If you’re looking for a tube Dac the Nagra tube Dac might be an excellent choice it is worth trying!
Best of luck
Which DACs are known to be sweet/rich/relaxed?
Problem
System is nicely transparant and detailed, but tends to get bright and harsh with certain (rock) recordings and at higher volume levels.
Objective
Nudge the system towards a sweeter, richer, more relaxed presentation.
Proposed solution / first step
Upgrade to a (tube based) DAC, budget $25-40k.
Current chain
- ROON Nucleus
- Mola Mola Tambaqui
- Gryphon Essence pre amp
- Gryphon Essence monoblocks
- Focal Stella Utopia EVO
- Full loom of Triode Wire Labs cables
- Dedicated power line straight into Puritan PSM156 mains filter
- System resides in the living room with some diffusors but no absorption other than sofas, chairs, and some rugs.
On my radar
Lampizator Pacific (or Golden Gate 2 since I heard it's more "tube-like")
Aries Cerat Kassandra 2 Ref or Sig
— What other DACs should I consider?
— Do you think upgrading to another (tube based) DAC will achieve that sweeter, richer, more relaxed presentation?
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There can be huge discrepancies with recording quality. The majority of the worst recordings I’ve heard are rock, particularly early early cd recordings using DDD engineering. If you tell me Dark Side of the Moon sounds like crap then there is something amiss in your system. Please be specific regarding which recordings you expect to sound good that instead sound harsh. Throwing more money into your system isn’t necessarily the panacea. |
I would suggest those incisive speakers and amp will negate DAC change. It is always happening that pursuit for clarity where suddenly the musicality seems to have gone and you spend listening time finding the faults rather than enjoying the music. I'm at a place now whwith tannoys and luxman that I like. There is clearer there is more transparent but I find myself lost in music more now compared to when it was all pres and monoblocks and a spaghetti junction. If I started over probably a 6w valve amp feeding klipschorn |
@parker65310 When playing loud, cymbals become harsh and bright for this recording of Californication by Red Hot Chili Pepper:
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- 196 posts total