DAC Shootout Starts This Weekend

@rsf507, compared to my previous DAC at the time a SimAudio 380DSD I found the M3 a little lean.   I liked the M3 and thought it had a little more detail and soundstage, and way more bass and dynamics than the much older SimAudio, but I desired a little more fuller presentation.   I really liked the SimAudio DAC when I purchased it years ago as it had a very organic musical sound that didn't make me feel like I was listening to digital.

I didn't find the M3 to be analytical or fatiguing, I just wanted a little more meat on the bones...  The RME I found to be cut along the same lines as the M3 sound wise, detailed and easy to listen to, it just didn't offer the same level of detail and soundstage and was likely the least dynamic of the DACs I tried (still killer for the $$ though in my opinion).    The Mystique I think gives up a little resolution and maybe soundstage to the M3, has equal or maybe better bass/dynamics (its power supplies are pretty crazy), but has that organic/musical presentation of the SimAudio taken to another level.

The couple really cool features of the M3 though which add to its value in my opinion are the quality of it analog output (which almost matched to my ears my ~ double the price preamp) and its option for a $1K Ethernet streamer.   I use a Bricasti M5 with my Mojo and it sounds excellent, but it costs more than $1K :)

Thanks @ddafoe for the info. As my dealer showed me it's easier and much more cost effective (although not as much fun) to change power cords and get what you are striving for than changing dacs. Yes dacs sound a bit different but they are all sounding so good and by changing an interconnect or ac cord you can change the sound even more. Just my own experience. 

I have promised a few more reviews here as some new devices have come in and one specifically is the Musical Fidelity M3s CD.  This is a CD player with SPDIF, USB and TOSLINK inputs and lists for $1599.  I bought it before AXPONA in 2019 for CD Transport for that show and literally had never listened to the DAC. 

On In a Sentimental Mood, sparkle in the top end of the piano is great.  Separation is good within the drum roll, not elite.  It feels like this unit has a slight emphasis on the midrange as bass is slightly recessive and the cymbals in the right speaker are forward.  Balance is different but it delivers a very musical and enjoyable performance.  

In Be Still My Beating Heart, again slight absence of bass and resulting image seems short and moderately wide.  Certainly wider than the Hugo 2 but with less depth in the central image.  Noise floor is not as quiet. 

Effects are prominent on Liberty. Not a touch of sibilance.  

Duende had good, not great detail in the bass region. Treble separation was very good.  

With Berg, there was a slight massing of strings which might be worse on a larger orchestral recording but it is very enjoyable.  

PRaT is the signature.  Extraordinary mids with a punchy mid-bass but without any excessive treble and slightly recessive bass.  This may have been designed to compliment the slight brightness that one gets with MF integrated amp.  

Like the Questyle, this unit is awesome for the money.  If you told me it was twice the price I would not be shocked.  Anyone looking for a quality DAC in the sub $2K range would be wise to consider this unit even if you never plan to open the CD tray.  It will be especially nice in a system that is a touch bright at the top end or excessively bass heavy.  

This unit sat in storage for almost 2 years and bluntly, I am disappointed that I haven't spent more time with it.  It is striking a nice balance between detail and soundstage.  Biggest issues I see are size and lack of XLRs which is not that uncommon in this price tier.  

verdantaudio,

I've followed this thread, because I currently have a Chord Dave DAC and I'm looking for the next level DAC without spending $20K. I've read that the Chord Dave can be analytical and thin, but compared to the PS Audio Directstream, Bricasti M1, Jeff Rowland Aeris, and Rockna I don't hear it. I've had all of the aforementioned DAC in my system and I prefer the Dave. Based on my experience it seems DACs are like all audio components...the system/personal preference is the most significant factor determining what DAC is "best".

@verdantaudio 

I currently have Bryston Mini-T speakers (with Yamaha PC2002 power amp) and was thinking of moving towards a fully Bryston system...but came across your post commenting about microdynamics.

Based on your experience, it it worth pursuing building a system around the Mini-T's if i want Microdymics?  What i mean to say, is it the Bryston speakers or amplifiers that are the limiting factor for microdynamics?

The microdynamics are a huge part of what I have have been focusing on in this thread.  It is the fine details.  Subtleties in the way a drum roll comes together, speedy bass notes, sound effects, separation of notes in bells and piano.  These little things are inherently the difference between very good and extraordinary and they do add up.  

That being said, you do need to have a system capable of delivering those microdynamics to you.  You need a resolving enough amplifier and speakers that are sufficiently detailed.  Years ago I did a demo of a bunch of stand-mount speakers in the $1000 to $2000 range and a couple floor standers.  One test track I used was Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel off of Secret World Live.  What I discovered in that session was that multiple speakers were simply not capable reproducing the fine details of things like crowd noise in certain parts of that song.  It was an entirely Bryston system with a speaker switch so it wasn't the amp or DAC, the only change was the speakers.  You can get the most detailed DAC in the world and if your speakers are your systems bottleneck you will not benefit.  

Regarding imaging, separation of instruments and soundstage, all of these things vary wildly from dac to dac and there is no objective "this is how it should sound" benchmark to know if your DAC is doing well.  The closest you can come is Q sound recordings but those are problematic in the opposite direction in that virtually any DAC and system should be able to make those sound incredible.