DAC Question: Delta-Sigma vs R2R

r2r dacs have been around for ever. The thing that makes the better today than they have ever been is the resisters are better with closer tolerances and the rest of the technology that goes into them is better. Chip dacs can be extremely cheap or extremely expensive and everything in between. The electronics that a company adds can make the same chip sound the way they want.

So all and all it’s your ears and your wallet that make your decision of what kind of dac you get.

All the best with your hunt.

JD

Schiit Gungnir may be a good option and they have a decent return policy. 

DACs only purpose is to convert the digital signal into an analogue form with as little distortion, noise, jitter and other nasty artifacts as possible. A few other things, but you get the idea.

R2R and Sigma Delta take quite different approaches to doing this. Quite different technologies.

R2R DACs do not do this as well as SD DACs. R2R DACs such as those by Denefrips and Holo Audi can come very close to what most robust (and recent - technology has improved in just the last couple years or so) SD DACs can easily achieve.

Now, R2R DACs do convey perhaps a slightly more lush/euphonic (whatever, get out the thesaurus) presence than SD.

The reasons to me are unclear, however one reason that I a familiar with is that R2R DACs introduce 2nd and 3rd harmonics through into the signal. Perhaps google is your friend for an explanation of harmonics.

These are known as non-linear distortions. These can be very pleasant to the ear, and tube amps produce them (harmonics) in abundance. Many here enjoy tube amps, myself included. {edit - and now I see, yourself also.  Swell}

My own opinion is that should you wish to introduce such harmonics the best place to do so is at the pre-amp or amp level.

Get the source signal as "correct" as possible with a SD DAC costing no more than a few hundred bucks, and then decide how to play with or customize the signal that the DAC spits out.

{I see Schiit has been recommended.  If that is a brand you trust, I'd suggest Schiit Modius at $200 - it is splendid and you won't be disappointed.  Jason from Schiit would agree - he has said that he can't tell the difference between DACs after a few beers, which, I may note, is because they are so good these days and is probably true even before having a few beers}

I totally agree with what fuzztone said and I have a suggestion for a dac for you to listen to but it's not cheap it's $4,500 US, but the reviewer put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he says it was every bit as analog sounding, the name of the dac is the Wyred 4 sound 10th anniversary dac, I have it in my system and I totally agree it's the most analog sounding dac that I've ever had in my system.

As I fellow senior music lover who, like the OP, also has tinnitus, let me say this. Your tinnitus  most likely becomes an issue with brighter presentations and higher volumes. No matter what DAC you get, you will still find certain recordings an issue. This is because of the way the music was recorded/mastered/remastered, etc. In other words, the effect of human input and the sonic signature of the gear used in the music production/recording process before it even gets to be on your CD/ or digital stream.

So here’s my input. Buy a good quality equalizer like a Schiit Loki and insert it into your music chain. Eiter between your preamp and power amp or your DAC and preamp. It is very transparent yet will allow you to modify the high and middle frequencies to suit your specific hearing preferences on a global as well as a recording by recording basis. This little inexpensive device may get you further towards your goal of making your digital source more listenable than what tonal flavour DAC you get. It has a bypass switch so it can be in the chain when you want it. Not saying you should not get a DAC as a better DAC regardless of the technology will get you closer to the music than the internal one you are using, but the ability to adjust tonal balance, for me was the best way to make music more listenable with tinnitus.