Sharing an SACD User Experience with the Essence HDACC II-4K HDMI DAC ($649) by Garret Kriston, Musician / Writer – January 8, 2022
I’m happy to report that I got extremely lucky with the Essence HDACC II-4K. Having upgraded to a universal 4K player with SACD capabilities, the next step was integrating
my stereo system into a home theater setup for more immersive and detailed sound, and finally getting to hear the Super Audio layers on my hybrid SACDs. Not being too enthused about the prices of DACs or the prospect of replacing my receiver, I thankfully stumbled onto exactly what I was looking for and dealing directly with Bob Rapoport made it easier every step of the way.
The HDACC II-4K was delivered within 48 hours, and Bob provided a lot of helpful information that supplemented what was in the manual, which made for a straightforward setup process. I did have a few troubleshooting inquiries that he answered promptly via e-mail, even looking into specs regarding my specific player to make sure that I was getting the most out of the HDACC II-4K’s capabilities.
Having now listened through both speakers and headphones, use of the HDACC II-4K has revealed layers left to explore within my library of music and movies, and the clarity and depth of sound already have me geared up for dedicated listening to albums that I thought I was overly familiar with.
Going from having mainly heard ancient CD or worn-out vinyl editions of classics like The White Album, There’s A Riot Goin’ On, and White Light/White Heat to high-resolution PCM and DSD at a quadrupled sample rate really ups the mileage that I continue to get from them. Just hearing and seeing that the HDACC II-4K is accurately processing the 192kHz audio track on Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps concert Blu-ray is a testament to the potential of home audio and feels awfully close to the ideal way to experience this timeless music.
I’m more than satisfied with the HDACC II-4K as a solid long-term investment for getting the most out of the ongoing abundance of high-resolution media, allowing one to appreciate both the finer details of recorded music and the crucial role that audio plays in the film viewing experience. (I haven’t quite dove into testing out movies yet, but getting a taste of the audio on the 4K UHD disc of Beverly Hills Cop through my headphones was quality-wise far beyond anything that I’d ever heard through them before. Garret Kriston, Musician / Writer
Link to HDACC II-4K Product Page with 26 more user testimonials just like this one. This device is useful to anybody using multiple HDMI AV devices such as Nvidia Shield, Apple TV4K, 4K Universal Blu-ray players, the latest game consoles, and the best music streamers and servers with HDMI output.