Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC and Streamer Review

[Genkishi569]

I feel retroactively justified by this review. I bought the tambaqui just because it looked so good, and mostly out of trust that it would be good.

After acquiring the tambaqui, I completely regret buying the chord DAVE. Their product pictures made it look interesting, but it looks more like a giant mint tin a la star trek. It's absolutely hideous. I honestly want to kick the door down on whoever designed that monstrosity.

Before ASR, I think I would've been considered particularly eccentric for most forums (and as such, I lurked). My obsession with the appearance of the gear would probably rival the delusion of other audiophiles on their magic sauces. Now, I can buy for looks and not be looked at all weird.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I feel retroactively justified by this review. I bought the tambaqui just because it looked so good, and mostly out of trust that it would be good.

After acquiring the tambaqui, I completely regret buying the chord DAVE. Their product pictures made it look interesting, but it looks more like a giant mint tin a la star trek. It's absolutely hideous. I honestly want to kick the door down on whoever designed that monstrosity.

Before ASR, I think I would've been considered particularly eccentric for most forums (and as such, I lurked). My obsession with the appearance of the gear would probably rival the delusion of other audiophiles on their magic sauces. Now, I can buy for looks and not be looked at all weird.

Styling is in the eye of the beholder though.
I wouldn't consider any of the Mola-Mola products because of their look whereas the Dave looks fine to me and I have one of the beautifully made Blu transports for playing CDs which is gorgeous, though removing a disc is made more difficult than it should be by its design.

 

[Snoopy]

I feel retroactively justified by this review. I bought the tambaqui just because it looked so good, and mostly out of trust that it would be good.

After acquiring the tambaqui, I completely regret buying the chord DAVE. Their product pictures made it look interesting, but it looks more like a giant mint tin a la star trek. It's absolutely hideous. I honestly want to kick the door down on whoever designed that monstrosity.

Before ASR, I think I would've been considered particularly eccentric for most forums (and as such, I lurked). My obsession with the appearance of the gear would probably rival the delusion of other audiophiles on their magic sauces. Now, I can buy for looks and not be looked at all weird.

I've just looked up the "chord" stuff and they all look kinda ridiculous.

 

[HorizonsEdge]

Best product name EVER!

 

[norcalscott]

I've just looked up the "chord" stuff and they all look kinda ridiculous.

I think I'd be afraid to go to sleep at night with this thing in the house

 

[JJB70]

Chord's industrial design has always been marmite (love it or hate it) and wilfully different and stylised. Personally I find it a bit over the top and it doesn't rock my boat but I am glad that there are companies willing to do their own thing. Chord is an odd company, they often say stuff which feeds the crazy extremes of the audiophile hobby, but at the same time they are clearly very competent and capable. Personally I think their products are too expensive for what they are but there is clearly substance too
That sums up my feeling of this Mola Mola too, there is clearly substance and good design but I think the price is crazy given how little you have to spend to get a good DAC. In either case I understand why people will buy, and why not if you like it and can afford it. Buy what you like and like what you buy. Purchasing gear like this isn't a rational thing but a subjective decision, and subjective decisions like that are a personal thing. Those buying it are no more right or wrong than people like me who find it absurdly expensive and have no desire to buy.

 

[Music1969]

100.00% because of PWM = 1bit, hence requires high sample rate. I remember an old japanese DAC IC used PWM as well, and it wasn't bad for 1995 or so.

I found this:

So everything ends up as 1-bit 100MHz:

https://www.mola-mola.nl/assets/tambaqui-folder.pdf

 

[RustyGates]

Looks like a Chord Dave is due for measurement.

 

[T-NYC]

A brief comment on costs. The Mola Mola DAC was designed in 2013 to be the best possible at that time. In the lab there was further development, with improved specs, about 10dB better (Google for details). Bruno knew that the cost for that version would be yet higher and as this version was already the best money could buy -- clearly trouncing anything then available, decided not to push it further.

Of course he was already thinking about the designs that became Kii and PuRiFi products and looking forward to those challenges. Still it is remarkable that a product now eight years old is still the best performer -- by any percentage, but again -- it was designed at the time to be the best performer and to have excellent build-quality.

In 2020 the Topping DAC offers outstanding price-performance, with just okay build, remote, other niceties. It is seven years after Bruno's design and Topping is clearly aiming and to a large degree succeeding in being the best-budget product. Exactly what was Topping offering in 2013? Seven years had passed -- one hopes the baseline had changed.

Benchmark is in the middle of these prices and several comments on here compared Mola Mola and Benchmark on price. There is a major difference in cost structure. Benchmark is almost entirely sold direct from the firm. Mola Mola has tarriifs, importer markup, dealer markup. These add hugely to the price here in the USA. They also have nothing to do with the engineering. Would you like this product better if you could purchase it for $5,000 or less? Also I must ask -- what did Benchmark offer in 2013?

Headphone circuit was not designed by Bruno. The "boxed' DAC was released some years after the DAC module because of supply-chain demand. Someone else packaged the module and designed the headphone circuit.

Rather than assume negative things about the engineer, some common sense -- how long ago was this designed, and the additional cost layers of an import, need consideration.

As for me, I happily own an Oppo 205.

A dear friend owns a Porsche Boxster in one of the premium configurations. It's great! However I always say if I were in a position to make that kind of a purchase I'd get a Mazda Miata. For me it would be just as satisfying. But in real life as a one-car couple in NYC, we have a Mazda 3 that we are delighted with.

The tests show this is a great product. There is no reason to snipe that other products released seven years later now offer almost equal performance in a very basic budget-build level for less. Each has its place. I'd like to think ASR would always celebrate quality products that actually do what they say regardless of price.

 

[jtwrace]

My interview with Bruno goes into this a bit.

 

[amirm]

I'd like to think ASR would always celebrate quality products that actually do what they say regardless of price.

Such is the case and for that reason, this product got raving review from me.

Since I am not the one paying for it for you to purchase it, it is not my issue to worry about the cost. As such, I am happy to recommend the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC based on its measured performance and functionality.

 

[T-NYC]

Such is the case and for that reason, this product got raving review from me.

Amirm, I was not referring to your thorough and fair review; rather to unseemly and uninformed comments that occurred in this thread.

 

[TheTalbotHound]

I remember Bruno Putzeys, the designer of the Tambaqui, mentioning somewhere that he was designing a new PWM DAC. Any news on when this DAC will be released?

 

[Matias]

I remember Bruno Putzeys, the designer of the Tambaqui, mentioning somewhere that he was designing a new PWM DAC. Any news on when this DAC will be released?

Mola Mola Tambaqui Measurements

Hi Fred, thank you for attending me to this (because you mentioned me I received an alert). Having been deceiving by "reviewer" several internet sites and wasted money while I was naive in the past, I personally have been very suspicious of the review-based audio advertisment industry (e.g...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[T-NYC]

To the best of my knowledge he has no such plans. Bruno looks to fill niches that are underserved. He really altered the amplification landscape, making top performance affordable. His DAC set a new benchmark (intentional pun) in 2013. His analog preamp and phonostage also achieved new performance heights, and the astute who need such analog devices will have read his DIY whitepeper that basically lays out how to achieve similar performance. The Kii Three is the first and sole box speaker that satisfies Siegfried Linkwitz's criteria for high fidelity. PuRiFi is producing exceptional drivers and amplier modules for OEMs. As there are several really, really fine and extremely affordable DACs available, I'd look for him to tackle a new and different weak link.

 

[Matias]

My interview with Bruno goes into this a bit.

As per the interview above, new research is more in higher power modules or their own power supplies, but for amps that's it, no more point trying to further reduce distortion and noise in what is already excellent. A lot larger gains to be had with drivers.
I suppose the same applies to DACs as per the link I quoted above.

 

[Ra1zel]

The Kii Three is the first and sole box speaker that satisfies Siegfried Linkwitz's criteria for high fidelity

Wait... can you expand a little about that idea. I do remember that linkwitz was advocating active designs with directivity controll and dispersion patters like dipole and cardioid, but there are more speakers that are boxes that also satisfy these criteria.

 

[tktran303]

Bruno is Bruno, as usual! I met him finally on CES, after internet contact from 2003(diyaudio.com etc) Sorry for that showoff, I can't resist because I proud to know such people.

Me too. When you talk to him you can tell he has the mind of a sage.

Shifu!

 

[nagster]

Footnote 2: John Atkinson will present measurements of the Tambaqui as a Follow-Up review in the January 2022 issue.

Gramophone Dreams #55: Mola Mola Tambaqui D/A processor

Since the plague arrived, several of my closest audio friends have been chattering and bugging me constantly, not about masks, vaccines, Trump, or Biden but about Bruno Putzeys's digital-to-analog converter, the Mola Mola Tambaqui. They've been sending emails and texts like pesky kids:

www.stereophile.com

 

[Lorenzo74]

Footnote 2: John Atkinson will present measurements of the Tambaqui as a Follow-Up review in the January 2022 issue.

Gramophone Dreams #55: Mola Mola Tambaqui D/A processor

Since the plague arrived, several of my closest audio friends have been chattering and bugging me constantly, not about masks, vaccines, Trump, or Biden but about Bruno Putzeys's digital-to-analog converter, the Mola Mola Tambaqui. They've been sending emails and texts like pesky kids:

www.stereophile.com

At 6volts the only harmonic visible is the third… at the roots of the Universe level of -130dB…
John Atkinson certified what Amir measured on early 2020. State of the art