I've been happy with my exaSound e32 Mk II DAC, which does DSD and MQA, the latter format being the reason I upgraded from the e12 DAC I'd had before. MQA via Tidal has been a great pleasure. The e32 Mk II is $2,500, and is returnable I believe; I don't think it's sold through dealers. It won't win any beauty contests but makes nice music. |
Another vote for R2R--even more so for NOS. Another vote for MHDT Labs Orchid w/tube buffer. Very nice sound. Another suggestion: ditch the USB input of whatever DAC you have & use coax cable coming from a SPDIF converter (there are a number of very good ones). So the USB cable goes into the converter, and coax cable comes out, going to DAC. I use a Musical Fidelity 24/192 converter w/a silver coax cable from Oyaide--and I'll never go back to USB straight into the DAC. @alexbpm, what mods of Grannyring's do you refer to? I bought cables from him once, but didn't know he modded DACs. |
@larseand ,Head over to Audiocircle and check the threads in the Discless Circle for the Musical Paradise MP-D2 DAC thread for owner reviews. I was in the same search as you a couple years ago and took a chance on the MP-D2 MkII. You can spec the DAC chip (I'd recommend the AK4497), and run a full range of tubes options. I've settled on a NOS Westinghouse 5U4G rectifier and a matched set of NOS Amperex JAN 7308 tubes. The sound is glorious and towards the full, warm side of the spectrum. Swapping driver tubes to a set of NOS BEL ECC88, yields a very different signature (lighter, more sparkle up top). So, the tube compliment plays a big role. All in at about $1500. You could spend the rest on nice cables. It's worth looking into this hidden gem. |
Musical Paradise MP D2 mk3. User can roll both tubes and caps. And you can use both 12 or 6 volt signal tubes and 5 or 6.3 volt rectifier tubes. Capacitors are not soldered, just get installed with thumbscrews. Options include TOTL Crystek clocks and interchangeable AKM or ESS Pro chip sets. You can find your way to any type of warmth or "musicality" you like. |
My highest recommendation for your budget goes to the Lampizator Atlantic. I suggest you contact Lukasz Fikus directly @ lampizatorpoland@gmail.com. |
Interesting comment about the Gungnir besting the Qutest. I've owned both and my impression is exactly the opposite. At the Arizona Audio Video Club DAC shootout last August (well designed, level matched, 0.5 seconds between selection switching using a $100k+ system in a purpose built room), most of the thirty or slightly more participants choose the Qutest over the Yaggdrasil. The Black Ice Audio Glass FX Tube DAC DSD came out on top. |
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@arafiq , good points , +1. And even if one was present at the session, your recall of the sound in the studio or venue will color your expectations.... "Warm" is, unfortunately, another vague term. If you want a 'warm' sound from a digital source, one could 'back their DAC' to a SET, and feed it to some Maggies'. If that's not enough, one may have to place the DAC on a table top plate warmer.... "A man has to know his limitations...." The same for audioanything.... Cheers, and good luck, J |
I would second the R2R path. I recently did a post comparing Denafrips AresII with a Topping. I guess I cannot definitely say it is the fact that it was an R2R, but I would describe the sound as producing more natural sounding instruments. Not sure what is meant by warm but if it's analog and natural or palpable, this DAC did that, for me. |
Went from a Schiit Gungnir Multibit (R2R chip) to a Lampizator Amber 3 (DS chip + tubes) and it does everything so much better. I was shocked by the improvement having heard only small differences between dacs before. And I used to be a stickler for R2R. Not sure how it measures but it sounds incredible. And yes it did smooth out the top end without taking away detail and clarity (if not adding more). Point being that you should focus on the sound, functions you require, and synergy with your other gear ... instead of underlying tech (or lack thereof). |
If he wants R2R instead of Delta Sigma then Holo Springs or Denefrips Ares are worth looking at.+1 on that both very good sounding R2R. PCM, Redbook, 16/44, 24/96, or DXD. is bit perfect when converted by R2R Multibit. DS (Delta Sigma) can only give you a facsimile of it, and is also bit of a yawn to listen to. But can do DSD or SACD Cheers George |
Larseand, rsjaurr beat me to it. I would suggest a used Metrum Acoustics Pavane or Adagio as well as Cee's latest R2R DAC the Sonnet Morpheus.... I own both and I find them very detailed and smooth with a large sound stage ( Morpheus has more center image focus) Not for nothing but you might be trying to find a component to tame the beryllium tweeters in those Focals. Maybe it's them you want to replace??? Just a thought John |
Dear larseand, since you already own a PS Audio PW transport I've no doubts in suggesting you to pair it witha very musical, transparent, detailed but still really pleasant Direct Stream dac. I own that couple and they are probably the only fixed point in my system. It will be a perfect match for your Focal and you can use it as a preamp as well as it has an accurate voulme control and a lot of digital inputs, moreover if you should acquire any interest in files streaming in the future, you can add the bridge module. Ciao Mario |
Although this may seem suspicious due to the similarity of our names.. I’m in complete agreement with djones, and believe that those of you paying big bucks for old/inferior DAC technology are being duped by manufacturers who are all too glad to take your money. Few here seem to understand detailed DAC and AMP measurements and what they mean, and there seems to be little tolerance for those of us who are able to digest this info and use it to inform our purchasing decisions. For example, I use a $250 SMSL balanced DAC that measures better than basically everything mentioned in this thread so far. Best DAC I’ve ever owned.. I feel like some of you NEED it to cost more, otherwise you won’t believe that you’re having the audiophile experience you paid for. That one piece of my system hasn’t stopped me from spending more in other places, it just so happens that recent advances in DAC manufacturing and testing have enabled this kind of value for money. For those of you with money to waste, by all means, do so to your hearts content, just know that it’s not always necessary and you could be spending the money on other improvements. If anybodies wondering, my name is a reference to the third season of Twin Peaks 😀 |
People forget that this is a hobby, not a freakin’ science project. I don’t have a problem with someone basing their buying decisions solely on measurements - to each his own. But to unilaterally declare it as some sort of a universal truth is rather juvenile. It’s perfectly fine to say that one would never buy a product that does not measure well on paper, we can certainly respect that point of view. Nowadays, most manufacturers have access to equipment to measure their products, it’s not rocket science anymore. This is exactly why a company like Topping can produce equipment that measures extremely well and sounds excellent by all accounts. But why is it so hard to understand that sometimes designers want to express themselves in a way that might not satisfy the measurement nazis but appeal to a specific segment. Secondly, I’m always amazed when someone proclaims that the equipment should be true to the recording/source. Exactly how do you know how a recording is supposed to sound like? Were you there when it was being recorded? And why can’t we use a DAC to "color" the sound? Where does it say that coloration is only allowed downstream? |
What DAC do you have now? I have the same speakers and a Raven integrated tube amp. Had a topping DAC (delta sigma) that was good but found the top end a bit bright, and sound slightly dry/clinical. Initially thought about upgrading to a DAC w/ akm chip but went another route by looking at R2R and tube DACs. From what I read that was best way to take the edge off the highs and get more analog warmth plus bigger soundstage. Ended up with a used Lampizator Amber 3 tube DAC for price around your budget. Soundstage exploded, sound more tubey and analog, don't have issue with top end being bright anymore. I think the DAC upgrade has made the biggest change to my system's sound other than the Focal speakers. The other DACs I was considering were the Denafrips Ares II or Pontus R2R DACs, the Holo Audio Spring R2R DAC, or the Musical Paradise tube DAC, but never got to listen to them. My second choice probably would have been the Holo Audio DAC, lots of good reviews including being a Stereophile class A recommended component if that means anything but again never heard it. Will also mention that before I upgraded the DAC I got a Schitt Loki and turned down the top end just a hair and that definitely helped with brightness. But now with the Lampizator DAC don't need the Loki. |
