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A great balanced R2R ladder DAC: Mhdt Lab Balanced Pagoda

After reviewing balanced DACs that cost right around $5000 for the Stereo Times website, I received scores of  Emails from Gon members requesting if I could find and review a truly balanced ladder R2R DAC for less then $2,500. Well, my review on the Mhdt Lab Balanced Pagoda just went up on the Stereo Times website. It will give you all the details why I put it on the " 2020 Most Wanted Component List". The Balanced Pagoda easily matched the overall performance of the twice more expensive, highly regarded DACs. The only caveat to get its best performance you most run it through the XLR analog outputs, not its single-ended RCAs, into another balanced preamplifier. Hope, you take a look at the review, if you are looking to get a balanced DAC to run in your system.
amorstereo
knighttodd
200 posts
 
I will be checking out an SWx1 Dac ii special next week. Hope it sounds as good as they say.
chorus
976 posts
 
Can a R2R DAC also have a chip? I am as usual confused.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Can a R2R DAC also have a chip? I am as usual confused.


R2R chip dacs were the old obsolete PCM1702 PCM1704 TDA1541 etc etc, all were stopped being made because the laser trimming of the microscopic R2R resistors, it was too expensive and time consuming for a chip to be sold for $20 
They went for delta sigma because it was far cheaper and no laser trimming involved.
Today we have R2R back again but this time discrete normal size resistors that are even better matched today without doing anything to them, all good for the sound of digital.
Cheers George 
big_greg
6,622 posts
 
The Pagoda has a chip - it's the PCM1704 R-2R.  However, it's a different kind of chip than delta-sigma DACs.  
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
However, it’s a different kind of chip than delta-sigma DACs.

Yes Delta Sigma (DS) is not R2R, it took the place of R2R chips because it was far cheaper to make and it could do sacd and dsd.
But to me it (DS) can’t do PCM Redbok 16/44, 24/96 or DXD "bit perfect" like R2R' can, it can only give a "facsimile" of it

Cheers George
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