Denafrips Terminator R2R Multibit, ultimate pcm redbook converter??

@kclone

It depends on the particular DACs you are comparing but let’s say early Delta Sigma implementations had a reputation for hashy highs or digital glare. Recent implementations like the Benchmark series of DACs sound very clean articulate and neutral. They do not suffer from lack of rhythm or bounce (quite dynamic and punchy) but they are thinner or leaner sounding (neutral is probably a good description) than a DAC with a slightly more euphonic output (tube or R2R).

As I mentioned on another thread - if you 100% love the sound of your speakers then a neutral DAC will work. If you don’t 100% like your speakers then some slight coloration in the source may be beneficial holistically.

R2R
T&A DAC 8 $3995
Holo Spring $1499 - $2499
Metrum Hex $3500

euphonic (tube or R2R)

These really should not be grouped together, ever!
As they are nothing alike.
If anything I would class R2R as being more like this, 
http://www.hifisentralen.no/forumet/attachments/hi-fi-generelt/30855d1335552744-krell-master-reference-amplifier-mra-750_2.jpg
than soft euphonic tube.

Cheers George

I agree with George. I was letting shadonre wear me down a bit via repetition..., but I have to say that R2R is correct and delta sigma screeches, it is not lean and truthful, and it is not neutral. It is grungy and dirty, it adds noise, and it is in error.

Everyone knows that, except those who have to build dacs and CD decks and dvd/sacd/blu-ray decks--- with modern delta-sigma dacs.

They can never talk about this simple truth. They can only work with what they’ve got.

Most of the time it’s fine, it’s great, in fact -- in the best examples.

But it is not the pinnacle. The pinnacle is owned by R2R dacs.

that subtle screech, noise and tonal coloration ’lie’ is also happening at the input of a system (with the delta sigma dac designs) and it is skewing the entire audiophile enterprise and overall expectations in balance and other choices... It is subtle, but it is definitely there, as issues go.

People who listen to a lot of analog source and analog gear, tend to get this as an understanding.

People brought up on pure digital...many times don’t even know it exists as subtle but important flaw in their given firmament.

That is what the cost savings of delta-sigma dacs has done to the audio world.

It is also, if one goes through the logic, part of what is causing less audio people to appear ’out there’. It’s not just all the other forces, it is also the inherent flaws and compromises in modern digital signal reproduction. And one can’t talk about the ability to get ’good sound’ being more universal than ever before.

Ubiquity does not equate with quality that is complementary to how the ear works at it’s most deep and human levels. (with regard to attracting people to the idea of quality sound reproduction in their homes)

We're just hoping that one day the headphone crowd finally realizes that the same money can bring the same quality or close..to a room sized reproduction system.

"This is the lowest priced discrete ladder dac with high bit rate ability--- that exists on the planet right now. I don’t expect the price to ever get any lower".
  The Terminator is a dac R2R with four counters of 500 high-precision 0.005% laser-cut resistors, with a nominal resolution of 26bit, capable of reproducing both PCM format up to 384khz and DSD up to 11.2Mhz (DSD256) in native mode.

Holo Audio Kitsune edition..($2499)...https://i0.wp.com/kitsunehifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/KitsuneTuned-Edition-%E6%B3%89SpringSpe...(

Soekris Engineering DAC 1541..($1190)...http://www.soekris.dk/dac1541.html