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If Conrad Johnson still made a DAC it would sound like??

Having suffered a recent round of IT layoffs I'm not sure I should even be asking this question right now, but I think I'm going to be ready to move from my Mytek to something juicy and deceptive.  Bold, soundstage and not particularly neutral when it comes to a DAC.  Old school Theta Digital sound might be what I'm looking for, but with modern USB inputs.

What DAC, from the past 5-10 years, should I listen to, in the < $3,500 range?

erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,283 posts
 

How do I get from Theta to CJ?  Both were colorful. Obvious stand outs that don't sound like "me too."

To clarify, I do not currently own any CJ equipment.  My audio stack is essentially a Mytek Brooklyn and Luxman integrated. 

rubicon15
114 posts
 

Sorry, I thought you had CJ equipment. Stick with this group and audition your top 2 or 3 options. Best of luck. 

total111
31 posts
 

Brooklyn is neutral and musical. „Colorful“ is just tone control…why not just adding an equalizer (with hqplayer for example). Same result

erik_squires OP
16,283 posts
 

why not just adding an equalizer (with hqplayer for example). Same result

@total111

Because a good sounding/performing EQ won’t actually give the same colorations.

By color I did not mean just frequency shaping but the distortion and dynamic range profile as well. I love CJ amps, but I’d never call them neutral, nor would I be able to replicate their sound with an EQ alone.

In addition to that there are probably subtle to not so subtle phase shifts which cause improvements or reductions in imaging and sounstage.  Again, not achievable through EQ.

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