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Worlds best DAC

Went to CES this year to work on my transition to high Rez digital. I've heard many of the highly regarded players in my room or in others systems in the past. I'm actually very happy with my current cd based sound. As I listened to various DACS playing CD then high Rez, I was not bowled over. High rez was better, but only slightly so. The best (and most different) sound I heard happened to have one similarity. They were 2 non oversampling DACS with tube analog stages(Zanden and Ypsilon). These were without question the most natural sounding digital systems I heard at the show. They made CDsound miles ahead of high Rez. What gives?

PS: I understand the limitations of show auditions.
bflowers
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,314 posts
 
I think both my modest cost mhdt DACs, SS Constantine and tube output Paradisea, are non-oversampling and both deliver excellent sound quality. Tube rolling on the Paradisea makes major differences. Both are keepers.

I am a fan of the DCS ring DAC technology. The system I heard running the DCS Pucinni was some of the absolute best CD digital I have heard..
waxwaves's avatar
waxwaves
206 posts
 
I own a SMcAudio Revision A modified McCormack DAC-1. I love it. I have never heard digital audio sound so much like real music. It's a lifelike, multidimensional, tonally correct, full-bodied presentation of the tunes. Mine will eventually be upgraded to "Ultra" status. If you can find a DAC-1 to upgrade and $1700, you just may have the answer to your question.
edorr
714 posts
 
If you go by the consensus of guys that have rotated the usual suspects of high end dacs through their system, I would say the top dog is the MSB Diamond. This consensus is not unanimous of course, but most folks with no budget constaint hearing it will say it bests all else they have heard and end up buying it.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,314 posts
 
I wonder how the MSb compares to DCS?

Each is based on some unique proprietary design elements.

The focus on magnetic and other forms of noise reduction strikes me as a good and somewhat unique concept with MSB in particular. The concept is not particularly innovative but the application within the unit itself is somewhat unique and once designed and fabricated, would not sem to be a particularly expensive feature to implement.
4orreal
91 posts
 
If you care what is beating out the DCS Vivaldi, check the following urls. A single box against the four-box DCS.

http://www.audioexotics.hk/index.php?option=com_simplestforum&view=postlist&forumId=1&parentId=10845&topic=true&Itemid=

http://www.trinity-ed.de/typo/index.php?id=12&L=1
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