SPL Marc One

Great Converter

Sounds is fantastic and satisfied in professional results,

Works on modern Linux

The initial impression while opening the box is excellent seeing it packed in anti static foam. Beforehand i was slightly nervous to hook the SPL monitor controller up to a Linux computer.

When compared soundwise with a standard internal sound card or a top-selling external box it stands out because the Marc One sounds like music should sound. Another big plus is the availability of both balanced and unbalanced connections. Hence even a DI-box is included, albeit an expensive one. The cable from the switching power supply is a bit short. The box can get a bit warm, not hot, when placed inside a cabinet together with other components. The lack of a remote control can be difficult in some use cases, however i use the one from my integrated amplifier.

There was no mention anywhere if this machine would work on Linux. No doubt it was immediately recognized and available. Software wise (Alsamixer) there were no controls, so no one can mess with that.

After two days of using the machine in a simple setting i am pleased with its performance, although given SPL's rep i didn't expect anything else. I expect it to function above normal in a more difficult environment such as hardware and DAW combined or anything you can throw at the Marc One.

not a good value for money

At this price you wold expect very good quality both audio and build. None is the case here. the sound is good but very digital sound like(the sounds of the instrument a not natural they finish very abruptly) the sound stage front to back is not well represented the sound is stuck to the speakers(Focal Solo 6 BE). I compere with Arturia AudioFuse(V1) and is no contest in build quality, features, price and sound reproduction, for Audiofuse