DACs and more. Is there a good analog sounding DAC.

My friend and I both have PS Audio Direct Stream DACS and he feeds his with the Node . He gets a very detailed and unforced sound and it's a pleasure listening to Qobuz through it. You may think it is too rich for you but it can be had for not much over your budget if you don't mind buying used . I have listened to Denafrips and Gustard through my own system and found my PS to be far superior to those other two. If you are worried about buying used think of it this way someone has done the hard job for you of breaking it in and they can't overdrive it like an amp so you have nothing to lose. Just my tuppence worth !! 

I went with the Auralic Altair g1. will post a report soon

Holo Audio dac sounds the most natural of all my dacs.

Denafrips. Choose one, any one.

I would highly recommend the Playback Design DAC, Either The Dream Series which cost north of 20K or the New MPD-6 which you can get for much less.

Iv been buying into the Chinese DACs and other low cost dacs on here recommended by other users, The Terminator, Halo Audio, Orchid, Pontus and Topping. None of them can hold a Candle to my Playback Design Dream DAC.

I was hoping to Find something that would better it and sell off the Playback to recoup money into my Analog Rig Unfortunatly this never happen the chinese Dacs are all good stuff but the Playback Design just performs so much better. Iv tried the DCS and Owned many MSB Dacs too. Not a fan of DCS its dry and metalic.

Keep the Bluesound as your steamer. Get a better DAC, tons of options for $2k or less. The first thing you need to determine is what type of DAC implementation you want — R2R, chip (ESS, AKM, Burr Brown, FPGA, etc.), or tube-based.

For under 2k, Denafrips Pontus provides a great value for R2R DACS. That would be my top pick

I also have owned and liked Chord Qutest, Audio Mirror Tubadour III, and MHDT Orchid. Having said that, I recently bought a Denafrips Ares II for my home office and I must say it will stand up to many dacs around 2k. I’m shocked how much DAC you’re getting for $850.

With all respect, IMHO you may be asking the wrong question.  I have a pretty good analog system, but the last thing I want from it is to sound like what most people describe as an analog sound.  I want it to sound like music, the kind I hear when I listen to instruments free of loudspeaker enhancement.  There are many options that will do that job.

Of course, you may not agree, and it's your money.  People here have described their "analog" sounding DAC as giving "a relaxed presentation," "allows body relaxation,"  it "allows my body to relax" and even that it gives "the ability to go into a kind of meditative state."  Well, that's not what happens when I go to a concert.  My pulse usually goes up, not down.   But if that's what you want, you'll get many suggestions.

I would also say that for a more 'analog' sounding DAC, look into the various R2R options out there (I've got a Holo May DAC myself, and it's wonderful).... 

Denafrips Terminator 

Audio Mirror Tubadour SE

Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 MkIII.  R2R using 2 PMD200's.  Tube analog section.  And much more.  No modern bells and whistles, just glorious sonics that simply sounds real.  Yes, it's old, but don't buy the "digital has improved so much" stuff.  SF did it right in the first place. Now just try to find one. 😁

"digital has improved so much"   it has been improving but now how the industry makes it out to be. This reminds me of the HDMI Con in the industry

Lot’s of good advice above. Join Vandy owners forum for even more inputs….

I have two Vandy centered systems one includes a NAIM streamer DAC, another an Aesthetix. I have a Lampizator on loan to another Vandy owner …

Fun

Jim

op

the search bar above is your friend

this has been covered numerous numerous times by myself and others, so much has been written and discussed - since i went into streaming in early 2020 when covid locked everyone in, i have been through a great many dacs (over 30) and reported on my experiences ... wish you good luck determining which is right for you

Hi fellow audiophiles, hope everyone is doing well given the situation with COVID-19 and all other nuisance around the globe. Anyways, today I wanted to tell you folks about a hidden gem in the crowded field of DACs that I have not heard anyone talk about. But first, I want to let you know that I am not any pro reviewer nor am I a super experienced audiophile. I am simply a music lover who appreciates good sound in music reproduction. So, please don’t expect me to use audiophile or reviewer lingos. I will just say how I feel about this DAC in laymen’s terms.

I am talking about McIntosh D1100 DAC/Digital Pre-Amp. Which McIntosh calls their reference level DAC. I know there are many people who are hard-core McIntosh fans and there are others who can’t stand the brand. I fall in the former group. I have been using McIntosh equipment for many years and absolutely love the brand. I am a firm believer that McIntosh is not a super HiFi brand. However, they provide excellent value in terms of price to performance ratio in almost all products they manufacture. And D1100 DAC is no exception.

Before going too deep into the performance discussion, I want to give you folks some background. I have been using this DAC for the past 3 years and it has been good, served my needs. About a year ago, I went to a dealership and heard dCS Burtok DAC and I was so impressed with the sound that I wanted one also. Then I started to research a new DAC for my rig and went through audition after audition of different DACs including: dCS Burtok, MSB Discrete, Playback Designs MPD-8, Berkeley Audio, Bricasti, etc. Then one day I was talking to my Mc dealer and he suggested I add a good power conditioner in the rig. Then, I spoke to 2 other Mc dealers; one of whom carries dCS and the other carries MSB. They both said, going from D1100 to dCS Burtok or MSB Discrete will not provide a massive improvement provided that these are the two models I have budget for at the moment. So, I added a Shunyata Denali power conditioner feeding the source equipment and I immediately discovered that noise floor became so low that the instrument separation improved to the levels of dCS & MSB Dsicrete. I was so happy with the results that I told my dealer and he was very happy too! He then told me that if I throw in a good pre-amp, it will improve even more. Side note: D1100 can act as a pre-amp but a good analogue active pre-amp will make it shine; he said. I then bought McIntosh’s flagship pre-amp C12000 and I could not believe what I heard. Music reproduction in my rig now has a day-and-night difference compared to what it was before. The sound stage is huge in width and depth; instrument separation is so distinct and layering is obvious in every track I play that I never want to leave my listening room. It’s addictive.

Last week, I was able to borrow a dCS Burtok from a fellow audiophile in my area to compare it in my rig. I can tell you that with all other equipment unchanged, the dCS Burtok was probably 2% better than my D1100. Given that the Burtok is more than double the price, I am impressed how good the D1100 is. So, I am certain that my DAC upgrade project is over. I am very happy with what I have. Just so you folks know……D1100 is an example of a truly well designed delta-sigma DAC in pure dual mono configuration with dual power supply, each one powering left and right channel separately. This is a remarkable implementation of a chip based DAC. An 8-channel SABRE ESS chip is used. Hope this helps future DAC owners with their research.

I agree that power conditioning for digital components and keeping the power to digital power supplies separate from the analog ones in a system is a benefit towards good sounding digital. Regardless of budget. 

Any feedback on Lab12?  One came up used lately but i was too slow!