Most organic / real / analogue sounding DAC (ideally with Volume Control) for $1500??????


I’d say I’m completely jaded with digital Hifi.   All sounds so thin & clinical.

I people raving about Benchmark DACs & Chord Mojos etc. They sound like hell to me.   Nothing at all like real live voices & instruments.

I’ve been reading about R2R Ladders & NOS.   The descriptions match what I’m looking for.   I want natural sound that makes me forget about Hifi & just listen to the music.
like Reel to Reel without the faff.

Lifelike is my aim, but I certainly prefer a warm, dark sound over clinical.

Don't need a load of inputs.  Only need 2 or 3.
I don’t have any analog sources, so prefer the DAC to have Volume Control to eliminate the need for a Pre Amp.   However, if the best sounding DACs don’t have Volume Control & there are clear sonic benefits to having a Preamp, then I could be persuaded.

I’m in UK btw, so need brands that ship to UK.


Suggestions please?


Thanks

singintheblues
While most seem to say that vinyl sounds better than digital, digital also can sound great. Digital also offers the following advantages:
- cheaper price of admission
- cheaper media
- more available media
- much more available songs, albums
- purchase songs and not whole albums
- creating playlists
- portable devices
- can be easily copied to a variety of storage devices
- the audio performance/technology is growing at an incredible rate
- the convenience of streaming
- the ability to access vast libraries of songs through subscription services including high res files
- the ability to attach metadata to the album/songs, like asking which albums did this artist perform on, biographies, full credits, etc
- the convenience to choosing songs through my iPad while sitting down and not having to battle gravity by getting my lazy ass up except for snack reloads and bathroom breaks (two highly motivated activities)

Why choose? I have both audio chains.

However, there are some aspects of lowering the noise floor in digital that drives me little crazy thinking about:
fiber optic filtering interconnect and Ethernet, linear power supplies, signal re-generators, master clocks, audiophile Ethernet cards, stacking audiophile Ethernet cards, vibration control surfaces, additional cabling, cost

Sometimes it seems like:
Obsessive Me
           vs
my bank account, WAF, family, friends, the rest of the world MINUS like minded audiophiles
am running my own lil dac shootout given the covid time at home

in play:
chord qutest, 2qute, mojo
chord m scaler (in association with certain dacs of course)
metrum jade, octave
ayre codex
mhdt stockholm, orchid w/ a gaggle of tubes
neko d100-2
van alstine fet topp r2r
border patrol
jolida black ice glass (now out for wally mods)
hegel rost and h390 internal dacs

sold/relegated:
rme adi-2 -- image size and depth poor, despite great clarity
schiit bifrost mb -- tone nice but sibilant lower treble
node 2i internal -- rolled muddy slurred
topping d90 -- clear but somewhat artificial in tone

@justmetoo  Very nice analog and comparable to what I hear from a VPI TNT VI, modified SME IV and Benz Ruby 3.  
three_easy_payments4
I do own a Metrum Amethyst Non-Oversampling DAC  (1.3k) and a Systemdek IIX / SME / MC / Ortofon Prepre feeding my tubeamp.
Than I have a dedicated LOKI DSD DAC..
.
The DSD DAC is a € 100 device and is on par with the Non-Oversampling DAC and the turntable - and sounding VERY ANALOG. BUT SACD / DSD64 has a very limited offering.
.
What I mostly do is download LP rips, convert them to 24bit / 48khz and have them in an iPod Classic / Pro-Ject Digital Dockingstation feeding my Metrum DAC via chinch toslink.
.
Many of my favourite albums from Ultravox / Alphavile / Yazoo / Depeche Mode were produced in 24bit / 48 khz anyway, so the loss is minute.
.
When listening to Rolling Stones on DSD I do not know whether it sounds "better" in the sense that it gets more music out of it, but for sure sounds more like"reel to reel".
.
There are newly recorded SACD / DSD64 albums which deliver "sound plankton" which to match one would need a DXD aka 352.8 khz recording.
.
The sky is the limit. I am happy with 24bit / 48 khz with a non-oversampling DAC and a tube amp. YMMV
.
And no - my turntable sounds for the most part just like my Nos DAC.
( I do not have the money for an tube EAR prepre, but than it might be better. MIGHT!!!)
.




audiofun4
The 777 is a tube DAC. I do have a tube amp, so I do not need the "infusion of happy vibes" a tube might give you with SS gear.
I am a sucker for a "mellow" sound - and with my tube amp and the Metrum Octave I had before I already got me there.
The Amethyst just added more bass and "grunt" - letting the Octave sounding a wee bit dreamy - and the Amethyst more "real".
I am a happy camper with 24bit / 48khz and even redbook sounds "analog enough" - warm and bassy that is now.