Which DAC? SFD-1 MKII/Bel Canto DAC1/MF A3.24

Evan,

www.audiomirror.com

Vlad is out of stock right now which is why his ad on Audiogon is not running. He is gearing up the next production run. His website is light on marketing, but the description of the D1 and the benefit of filterless and non-upsampling is dead on. Also, go to the Audio Note and Sakura Systems websites (just look up these companies on Audiogon in the Manufacturers Directory) and read their tech papers on non-upsampling filterless designs (I did this as part of my research). There is a lot of good information here. Also, the D1 runs 8 Burr Browns in parallel and uses teflon caps. It is worth a try (ask Vlad for a 30 day trial). Also, if you don't like it you can sell it on Audiogon in no time flat. I have seen two for sale here get snatched up the same day the ad was posted (I bought one of them).

NOTE: the price listed on the website is $999. If you want to reserve one just email Vlad and let him know you want the Audiogon price of $499.

What are you using for a transport? Have I got a mod for you that works great with the D1. Feel free to email me if you like as I don't want to go to astray of the thread.

Well I sent an email to contact@audiomirror.com, I guess I will have to see what they say. I asked about the Audiogon $499 price too.

As for a transport I am using a modified Rotel 965BX. It has a trichord clock2 upgrade so it seems to be working alright as a transport when hooked up to my Sonic Frontiers TransDAC. It is an older DAC but the more I use it the more I like it.

Anyways, back on topic: I have read the Audio Note and Sakura Systems websites information on filterless DAC's and the argument does make sense. Unfortunatly Audio note stuff is way out of my budget. I was actually considering the Shugariki for a while, but eventually I dismissed it after reading a few reviews. Generally speaking most reviews find it good, but not great. The 'keep it simple' design philisophy behind it is quite convincing, and from what I can tell is well implemented in the unit. But $1250USD is also out of my price range. Stereophile said it best, I forget the reviewers name but he said he enjoyed it as a "thing" but not as much as a DAC. More a work of art to behold than a performance to listen to I guess.

Anyone have any other suggestions for DAC's around the $400-650 USD range? I am keen to hear (haw haw) :)

TTYL Evan.

Evan,

Trust me, I had the same reaction to Audio Note and Shigaraki from a price and performance perspective, but the research and concepts they presented convinced me that the non-upsampling filterless design was the way to go. That is how I ended up with Audio Mirror. You get the right design at the right price. Now, Scott Nixon and I believe Ack also offer this design in the same price range so you may want to check them out as well.

Vlad usually takes about 2 days to respond, lots of people trying to contact him. Be patient with him.

Evan,

Trust me, I had the same reaction to Audio Note and Shigaraki from a price and performance perspective, but the research and concepts they presented convinced me that the non-upsampling filterless design was the way to go. That is how I ended up with Audio Mirror. You get the right design at the right price. Now, Scott Nixon and I believe Ack also offer this design in the same price range so you may want to check them out as well.

Vlad usually takes about 2 days to respond, lots of people trying to contact him. Be patient with him.

It's rather unfortunate, a Museatex Bitstream was just sold hours ago after only being listed for $300, it was unmodded. Even with getting John to mod it you could have probably have paid $600 for a DAC that would have destroyed the ones mentioned in this thread. Keep your eyes open if your still in the market.