Am I alone in the world using a 1997 high end pro sampler as a DAC?


Samplers are essentially a ADC/DAC on steroids.

I have blind tested it against some 2025 DAC units over £1500 retail, and this beast came out on top.

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It will surely measure terribly compared to state-of-the-art current DACs, but certainly I’ve found some of the older stuff is simply musical and enjoyable. I have an ancient Meridian 566.24 DAC I quite enjoy (the DAC portion of the famous 508 CD player). I think it’s from the same era as your DAC. The more recent (still old) high end Meridian stuff is better (808, UltraDAC) - but it’s amazing how well that 566 holds up for simply enjoying music.

Tried an RME ADI-2 Pro "Black Edition", which measures wonderfully - and simply hated the sound. It was like sandpaper to my ears. I’m very much a Koetsu / SPU type of subjectivist audiophile, not a "clean & neutral, wire with gain" objectivist one. So take that for what you will.

But yes, I certainly believe that bleeding edge modern tech and exotic parts are NOT necessary to a musical DAC - and in fact, can move it in the other direction. But the mastering quality of digital material is still the main issue here, overriding our hardware choices. I simply find a better "hit rate" of good-sounding masters on vinyl. All of my Japanese CDs sound amazing, though.

Some might claim I don’t have a resolving enough system, or hearing nuanced enough to properly appreciate the vast gains of modern digital source. And I could counter with the fact that (in my mid 40s) I’m on the low side of age-related hearing loss for Audiogon’s demographic cheeky I like a warm and smooth, full-bodied sound, and yes probably a bit of roll-off up top. A lot of modern gear sounds just way too "tipped up" for me. ** also I listen at louder SPLs compared to most audiophiles, which is certainly also a factor in my preferences!

My Audio Note Dac-3 Signature was built in 1995 and sounds fantastic to my ears. A recent power supply overhaul and it's sounding even better. smiley

Jond,

You DAC-3 measured poorly back in 1995 as would a current DAC-3.  It doesn’t matter.  Audio Note DACs are among the most natural sounding DACs around.  I really like them a lot.