Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

The AD1955 is $7.00.....sounds cheap to me....I quess you don't like the word Cheap? How about inexpensive?....less offensive? I did not say the Berkeley Ref or any expensive DAC is cheap....just talking about the DAC chip.....it is cheap. cheep cheep went the bird...he he.

I agree with others that say the DAC chip is only one part of the whole.....you can take a $7 DAC chip and make a state of the art DAC with it (Berkeley) if you know what you are doing. Schiit chooses to use 4 $75 R to R DAC chips in their $2300 product....but I bet it does not sound any where near as good as the Berkeley.

A couple of years ago Martin Colloms raved about the $100,000+ Audionote DAC that uses the obsolete 18 bit AD1865 DAC chip.....no digital filter at all. Says it can compete with vinyl playing CDs! I notice that Border Patrol has just released a $10,000 DAC using the same chip with tubes on the output. I am thinking of making a DAC myself with this chip....I made one around 2000 and it sounded incredible.....I have more ammunition now...should be fun.

I have found Ricevs, with current output R2R ladder dacs, very important is the I/V stage and it has to be done active without feedback, and have posted my experiments and findings here.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/227677-using-ad844-i-v.html

AD1855 is a true R2R Ladder Multibit dac.

From Analogue Devices.
"The 18-bit D/A converters use a combination of segmented decoder
and R-2R architecture to achieve consistent linearity and
differential linearity. The resistors which form the ladder structure
are fabricated with silicon chromium thin film. Laser trimming
of these resistors further reduces linearity errors resulting
in low output distortion."

Cheers George

10-24-15: Ricevs
The AD1955 is $7.00.....sounds cheap to me....I quess you don't like the word Cheap? How about inexpensive?....less offensive? I did not say the Berkeley Ref or any expensive DAC is cheap....just talking about the DAC chip.....it is cheap. cheep cheep went the bird...he he.

Priceless. When you pop the top on a lot of this stuff, and do the math, it can be a little disconcerting.....:/

10-24-15: Ricevs

A couple of years ago Martin Colloms raved about the $100,000+ Audionote DAC that uses the obsolete 18 bit AD1865 DAC chip.....no digital filter at all. Says it can compete with vinyl playing CDs! I notice that Border Patrol has just released a $10,000 DAC using the same chip with tubes on the output.

That is where its at IMO. Need Lucas at Lampizator to implement that for PCM duty.....:)

I think we all agree that It's all about the design and implementation. Not the cost of parts. I used to own an Ariel Atom. It was a steel frame and a "cheap" supercharged Chevy Ecotec engine. Cheap parts all around. But it did 0-60 in 2.7 seconds and cornered better then any Ferrari or McLaren I have ever driven. Talk about instant smile. Maker!!!

We are lucky to have so many brilliant designers and so many different ways to skin the proverbial DAC cat. Tastes vary, deigns vary, ears vary and rooms vary. It's all vary exciting!! ;)