Sorry @rsjaurr but have you seen mitch2's system page? He has one of the finest pres I've ever heard the SMc only wish I could afford one. That's not the issue in this particular case IMO.
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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- 231 posts total
@rsjaurr One thing you said rings true for me and makes me reconsider my goals: I highly doubt if any other DAC can give you better sound in an almost similar price range.I am starting to wonder whether buying something else will only show me how good I have it currently with the Adagio. I want to stay with R2R so the Holo May KTE and the Mystique will stay on my list of DACs to satisfy my curiosity, and of course I would jump at a good deal on a used Totaldac. However, another consideration is the specific implementation. When I read about people who say so and so DAC is better than another DAC, I wonder about their implementation. For example, the USB input and RCA outputs on the Adagio/Pavane are not supposed to sound as good as the I2S input and balanced outputs (both of which I use). The rest of my digital chain (Ethernet/Bonn switch/TP Link Fiber Optic converters/Ethernet into the DX/Ethernet into the Metrum Ambre/I2S into the Adagio/then balanced outputs) should optimize the sound of the Adagio. Regarding preamps, I have owned the Lamm LL2 Deluxe, NAT Symetrical, CAT Ultimate MkII, and other pretty good tubed linestages, and none of those gave me as much satisfaction as my current SMc preamp. Thank you for the reminder that the Adagio is a pretty good DAC. |
Adagio/Pavane is a beautiful sounding DAC and it's a keeper for a longer time. I heard Cees is developing a new DAC for about 10K and we also know that his DACs are modular. You must have heard about their plan of upgrading Jade/Onyx to the levels of Adagio/Pavane. So Cees might think of upgrading the current Adagio/Pavane to the next level by changing the module. Wishful thinking but you never know. The addition of Marantz SA10 a few months back made me realize that something is wrong with the USB input of my Adagio. So I bought a used Gustard U12 to use the AES input of Adagio. Results were very surprising honestly. So now I plan to add Denafrips GAIA (or at least Hermes) and install the i2s module in Adagio to use i2s out of GAIA. Earlier I was thinking of buying either of Aurender N10, SOtM trifecta, Lumin U1, or dCS network bridge. So just a trial of U12 has saved me more than $4000. |
- 231 posts total