Hello mdrone! Sony made a very sweet sounding DAC/headphone amp, now discontinued. I have tried lots of DACs, have eight at the moment. The Sony beats them all. Model is PHA-3. I got one new, in the box for half price:$500. Very nice smooth sound, instantly became the main DAC.Runs off two USB ports. Power and signal are seperate. Happy Listening.
Sweet Sounding DAC
Ok, here's another one of those threads seeking DAC guidance. Certainly, I have started more than my share of such questions.
This search started as a need to find a smaller DAC and streamer due to overcrowding in my cabinet. Current players Bricasti M3 and M5. But as I started looking and listening, I realized there is a sonic search as well; just to complicate the process. As much as I like the Bricasti gear, I have always yearned for a softer- perhaps more tube/ analogue sound. So the search got harder. Here are some of the contestants with my questions/ comments or concerns. I seek advice from those who actually own or know the gear to follow , I will try to be brief. BTW my budget is essentially what I can recoup from selling the Bricasti gear. So lets say 3500 to 5000 ( if I sell both pieces). The first 4 I have sampled, the rest I have read about
1. Wattson Madison; great size. Found vocals a little off/ sounded better w external streamer - but then whats the point of the DAC / Streamer
2. Lab 12 DAC: loved the sound; too big a footprint. Great vocal tone
3. Konus : real nice, still a strong contender
4. Merason Frerot with LPS: not for me ( suprisingly)
5. Audio Note: would need to be entry level due to size. Is it good enough?
6. Gold Note DS-10 + Evo. Looks good on paper; has anyone heard it? Some dealers are not so high on it
7. Ferrum Wandla: looks good on paper but would add a box ( LPS ) to my cabinet. Anyone hear it? Word is that is a rich - smooth tone
8. Audio 11 Sagra: not much to go on but supposed to be smooth and sweet sounding
9. Border Patrol: some love it and some don't. Cannot fathom who is right.
10. AudioMirrow Tubadour. Seemed like a strong contender until a user told me its not that sweet sounding. More neutral in tone. I was bummed to hear that. Not sure it has the Lab 12 tone I seek.
I think thats enough to choose from.
Any insights would be appreciated. Please refrain from snarkiness....I much too tired for snark, But I do appreciate the help.
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I have heard most everything out there that has been reviewed if you have $7k the T+A 200 dac is the best dac I have heard under $15k I stand by That statement, read a few reviews then seek out a dealer to give it agood listen, 4 guys I have met in the north east owns one , myself it will be my early Xmas 🎅 present , for comparison chord David ,Denafrips Terminator12th+ which is not worth it , Lampi Golden gate, Aqua , PS Audio Bricasti M1SE, they are all good , but not the realism the T+A 200 brings plus it Has HQ player built in ,to complement Roon ,or any one wishing to tune your dac even further. with a bunch of options and beautiful functional meters , A true bargain . |
Best get busy auditioning as all you will get here are biased opinions. https://tmraudio.com/components/d-a-converters/weiss-dac204-d-a-converter/ |
4 guys, wow! I have been on forums that have hundreds/thousands of customers/owners of the dac I have, but that doesn’t mean the OP will like it over the others he listed. My dac is also listed in stereophile’s A+ category of DACs which means jacksh$t because of 2 reasons: I don’t trust steteophile reviewers and you need to go listen for yourself to see if you think it’s worth the $$$ and if the synergy is there with the rest of your gear. We did a dac shootout with a half dozen DACs using our system, in our room, which is the only way to really tell what’s best for you |
@mdrone, I owned a M3 (and still own the M5). Like you I was looking for something with "more tube/analogue sound.", and ended up selling the M3 for a Mojo Audio DAC which was much closer to the sound that I was looking for. If you can get a chance, take a listen to a Mojo Audio DAC. I now have a Meitner MA3 which to my ears offers a nice blend of the strengths of both the Mojo and Bricasti. |
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