The Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC

[Matias]

1 hour ago, yyz said:

I was reading some of the comments earlier on this thread wondering about the volume control of the Tambaqui direct to amp vs Makua w/DAC. It seemed like the posters were saying the Tambaqui was better. The dealer I contacted for Mola Mola seemed to feel the Makua was the easy winner. The review posted above also indicated the Makua was better for volume.

 

Yes, from what I searched and posted on the other thread, Makua should be better to drive power amplifiers directly:

 

From what I understood the Makua with DAC volume is relay-based and "directly controls the gain of the output stage", while Tambaqui uses the same output stage but always at maximum gain and the volume is digital attenuation only.

 

I bought an used Makua with DAC.

[firedog]

@The Computer Audiophile

Ever try and get one of these to review? Any interest?

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, firedog said:

@The Computer Audiophile

Ever try and get one of these to review? Any interest?

Very interested. 
 

I’ll put it on my list. For some reason I just overlooked this one. 

[PYP]

5 hours ago, yyz said:

I was reading some of the comments earlier on this thread wondering about the volume control of the Tambaqui direct to amp vs Makua w/DAC. It seemed like the posters were saying the Tambaqui was better. The dealer I contacted for Mola Mola seemed to feel the Makua was the easy winner. The review posted above also indicated the Makua was better for volume.

 

I have not heard the Makua, but it seems an earlier post suggested that Mola Mola considers them nearly equal.  Why not choose depending upon your need for inputs/functions instead?  If you want one piece of gear that is a streamer/DAC/preamp and that accepts copper ethernet, the Tambaqui is the better option of the two.  In the U.S., the Tambaqui is available to try before buying.  Not sure what other distributors provide...   

[Davidny]

I think Mola Mola designed the Makua and Tambaqui thoughtfully, in order of increasing performance, and of course price

Tambagui = straight to power amp

Makua = preamp with integrated DAC

Tambaqui = to external preamp

And of course selection of input / output & power cables makes a big difference.

 

By the way Mola Mols just introduced a major software upgrade for the Tambaqui and the control app (for your iPad) which is much more user friendly.

[firedog]

2 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Very interested. 
 

I’ll put it on my list. For some reason I just overlooked this one. 

There are people who prefer it to EMM. Will be interesting to hear your reaction if you get one. 

[barrows]

There are some engineering similarities between Mola Mola's and EMM's approach to D/A conversion.  Both do the final conversion using a discrete, single bit, converter architecture, at very high sample rate.  100 MHz rate for Mola Mola, and EMM at 45.1584 MHz.  Of course both use different approaches for the oversampling engine: Ed Meitner's approach seem to adapt the digital filters on the fly, which sounds like an approach which is rather unique.  And then there is the very important analog output stage, both use discrete circuits oof their own design.

I have not heard the latest EMM gear, but sure would like to hear the DV2 sometime, i suspect it is right up my alley sound wise!  I already know that I love the sound of the Mola Mola DACs...

[Ran]

The Tambaqui Ethernet input supports only the roon protocol which is a deal breaker for me.

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, Ran said:

The Tambaqui Ethernet input supports only the roon protocol which is a deal breaker for me.

You’d need to add in a Rendu. 

[Ran]

1 minute ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

You’d need to add in a Rendu. 

 

I can add many things but for the price one would expect wider support of streaming protocols.

 

[guiltyboxswapper]

19 minutes ago, Ran said:

The Tambaqui Ethernet input supports only the roon protocol which is a deal breaker for me.

Sure?  Website mentions DLNA via ethernet too as an option.  Bugger.

[Ran]

33 minutes ago, guiltyboxswapper said:

Sure?  Website mentions DLNA via ethernet too as an option.  Bugger.

 

Yes. Email from Mola-Mola confirmed Roon only.

[guiltyboxswapper]

1 minute ago, Ran said:

 

Yes. Email from Mola-Mola confirmed Roon only.

 

Criminal given the price, i'm not a Roon fan either.

[barrows]

2 hours ago, Ran said:

The Tambaqui Ethernet input supports only the roon protocol which is a deal breaker for me.

One does not have to use the Ethernet input of course.  One is free to use a separate Renderer which does support one's preferred streaming protocol, and subsequently the USB input of the Tambaqui (or Makua, whatever).  There may even be a sonic improvement by using a separate Renderer (I have no experience testing the Tamabaqui's Ethernet input).

I would also suggest that complaints aside, I think most will find the asking price for the Tambaqui is quite reasonable (even if it had no Ethernet input at all), as the DACs which it competes with sonically are often quite a bit more expensive.

[Matias]

FYI new Mola Mola Kula integrated amp released.

 

[Davidny]

Review from David Robinson of Positive Feedback

https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/impressions-the-mola-mola-tambaqui-dac/

[PYP]

1 hour ago, Davidny said:

Review from David Robinson of Positive Feedback

https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/impressions-the-mola-mola-tambaqui-dac/

 

The conclusion: "The Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC is an absolutely extraordinary, top-o'-the-heap product, true reference-grade in every way."  While the review concentrates on DSD, good old Redbook sounds fantastic (even good resolution internet radio sounds very good).  It is a beguiling DAC!  

[Davidny]

Another very positive review of the Tambaqui DAC.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0820/Mola_Mola_Tambaqui_Hi_Res_Stereo_DAC_Review.htm

[PYP]

4 hours ago, Davidny said:

Another very positive review of the Tambaqui DAC.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0820/Mola_Mola_Tambaqui_Hi_Res_Stereo_DAC_Review.htm

 

when a reviewer calls gear captivating and beguiling, you know he hears something special.  

[barrows]

4 minutes ago, PYP said:

 

when a reviewer calls gear captivating and beguiling, you know he hears something special.  

Hopefully he means the music, as presented by the Tambaqui, is captivating and beguiling!

I have loved the Mola Mola DACs every time I have heard them...

[PYP]

48 minutes ago, barrows said:

Hopefully he means the music, as presented by the Tambaqui, is captivating and beguiling!

I have loved the Mola Mola DACs every time I have heard them...

 

Indeed he does!   It was your post about the Mola Mola DAC that got me interested in hearing one.  So, thank you for spending my money wisely.     

[Matias]

I always wonder why the Tambaqui got more of the reviewers' attention and owners than the Makua. Is it the price difference? Smaller size maybe? Owners wanting to keep their preamps or integrated? Additional digital inputs? Headphone output is not a very mentioned feature.

What do you think?

[yyz]

2 hours ago, Matias said:

I always wonder why the Tambaqui got more of the reviewers' attention and owners than the Makua. Is it the price difference? Smaller size maybe? Owners wanting to keep their preamps or integrated? Additional digital inputs? Headphone output is not a very mentioned feature.

What do you think?

 

 I think there is a little negative connotation with having a DAC internal to a preamp or integrated. A separate external DAC seems preferred by folks with a lot of time or money invested in their systems. At least that is the sentiment I picked up on from A'gon posts. Maybe the reviewers feel the same.

 

Eliminating 1 extra box is my preference, though that is not what I ended up doing. I went with the Benchmark HPA4 preamp (same as Benchmark LA4) instead of the Makua. Maybe ignorance is bliss but I think the HPA4 is one of the finest components I have ever heard.

 

I still need a second DAC for my office system and the Tambaqui or the Denafrips T+ are what am considering to pair with the HPA4. So the flexibility afforded by an external DAC is what I will end up relying on.

[Davidny]

Greg Weaver relly likes the Tambaqui.

 

 

[Stereophilus]

I posted this in a different thread: 

probably more relevant to this thread.