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  3. 162029-21

DAC Choices - $5,000 to $7,000

What are the current top DAC choices in the approximately $5-$7K price range (new or used) that I should look at as possible upgrades to my current Metrum Adagio?  Having an on-board volume control is not a factor as I can operate my system either way.   If I wanted to spend more I would look at Totaldac, Rockna Wavedream Signature, or one of the other top-end contenders, but I selected the price range to achieve a sound quality that is consistent with the rest of my system and because I don't want to spend more due to the still evolving nature of digital technology.  I do like the more natural sound (to my ears) of NOS R2R DACs.  So far, I have considered the three below, but none seem to be a slam-dunk upgrade from the Adagio, which still sounds pretty good in my system.  The decision is complicated by having to "buy to try" so that I can hear one in my system.  Maybe now is not the time for an upgrade.  Any thoughts?

  • Denafrips Terminator w/DSP board - Reportedly has the full body/dense tone type of sound I like, but also has a high'ish output impedance 
  • Holo May KTE - Reportedly measures great for an R2R DAC and has strong reviews 
  • Rockna Wavelight - Some reviewers like it but others put it in the middle of the pack for the price
mitch2
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,207 posts
 
Thanks nonoise

very interesting review of the Pontus at relatively low price by a credible man...I read it now...

My best to you...
mitch2 OP
4,114 posts
 
@rsf507 - Mystique V3 with balanced outputs, it arrives tomorrow from an excellent seller (super fast ship) over on USAM who upgraded to an MSB.
I am really curious the hear what all the rave reviews are about and how it compares to my Adagio.
I have not seen any EVO level Mystiques for sale on the used market yet.
The question of which input to use is interesting since my Ambre endpoint doesn’t have a USB output, but it does have S/PDIF and optical. If I want to use the USB input, then I need to give up the advantages of using a Roon endpoint and connect the Mystique directly to my Antipodes DX L3 server, or purchase something like the SOtM trio that I used to own.  I connect the Adagio to the Ambre using I2S.
ddafoe
259 posts
 
@mitch2, congrats on the Mystique V3 balanced!   That is exactly what I purchased a few months ago; it will be interesting to hear your thoughts on it.   I'm using a Bricasti M5 with Roon to feed it's SPDIF input.  I found its sound quality jumped significantly after upgrading my SPDIF streamer to the Bricasti.  I've just ordered a Luna Orange USB cable to try with it, so I'm not sure which of those two inputs I'll ultimately prefer.
rsf507
2,355 posts
 
@ddafoe curious but since you use a Bricasti M5 would it not be less expensive to use the Bricasti M3 (or any other 1 box streamer/dac) than the Mystique/M5? One less power cord one less cable? Unless you prefer the SQ of a R2R dac vs other implementations. Your thoughts most appreciated.
ddafoe
259 posts
 
With my Pi (running Roon) based SPDIF streamer, I definitely preferred the Mystique over the M3 in my system.    Adding the M5 to the Mystique using the same SPDIF cable (Shunyata Anaconda ZTRON) brought it to a whole another level; I'm now kicking myself for not upgrading streamers years ago. The V3/M5 combo (assuming you can find a used Mystique V3) actually cost me less than the M3 with the integrated streamer would have.

That being said, I was told by Bricasti and forum members that the M3 sounds its best with the integrated streamer, so assuming the M5 bump is the same for both DACs, plus add in the extra for the integrated solution, and yea I would now like to have that M3 in my system to compare.  If it is simply a case of magnifying the strengths of each DAC, I likely would still prefer the V3, but I can't say for sure without hearing both combos.

I'm truly shocked by the difference adding the M5 made.  Being able to try the USB input on the V3 vs SPDIF is a nice bonus too.   I also have an Anaconda AES cable and actually went to hook it up when I got the M5 and realized the V3 doesn't have an AES input :)   Maybe someday I'll get an EVO which looks to have AES...    I have an etherREGEN coming tomorrow to feed the M5, and am able to try it both with fiber and copper so that should be an interesting test.   I'm now a strong believer of handling your digital signal with the utmost care :)
  
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