• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Ciúnas Audio ISO DAC Teardown and Failed Review

VintageFlanker

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 20, 2018
Messages
4,939
Likes
19,689
Location
Paris
Someone asked a question on the RME forums based on a Beekhuyzen video.
Only reply he got was "That guy is not a reference."
Oh my... He is not. This guy is one of the worst/most dangerous Audiophile Guru on YouTube.

He tries to look professional (then people think he is) but what he's saying is nothing but subjective BS over and over.
 

SIY

Grand Contributor
Technical Expert
Joined
Apr 6, 2018
Messages
10,383
Likes
24,749
Location
Alfred, NY
I've also test one of John's products, 8 or 9 years ago. It actually worked, but performed no better than a Chinese unit I bought off eBay for 5% of the price.

The same paradigm- take a stock unit and add some batteries. I got the strong feeling that he didn't understand basic electronics. Sadly, most of his attacks on me got deleted from the forum where the test appeared, but trust me, they were amusing.
 

617

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Messages
2,403
Likes
5,296
Location
Somerville, MA
Ciunas is old Irish for silence, which is appropriate for products which don't produce any sound I guess.
 

pkane

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 18, 2017
Messages
5,626
Likes
10,202
Location
North-East
In the first post it was pointed out the item did't work. Hard to do more of a review than it got

That's no excuse! Should still listen to it and do a blind test with the current reference DAC. Level matching may be a bit hard, though.
 

mkawa

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Sep 17, 2019
Messages
788
Likes
695
I've also test one of John's products, 8 or 9 years ago. It actually worked, but performed no better than a Chinese unit I bought off eBay for 5% of the price.

The same paradigm- take a stock unit and add some batteries. I got the strong feeling that he didn't understand basic electronics. Sadly, most of his attacks on me got deleted from the forum where the test appeared, but trust me, they were amusing.
worse, those batteries are for high current applications like power tools (actually, _exactly_ power tools). in a dac where quiescent current is half a watt, a bank of AAs would be both safer and be functionally the same. modern supercaps are also high current devices, so again, pointless.

this is a fire hazard and given the countless dac designs that aren't, it is monumentally stupid to design and prototype one that is and then to sell it to others.
 

617

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Messages
2,403
Likes
5,296
Location
Somerville, MA
In the first post it was pointed out the item did't work. Hard to do more of a review than it got

Amir neglected to use cable lifters and the unit went into protection
 

Tks

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Messages
3,221
Likes
5,494
Wish more devices had internals pics.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,381
Location
Seattle Area
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,381
Location
Seattle Area
? Sorry, not sure why l should, just thought you would have contacted him before writing.
You should because you are one of his customers and getting feedback now on whether his devices look different than the one I tested would be very useful.

As to why I don't do it, it is because I am not working for some publication who gets equipment on loan from manufacturers. I am here to give an expert opinion on performance and build quality of audio gear to owners. Think of me as a mechanic you would take with you to examine a car before buying it. If he tells you that the brakes are unsafe, you can't turn to him and say: "why don't you contact Ford and see what they say about that?"

Every review ends with an invitation to correct me. Manufacturers can do just that. And because this is the web, I can edit, augment or otherwise revise a review based on that feedback. Benchmark did that by providing me another unit which didn't have a tiny jitter issue I had found with a customer sample.

This case is different anyway in that the pictures are the pictures. My opinion of them can be ignored and you can judge the pictures yourself or by someone else you trust. Even to a lay person what is there should raise warning flags when you compare it to other products as I showed in the review.

Anyway, I am interested to know what John would say. I highly encourage you to contact him and tell him about this article and comment about it. If you are unwilling to do that, then I suggest not raising objections like this.
 

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,521
Likes
37,050
I think there is a question which is key to this teardown - was the product sold as a marketable product, or was it passed to the user on the clear understanding that it was a hand made prototype not of saleable quality? If it is the former then I think it is important to bring to peoples question just how badly made this thing is (I'd be ashamed to admit to this if I'd made it, never mind trying to sell it to others), if it is the latter then yes I would agree that the teardown needs to be put into context.

I'd like to see this determined as well. The only one who would know for sure is JK.

I once purchased an early Class D amp 2nd hand. It was from a boutique company that hand made their gear in low numbers. I was told it had been modified with the makers blessing to improve it. Well when I received it, the unit worked, but sounded very poor. I opened it up. The work inside would make the object of this review look like sterling top flight assembly and workmanship. Plus some mods were dangerous. Plus some mods altered the circuit in what were clearly incompetent ways.

The fellow who sold it to me, contacted the maker with serial number. Was told it was not blessed by them, in fact they knew who had done it. They were wanting to retrieve the unit to prevent someone thinking it represented their work. The seller refunded me and I shipped it back to him where he worked out something with the maker of the unit.

For all we know this ebay sourced unit isn't representative or was a prototype or something else. JK is the one who could say. He or owners of the unit could show us the interior to determine if they are all made this way or not. Considering the provenance of this unit I wouldn't have published this tear down until I knew if this was a representative sample or not. But that is water under the bridge at this point. JK needs to show us a photo of the inside of the units he sells.
 

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,521
Likes
37,050
I've also test one of John's products, 8 or 9 years ago. It actually worked, but performed no better than a Chinese unit I bought off eBay for 5% of the price.

The same paradigm- take a stock unit and add some batteries. I got the strong feeling that he didn't understand basic electronics. Sadly, most of his attacks on me got deleted from the forum where the test appeared, but trust me, they were amusing.

I've had the same experience on a couple forums with JK. It was apparent he didn't understand basic electronics. Yet here he is after all these years still selling product and with followers who believe.
 

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,521
Likes
37,050
That's no excuse! Should still listen to it and do a blind test with the current reference DAC. Level matching may be a bit hard, though.
Actually level matching this unit is easier than any other. And I can guarantee a null result once you do that. Meaning that at this low price once level matched it equals any other gear at any price or performance level.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,381
Location
Seattle Area
For all we know this ebay sourced unit isn't representative or was a prototype or something else. JK is the one who could say. He or owners of the unit could show us the interior to determine if they are all made this way or not.
A link to this teardown was posted on pinkfishmedia thread started by jkeny on a tour of his new version yesterday: https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/thr...ered-audio-devices.223682/page-8#post-3802862

As you see (or don't see) it was deleted this morning after the poster was shamed by telling him: "That's a bit of a 'below the belt' posting Julf."

It seems people don't want to know.
 

617

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Messages
2,403
Likes
5,296
Location
Somerville, MA
It's not like batteries are prone to fires and explosions.
 

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,521
Likes
37,050
Not the same bit of gear, but from JK. Looks like similar construction techniques.

JKSPDIF Mk 3.

1572635942253.png
 
Top Bottom