD595 or the HD6XX.
Pros: They are pretty overall neutral-sounding and the built-in dac is clean and accurate. There's plenty of power, and there's no way I'd be listening at the levels this thing is capable of sending. I was surprised to see how small its form-factor was. Much smaller footprint than its predecessor, a Rotel RA-01.
Cons: No 1/4" headphone jack. I would have assumed that was a standard for stereo equipment, but isn't a deal-breaker. The headphone output is just bad. The RA-01 filled out the low end much better than the AD18. Sounds weak. I don't really like the volume control - it doesn't seem fine tuned enough for my tastes, and the click dial feels clunky. Using one dial to control every function of the unit is frustrating, but once you figure it out it's ok.