Best Dac/Transport Under 50,000


I'm looking for the best dac/transport under 50K.
I've been in the hobby for almost twenty years. I've replaced my system numerous times. However, three years ago, I got to a point that I'm really happy with my system. My speakers are Montana KAS, and the amplification is from Pass Labs. Until now, I've listen to vinyl only. I'm looking for the best musical and analog player out there. Recommendation I've got so far are the German companies Burmester and MBL which I listened to and must admit, sound very analog and a so much better then Mark Levinson Reference Dac/Transport.
Your thought will be greatly appreciated.
Roy
roy_tirosh
The most "analog-like" sound I've ever heard from digital was the Forsell transport/DAC combination, which was specifically voiced by Peter Forsell to sound that way. My combination of the Forsell transport and the Audio Logic DAC is close to that, with a lot more detail than the Forsell DAC but still a lot of that analog bloom and life. Given what others have written about it, I would expect the pricier Audio Note DACs to meet your criteria as well. I would not say that the Meitner/EMM Labs gear, good as it is, sounds like the analog you're describing--it doesn't sound digital either, though, which is why it sounds so good. And while I like the current dCS equipment, I would not have chosen its prior iterations over my current set-up; it wasn't until they put the Verona master clock into the stack that it started sounding special again to me.
Boulder 2020 DAC with dCS Verdi transport is the best I have heard. Same DAC with the Spectral transport was too detailed. full dCS stack wasn't quite as good. It's all analog in the end, and many digital pieces overlook the analog sections. I have not listened to Audio Note/MBL/EMM. I also have not heard the dual Wadia rig with GNSC statement mods. www.boulderamp.com
I just acquired the MBL 1611 DAC and it cost me an arm and a leg. Crazy expensive, but it is by far the best I've heard so far even with the crappy DVD as transport I use right now (no money yet to buy good transport - accepting donations... :) ). Definitely much better than Mephisto II.X (used to own one) and much better than its little brother, the 1511 DAC. If you want to spend 50K, IMHO it's hard to beat the MBL 1621/1611 combo.
How about the Boulder Ref. DAC? Anybody ever heard them? One went on sale here a few months ago.
I recently had the opportunity to audition the Zanden 5000 Mk. IV/ 2000 transport combo (with I2S link) in NYC. While it is phenomenally good--as well it should be for the $43k asking price--I still prefer the Meitner. The Zanden, to these ears, has a very soft, analog, rounded sound--perhaps a little TOO rounded IMHO. As a poster mentioned above, the Meitner sounds neither digital nor analog. It really is in a class by itself. I've never heard digital reproduced so accurately and warmly at the same time. I personally chose the Meitner for those very reasons, and so far nothing has surpassed it, not even the Zanden, which costs ~$25k more.