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Mid-priced warm sounding DAC?

I've recently decided that a good route for me to take is upgrading my system with a good DAC. My current system is a bit bright sounding, so I'm looking for a good DAC costing up to $600 (used) that will provide a smooth, warm sound to match my currently bright system. I'd also like the DAC to be capable of upsampling, although if necessary I could add an upsampler to the digital chain at a later time. My preference would be to have it built-in, however.

Any suggestions?
jwglista
ptmconsulting
1,000 posts
 
Here's a link to another NOS DAC.

http://www.diyparadise.com/dackit/1545dackit.html

It's a kit, sort of. You buy the completed board for about $140, shipped, then purchase a 12V rechargeable, sealed lead acid battery from here for about $25 shipped:

http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?c=sla-12volt

You need to put it all into a case and ... there you go.

I've got about 50 hours on mine and the mids are sounding wonderful. The bass is deep and tight. The top end is a bit retiscent, but that's what you're looking for. I've got the opposite problem, a soft sounding system, so I'm hoping it will open up more over time.

Overall though, it does sound quite good and for less than $200 it's a no-brainer.

Enjoy,
Bob
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
I found this review interesting...

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?rdgtl&1113856441&openmine&zzSogood51&4&5#Sogood51

Dave
mezzrow
114 posts
 
Another non-upsampling DAC to consider (even though you didn't say you are looking for one) is the Poth Audio:

http://www.pothaudio.com/prod.php?view=20

Really quite an impressive sounding unit and a steal for the price.
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
Mezzrow, do you own the Poth Audio Dac? Can you tell us more about it's sound.

Dave
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
Thanks everyone for the input. I'm still unsure as to whether or not I "need" upsampling. I've read that upsampling can somehow push distortion up above the 30 kHz range, but I have no idea how that works. Also, some of those tube DACS only have a 16-bit D/A converter. Wouldn't I want at least 24/96 ?

That Poth Audio is extremely cheap, and is something I could purchase right now. But would it be worth it to just wait? I'm sure the DAC in my NAD T 513 DVD player may be equal with the Poth, which would make it pointless to purchase this.
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