A DAC that can make digital sound analog?


Hi All,

I have a ModWright Oppo 105D. It’s excellent....but it sure don’t sound like vinyl or tape.

What DACs have you heard that really work like magic on digital audio files? 

I am interested in DACs that kill that digital glare/blare, that gives you that sense of ‘blackness’ or ‘darkness’ to the audio soundscape, really letting you hear into the mix...ya know that layering, space and depth that is very evident on tape.

Very curious to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!
128x128brettmcee
@ brettmcee
I have a serious suspicion that frequencies above 20kHz and below 20kHz are more detrimental than beneficial to audio reproduction.
I beg to differ, esp above 20kHz; the sense of space, clarity, and "smoothness" are directly influenced by frequencies in the upper regions. IMO it is redbook’s brick wall at 22kHz that makes it sound "harsh" rather than "crispy", "tiring", "truncated", etc. OTOH, hi-rez digital playback can sound very good—IF the original recording is comparably hi-rez, of course!
It’s just the same with vinyl: many of the better vinyls out there have content above 30-40kHz. The sonic result is, they sound "pleasant, smooth, enjoyable, real..." etc; in other words, vinyl was higher rez than much of the content we get nowadays!

@gregm http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/the-ortho-spectrum-analogue-reconstructor

I am speaking more of inaudible frequencies provided by digital means.

I am using the Ortho Spectrum AR-2000 now (see the link above). It has brought my digital much much closer to tape.

brettmcee,

I am also looking for a new unit. A CD only friend told me to look at Cambridge and Rega. Have you checked them out?

Perhaps the highest end marantz and ps audio system are the ticket for you? (SA-10; SA-KI Ruby; DirectStream). These upsample everything to DSD and output a 1-bit signal - the idea being a “digital-version” of an “analog” signal. I have the Ruby and only listen to vinyl for the novelty of playing my dad’s records. 
@sabrejet My ModWright Oppo outputting to/through the Ortho Spectrum AR-2000 might have ended my search.

Its a great combination.