Or just buy a good single ended amp and you don’t have to worry about it balanced period lol. It is irritating that both connectors on the 5k or the 800 are somewhat proprietary but both of them can be purchased on their own so doesn’t matter too much. Or just reterminate the end of the cable that works too lol
1 Like
First impressions are lasting ones…
Its a small, very well built, designed and engineered dac, with filters, crossfeed and all the usual inputs and a internal class A amp FWIU with SE and Balanced XLR outputs.
The iFi doenst have the XLR output and it costs alot more…$3495 for the new signature series version…vs $1299 for the Soekris 2541.
More bells and whistles on the iFi Pro iDSD for sure and TUBES if thats your thing. And it does DSD to 512 and 1024 very well…so that might be a thing for you ?
Very easy to use and select stuff…
The Soekris is an industrial looking piece of gear, retro style looking that tells me it here to do the job!! I really like the black front panel and it digital volume control. I prefer this over the traditional motorized pot in the iFi…the pot in the iFi is great…just a small personal thing…
To compare with other dacs in my systems, I set the level to 00 with the digital control and the front button to LINE and listen, But at this “00” setting the clipping light does come on from time to time…this has been noted by Soren and discussed on another site…just set the level to -01. Some say they have to set this to -03 for some music.
The nice thing here is the ability to reduce the output when using it and its filters to avoid driving stuff hard. You have this ability with the iFi via its 4 position switch in the read (screwdriver).
At first when listening the iFi takes the prize in clarity and a sound I am used to and prefer…but after careful level setting its really close…over a wide variety of music they are to me very similar…its at the point that it and it iFi allow you to tell the difference between most recordings…they both are that good in being able to resolve all the details in a recording. I abhor using terms that others on sites use to try to accurately describe the sound of stuff with often very confusing terms for such a subjective topic.
The thing I would state is this is a neutral uncolored “sounding” dac…the filters do “things” to the sound but they are all very slight…and unless you have very, very resolving headphones and very good source material it will be hard to tell the differences. A nice touch in the logic of the 2541 is you can select a filter and have it remember that filter used over the inputs selected. The crossfeed function only works with headphones from what I read in the manual.
The Soekris 2541 is an excellent dac for $1299…and holds its place well against dacs costing more than twice its costs. It may not have all the bell and whistles that some other AIO’s have, but for a solid, well built dac this is indeed a great choice.
The last thing is the internal headamp…for the price the first thing some folks jump out is immediately stating at this price range its a ho-hum amp that will do in a pinch. Rubbish. Its a decent amp that drove anything I had a 60 ohms to 420 ohms very well. The iFi does have more power. 1.5 or 4 watts depending on the jack you use.
I wouldnt use this amp to drive Susvaras and He6se’s but for 98% of the other stuff it does very well.
It has a 3 yr warranty, and I like this as well. The iFi only has a 12 month warranty !! ?? !! iFi should upgrade their warranty IMO. And I like iFi stuff.
So far the 2541 is working very well…I will never use all the inputs. If you only are looking for a solid well built, well engineered and neutral dac with a decent price considering the high costs of this stuff out there. This unit would suffice very well…
Alex
4 Likes
Nice review. Would you say this is a large upgrade over the Bifrost 2? It is just about double the price.
1 Like
Honestly I wouldnt say it is a “BIG” upgrade, but a very similar but different one. I wanted to try it out of curosity. Wanting to see what Sorens latest “magi” was. Its really good.
If you have a Schiit Bifrost 2 and really like it, IMO no need to update…but only your ears will be able to tell this…so you have to try it to really see.
$700 vs $1300 for sure more cost…
You get SE and balanced outs, but have a built in amp SE and balanced outs. 4 filters to play with and crossfeed. Having an adjustable level for the output is really nice thing as well…but worth the price difference…well ?
1 Like
Sounds like a very nice unit but I think I am done upgrading my DAC/amps.
Fun reading about it though. 
2 Likes
@ShaneD your a lucky man if your happy with your stuff and it makes u smile!
Great place to be!
The best!
Alex
1 Like
I am happy on the DAC, DAP and amp fronts.
I can’t imagine ever being 100% satisfied on the headphone front though. I have sold three sets in the last month and will likely be selling three more sets before Christmas.
Meanwhile, I am researching Kennerton headphones. 
1 Like
This is the best and most important part of the chain!!
That transducer!!
Have fun!
:>)
2 Likes
I think I agree with this. I used to be all about the DAC, but now that a) I have and love the BF2 and b) I have been able to acquire a few reasonably good headsets, I now see that it’s the headphones that can have the most significant impact (to a point). It seems to be proportional to your gear.
Meaning, if I go ahead and get a set of Focal Utopia or some other ultra high-end set, I don’t think I would be getting the most out of them because of the signal chain. So it seems like the trick is to try and match capabilities to get the best synergy. In my circumstances, I think I can do one more bump in headphone quality before I’m “maxed out”.
And thanks for the input on the 2541. If the BF2 were to go away on me today, this would most likely be the DAC I would try and get to replace it. At least as of today! You know how that goes.
3 Likes
For Sure…
The B2 is an excellent dac…for sure…
Even with a TOTL type of can its sometimes hard to honestly discern or “detect” a difference that equates to the cost…you know how that goes!!
Enjoy the music while you can!
Alex
3 Likes
I think I am liking the Soekris 2541 more than the iFI DSD and less than 1/2 the cost!! oh my!
Pairing it with most of my amps is really very, very good. Clean, clear, transparent…neutral.
Super buy for the Soekris here…
4 Likes
Funny, having the B2 hear since day 1 and the B1 since its day 1 as well it was my gold standard. Still is a great dac…
It took 3 days of contrasting with the iFi iDSD Pro dac to sell the B2. Sad but…then this 2541 shows up and its as good as the iFi dac here…
I as always rotate thru my stuff…get tired of one setup, move on to another combination…new smiles listen and then rinse and repeat.
This am with the Final Audio D8000 Pros using the “lowly” op amp part of the Soekris 2541 with SE !
Its like why do I need all the rest of this stuff…its really so sweet and pleasing.
This unit for its cost is a really, really sweet AIO…so I am now tempted to start selling stuff once again!
…and the world turns!
Enjoy the Music!
Alex
3 Likes
Soekris makes some fine DAC’s. I’ve owned a couple, they sound great, are quite flexible and feature rich. Incredible pieces for their price point. Being able to upload different filters is also a plus, if you are into tinkering. (Do the latter at your own risk)
1 Like
I am fine with the filters in the unit, I honestly dont hear a really big difference and usually have the filters “off” or no light on…
I can relate. I am not able to hear much, if any difference with rapid A/B testing. It was more try one a week or two at a time then switch. I bought a programing cable and did try some different filters looking for something to be as close to “NOS” as could get, but alas… went back to the factory filters. I ultimately settled on the “Butterworth” (Green) as my favorite with my chain and HPs.
There is a decent community of filter rollers like I said, if it is something that one is into, the Soekris DACs can accommodate and might be a plus to someone looking for that.
Yes there is no real NOS with the 2541, I bought the iFI iDSD dac so I could have a NOS dac to see how I would like this…and its decent as well…I like both dacs very much…use one for a week then the other.
Is there any real danger in “bricking” the dac in the process?
There is always a chance something could go wrong - hence the earlier “Do at your own risk” disclaimer.
Lately I have spent quite alot of time listening with the ADX 5000’s via the little Schiit Vali 2 + and a old NOS Channel Master tube being fed via the 2541 and its really a very nice pairing.
The ADX can be bright at times, listening to some old Joni Mitchell vocals this pairing mellows out the tunes and its quite lovely.
Hejira CD and Blue Motel is just superb…makes the ADX 5000’s really nice and mellow…for this airy headphone…
Imagine only a $150 amp!! LOL!
Ah Life is good!
Alex