Great tube DAC's with volume control?

So are there no others? :(

You have to be careful as to how they implement the volume control. The Birdlands just put a resistor divider in series with the output. This is bad if you have any cable capacitance. I usually bypass this pot.

I'd like to suggest opening this discussion up to include S.S. DACs with volume controls as well. I like the idea of bypassing the need for a separate preamp.

Monarchy has, or at least had a half price sale on theirs. How well would one of the late model Monarchy DACs stand up against a Birdland or Camelot Uther?

BTW, do all DACs with volume control come with a remote?

No, I'd rather not open the discussion to include SS DACs. Maybe you could sart another thread for the SS side of things? I think having both on the same thread would create a bit of confusion.

Thanks!

Hello,

I have the Manley Ref DAC and just love it. The unit is beautifully assembld. So many DACs went through my system until I knew the Manley would be there for quite a long time. It is a very difficult piece to find but in the $3000-3500 range on the used market, I could find nothing else close in performance.

For the price, the solid state Elctrocompaniet ECD1 is next to impossible to beat, but the incredible harmonic richness, presence, 3-dimensionality of the Manley is something special. The VTL Ref DAC is right behind, and in my system had a little more bass extension, but I found the Manley to be more balanced overall. Line the ECD1, the VTL however does not have a volume control.

Concerning the Manley's volume control, I have not yet tried this straight into my Wolcott amps vs driving the BAT 31SE line stage. One of these days I need to try this but tearing the system apart is quite a hassle. The volume control does not have a very fine adjustment so this might not be acceptable for many users anyway.

John