Tube or R-2R DAC for Tube System

We make both tube DACs.  One with the Sabre 32 bit chip and the other with the R2R board.  The Sabre uses a single 6SN7 with a single rectifier (GZ34 - 5R4, etc.) and the R2R is a 101D direct heated triode design.  They have similar sound characteristics, but the 101D is a much more sophisticated design.

Happy Listening. 

Solid-state IC DACs verboten? I feed the output from one into an integrated tube amplifier. Maybe that is how the system produces a well-defined and musical sound.

I've had very good results with a very rare DAC, a GeorgeMark Audio from the early 2100s. It's a tube gain stage with volume control and an MSB DAC board built in with tube output stage. I drive it with Cambridge CDX drive running into two Monarchy anti jitter stages in series.

Previous to this I used a Melos preamp with built in DAC and a tube output. Again excellent performance. Tubes seem to make good DAC output stages.

I use a Denifrips Ares ii with Vincent Audio Hybrid Pre / Power amps a really nice pairing.  I have tried several tube amps but miss the really low bass I personally enjoy.

It is tough to make generalizations.

amen