Dac: Does anyhting beat the Schiit Gungnir Multibit (Gumby) in the same price range?

@4hannons:
I actually wrote my last comment at the same with you. If the messages had also the seconds shown, probably we had 5 secs difference:)
English is my second language. Sometimes I write things that can’t express what I actually mean. I totally agree with you. Price doesn’t matter. My Bitstream is around $400 and if it was new today, it would have cost around $1400 (1992 price was $800 I think). So, it was never a crazy expensive DAC back then. However, I like it better than more expensive DACs even today.

When I listen to new gear, I usually want to be wowed. Like you say, dramatic difference. That’s what I was trying to say. Little differences do not affect my purchase decision. I had to get the Bitstream without listening and I took the risk because it was not too expensive and I could always sell it at the price I bought at.

This was a dramatic difference for me vs. other DACs. I may be writing fancy words to explain how it sounds but what matters for me the most, this DAC just makes me enjoy music only.

My wife who also has golden ears :), thinks the same.

4hannons,

What are your two favorite dacs? What music do you listen to?

The Museatex Bitstream is a very musical DAC.  The older original upgrade was an overall improvement in clarity, details, and better defined bass.  That being said, if you can find the BiDAT, it was a much better unit than the Bistream.  Just better in every area and retains the musical sound.  There are differences between newer DACs and the older Museatex DACs but not game changers in my opinion.  Museatex was designed by Ed Meitner (EMM Labs) who I think helped Sony/Phillips get the digital sound working.  He knows his digital stuff.

R2R again in my opinion sounds better but it also comes down to implementation in the design.  Not all R2R DACs are better.  There are plenty of cheaper priced DACs today that sound reasonable for the price.  I have yet to hear one that really does what some of the higher priced DACs do but it all comes down to ones ears.  For example, recently at my friends home he as a lower priced DAC (he is not an audiophile by any means).  In comparing two DACs at the different price levels, he thought that the lower priced DAC was clearer sounding, with more details.  My opinion was completely different.  The higher priced DAC was much easier to listen to, had more dimension, instruments had better space and tonality, and more 3D sounding, less HiFi sounding.  We did not really go into comparing them it was just his first impression.  To him, he could live with the lower priced DAC because he really could not understand the differences.  To me the cheaper DAC was hard to listen to because it was so flat sounding in comparison and not musical in comparison.  Tone was an issue for me, piano and the sax just did not do it for me.

Happy Listening. 

@pmboyd if you are interested. Someone is selling an upgraded Bidat. http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649348362-museatex-meitner-bidat-for-sale/