2. digital
  3. 1137432085

DAC for $1800 or less?

TAX TIME ....

For you rich guys it's time to put away the check book but for us poor guys it means TAX RETURN MONEY! I have most of my system in place and I'm ready to go after the source. I'm a Redbook CD lover and I have a few HDCD's as well.

So here it is :

I'm running an old(er) Rotel RCD-1070 with no outboard DAC. My plan is to spend now on a solid DAC and run the Rotel as a transport. I'll tell you ... the 1070 is built like a tank, it's media friendly and even takes a standard aftermarket power cable. I like the transport. In the long run I might step up and upgrade transport but that’s a ways off.

I need some suggestions on a used DAC - my top price is $1800 and I have been looking at Levinson 36s or 360. I might need to add a few more hundred to make it happen but I wanted to get some of your thoughts before I throw that much money around. Anyone out there love the Levinson DACs? Anyone hate them? Remember - it's mostly Redbook and the occasional HDCD. I'm going to play with SACD and DVD-A later but not with this system. Any preference between the 36s and 360? I have picked through some reviews but it's like reading reviews on Microsoft software ... it's a little glossy. I have yet to get a detailed list of the differences. The 360s is out of my ballpark. If you have other DACs in this price range ... lets hear it. I really love my system as it sits but I think the analog out of the source needs some love.

My current setup is a Modwright SWL 9.0SE Linestage, Mark Levinson 23.5, Paradigm Signature S4's ... cables are mostly Signal Cable Silver Resolution and the speaker cables are Signal Cable Ultra double runs. I am considering bi-amping the Paradigms with a second Mark Levinson amp - ML 27.5 for the upper end. I am waiting on a couple of cables from Frank - I will eventually replace ALL IC's with Silver Resolution and maybe even try out a set of Silver Resolution speaker cables. It's about the best cables that I can afford.

Let me hear your thoughts ... you all have been a lot of help in the past.
128x128horseface
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,576 posts
 
Strongly suggest the Ack dack 2.0 for only $890 new. It is the real deal and you will be so very pleased with it. Another great DAC used is the tubed Metronome C20 signature Dac. They come up for under 41000 used.

Both are outstanding.

Bill
horseface's avatar
horseface OP
222 posts
 

Thanks all...

Looks like I have some reading to do. I will call around town and maybe take a trip up to Seattle for the weekend. If it keeps raining maybe I will just paddle my canoe! I want to audition as many DAC's as I can mostly just for the hell of it. I'm thinking about dragging the Rotel with me.

Any opinions on tubes vs. SS? I can’t tell you how much difference my tubed linestage made; but do I want to carry it on to my source components? I am also considering the Cary CD 303/300 and/or Audio Research CD3 MKII and skipping the outboard DAC completely.

If I sell the Rotel I should be able to get an additional $400 so my budget would be at $2200. At the risk of re-directing my request to you all; is there a CD player out there that would yield a better result than investing $1800 and keeping the Rotel as a transport? I'm thinking the Levinson would be an investment in reputation and build quality as much as a sound improvement. I just can’t swing a 360s ... but maybe if I go with a very solid CD player now I could grow into a 360s in the future. I'm not real interested in a multi-format player right now. I want a Redbook playback system that will knock me back.

Can I do it?
wagzel
28 posts
 
There is an Audio Research DAC-1 listed here for $495, a 20 bit. I have one and like it alot, but haven't heard others in my system except for a Meridian 566 which was first rate too. The ARC is Stereohile A rated and listed for $3500. It accepts various inputs, even AT&T glass which has some proponets. Can't imagine it will ever lose value from $495. I paid $300 for mine on ebay but the seller wasn't sure it was working, it was.

I had Signal Cable make me up a RCA/BNC cable, hard to beat their quality/price ratio.
jeffjazz
114 posts
 
Nobody has suggested this one. The Rakk Dac. It is a DIY dac, but they will build one for you. For that price you could have them build it with an active tubed output. I had compared a friends Rakk Dac to my EastSound E5 cd player, which is suppose to be as good as some $2000 players and my old Jolida. The Rakk Dac has the warmest sound and most nuanced. Brass had tremendous goose bump factor. My Eastsound was a little more dynamic and slightly brighter. The Rakk Dac that I listened to was the base version with transformer outputs. Very musical. (The active output probably would be as dynamic as my Eastsound) I have read it out did a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista tubed Dac, which is one of the better dacs on the market. I would get in touch with this company. They can tell you which version would best suit your system. And no, they aren't paying me anything to say this. I just think this company puts out such an excellent product, (at a resonable price) that it need to be made known! Happy listening! http://www.kandkaudio.com/digitalaudio.html
bigshutterbug
385 posts
 
I second the Ack DAC 2.0. This battery powered DAC has found a permanent place to reside on my audio rack. I have compared it to my previous $3000 player, and also to some even higher priced combos. It is a real eye opener, and may make you re-think your priorities.
More to discover