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R2R Ladder DACs or All in One Streamer Solutions

I am soon to own a Pass INT 25 integrated amp. I also own an Oppo 205. 

I am now searching for a separate DAC to replace/improve the DAC in the Oppo.
Budget $2k. Used preferred.

I like the R2R ladder sound and want a tube inside for a little balance with the Solid State gear.
My current source is the Oppo 205.

I am also shopping for a Streamer/Ripper/Storage device. Roon friendly and DSD capable.
Budget also $2k. Used Preferred.

It seems that the few offerings of these all in one solutions all contain a DAC.
My thought is that the DAC included will not be any better than the Oppo so it is of little use.

Has anyone been down this road lately? 

Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!
chorus
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,624 posts
 
USBridge and D10s
https://darko.audio/2020/06/allos-usbridge-signature-review/
Unless you like spending $$$.
melvinjames
416 posts
 
Another option .. the MHDT Lab Orchid (TDA1541) is seeing a lot of love as of late and seems to be the darling of their line right now. I have the Pagoda (PCM1704) and couldn’t be happier with the sound quality. Have you checked out Sonore's Rendu line? Might be just what you're looking for in a streamer/renderer.
audio2design
1,351 posts
 
How did a DAC that was way behind the times 30 years ago (TDA1541) magically become good?
chorus OP
976 posts
 

George- I did not know about tube buffers. I Want the volume control as well. I Will investigate that.

Jimmy/Neko- The Aires ll day was on my list. Does the Lumin rip and store as well as stream?

Fuzz- I am very open to spending less in these two fast changing arenas.
But if the DAC is not better than what the Oppo has it is of no use.
I will investigate these options, thanks.

Melvin- I will be staying away from the Orchard products until they
offer some protection to my other gear. I will look into Sonore and Pagoda-Thanks.
decooney
2,037 posts
 
@audio2design
How did a DAC that was way behind the times 30 years ago (TDA1541) magically become good?

As we know, the Philips TDA1541 and TDA1540 "16-bit" d/a chips were used in hundreds of different acclaimed CD players. It’s sonic signature is still considered to be "musical" to many. Some DAC designers went back to it, and so did a few diehards buying up the old CD players.

Last year I demo’d a topic shelf 24 bit perfect re-clocked studio DAC at 3x the cost, installed +high end coupling caps in my 16-bit MHDT Orchid (stock TDA1541a chip), +a really good tube.  It wiped the floor in terms of enjoyability and musicality in my system. Same thing with a 16-bit Audio Note DAC.  Could not listen to the highly acclaimed 24-bit perfect DAC for very long. Found it to be dry, boring, fake sounding, not engaging, YMMV.  


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