The Music Room stays ahead of the curve! We are proudly and typically the first UK dealer (appointed by the importer) of CEN.GRAND audiophile products. This range of headphone amplifiers (£2,250 and the £3,995 “Silver Fox”) and DACs (£2,500 - £5,995) might be called the Chinese Esoteric. (And we were one of their first dealers!!) People aware of my enthusiasm know that I say it like it is but you may like to read impartial (we hope) and descriptive reviews such as the recent article on positive-feedback, USA.
We believe in these products – also in the people behind them; exceptional, caring, communicative and supportive, as is the distributor. Exclusive to us is a 240 volt rating we asked for, which is different from the EU 220-230 VAC. CEN.GRAND agreed with me that it enhances performance and I’m sure it will improve reliability. Most, no all, other manufacturers have ignored my similar requests.
When the reviewer (see below) says “sounds like vinyl” I agree that analogue is the Gold Standard; and it has now been accomplished. But this is the bygone Golden Age vinyl of SME, Linn, Michell, etc (in USA, VPI, SOTA – which the reviewer has) but today’s State of the Art has moved on, so the finest turntables emerging since (say) 2020 raise the bar, very audibly. Even disturbingly.
The American review reads as follows to reproduce just two paragraphs:
"The DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe sells for $6,219.95, which falls into the niche of affordable high-performance audio. I suggest you look closely at this machine, because this DAC plays music in a way that resets the paradigm of what high end digital should cost. In addition, it has eye catching good looks and a build quality that is not expected at this price range. …
If I were asked to sum up the sonic character of the Cen.Grand DSDAC1.0 (Deluxe) DAC, I would unhesitatingly use the phrase "sounds like vinyl." This comparison is not an exaggeration or hyperbole, but rather as accurate a description as I can imagine."
John Hoffman, January 2024