@cal3713 Is your acquaintance in the northern MN area?
DAC Choices - $5,000 to $7,000
What are the current top DAC choices in the approximately $5-$7K price range (new or used) that I should look at as possible upgrades to my current Metrum Adagio?
Having an on-board volume control is not a factor as I can operate my system either way. If I wanted to spend more I would look at Totaldac, Rockna Wavedream Signature, or one of the other top-end contenders, but I selected the price range to achieve a sound quality that is consistent with the rest of my system and because I don't want to spend more due to the still evolving nature of digital technology. I do like the more natural sound
(to my ears)
of NOS R2R DACs. So far, I have considered the three below, but none seem to be a slam-dunk upgrade from the Adagio, which still sounds pretty good in my system. The decision is complicated by having to "buy to try" so that I can hear one in my system. Maybe now is not the time for an upgrade. Any thoughts?
- Denafrips Terminator w/DSP board - Reportedly has the full body/dense tone type of sound I like, but also has a high'ish output impedance
- Holo May KTE - Reportedly measures great for an R2R DAC and has strong reviews
- Rockna Wavelight - Some reviewers like it but others put it in the middle of the pack for the price
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And perhaps out of your range, but if you're really thinking about Totaldac, there's an ad up for a d1-7 on the devialet chat sales page. It's an old ad from a dealer (I searched the username to see if it was legit), but is still available for ~€8000. I looked into it and even contacted the seller, but got scared off by the ASR TD measurements. I don't agree with their raw measurement perspective, but some of the TD outcomes were really troublesome. |
So Funny. He has tried so many dacs after selling his Mojo. All of them came up short by a long way according to him. He kept telling me he made a big mistake selling it. He just had to see if there was something better 😊. Oh my! He trialed a very costly Metronome dac, Lampi, Terminator, Sonnet, Audio Mirror maxed out and perhaps another one and none of them pleased him like your Mojo 👍. He is getting his Evo tomorrow. He will be happy and has learned his lesson. I doubt the Mojo ever leaves his home for any reason. Ha! |
Purchase a Lyngdorf DAC. They throw in my favorite amplifier with it for FREE! https://lyngdorf.steinwaylyngdorf.com/lyngdorf-tdai-3400/Seriously, I am also digitally inclined as apparently you are. I went through an number of Tube/Class A/Class AB/ amps with a number of DAC combinations. I found nothing as good as the Lyngdorf. And the Lyngdorf also met or exceed all competition with analog inputs too. Which was a total surprise. But, to each their own. Just a different path to suggest. |
- 231 posts total