Thanks, everyone, for responding to my question, and offering good suggestions. I don't think it's the case that my request for assistance was futile because no one else hears precisely the way I do and no one else can know precisely what it is I'm after. I actually find it very helpful to have the advice and experiences others share. In this case, the information I found most valuable (I'm not suggesting everyone else should find it as valuable) are the comments suggesting that I should not look to affect sound quality by changing DACs (unless, I presume, my current DAC is obviously deficient, which it is not). I'm sure I could hear noticable improvements from other DACs that I have yet to hear). But, like most, I don't want to spend twice as much to get a few percent improvement. I might still spring for a new DAC down the road. If I do, as always, it will be an experiment.
Different R2R DACs
Several months ago, I bought a used Hono Spring Level 2 DAC to see how R2R would compare against my Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. I like the Brooklyn+ a lot, but, given the other components in my system, I'm thinking about building in a bit more warmth (without losing significant detail). I'm not looking for sweetness or holography. Unfortunately, I was thoroughly unimpressed by the way the Holo Spring Level 2 smeared the music. I returned it within two weeks. Perhaps the unit I bought was defective (though I bought it from a highly reputable seller of used equipment), but it started me wondering how much of the hype surrounding the newer generation of R2R DACs was just that, hype. However, I keep seeing so many glowing reviews of reasonably priced R2R DACS from Denafrips, Aqua, Lampizator and others. So I'm wondering whether I should give them another try. Unfortunately, where I live the only real (suboptimal) option is to audition by purchasing one DAC at a time. Before I start down that road again, I thought I would ask the collective brain of Audiogon about how much of a difference I might expect, as against the Holo Spring level 2, from a new Denafrips Pontus II or used Terminator II, a used Aqua La Voce or Lampizator, or some other R2R DAC under $5K. I don't require require resolutions greater than 24/192 (beyond which I discern no difference). I do like the option of MQA decoding, but it's not a deal breaker.
The rest of my system (source components aside), at present, include a Parasound JC2 BP preamp, a pair of VTV Purifi mono amps, and Harbeth C7ES-3 speakers.
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- 87 posts total
- 87 posts total