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DAC recommendation in 5 to 10K range

I recently get to the point that I want to try a new DAC in $5 to $10K range and would like to know if there are recommendations I should try and audition.

 

My current DAC is a Denafrips Terminator, to me, Terminator is an overall fun DAC that provide good clarity, energy, and scale. It has strong macrodynamic focus with good impact and punch, as well as solid resolving power and texture, but I feel drawback is lacking micro dynamic capability, tonality is not organic, neither is presentation, treble is not that refined, and can sometimes get too hot and gritty. What I hope in my next DAC is a balanced DAC that lean a bit more toward the relaxed and slightly sweeter smoother side of things, great organicness, great placement accuracy and depth in overall stage, great coherency and liquidity, as well as having great impact and punch.

elan120
badgerdms
158 posts
 

Based on your description, I would check out the Merason DAC1.  It's not going to do anything above 24 192, but it's the most organic sounding DAC I've heard at $6K, throws a huge soundstage and has excellent bass.  Detail without sterility.

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jjgasp
64 posts
 

+1 @chcook Weiss DAC501 (or Weiss DAC502 if you need balanced headphone jack)

auroravengeance's avatar
auroravengeance
135 posts
 

I have not heard the Terminator yet, but I have heard its clone Musician Aquarius (they are basically the same company), and the sound was what you have described.

I have just concluded a one month search for a new DAC and tried the following:

- Musician Aquarius
- Aqua La Scala MKII
- Rockna Wavelight
- Rockna Wavedream
- Audiobyte Hydravox
- Teac UD-701N
- Esoteric N-05XD
- Sonnet Morpheus
- Lab12 Reference Dac1

And I settled on Lab12 Reference Dac1 in the end. The sound you are looking for was exactly what I was searching for and I found it in the Lab12. Close contenders were La Scala MKII and Teac UD-701N. Listening to it now while I was typing this reply. 

phastm3's avatar
phastm3
88 posts
 

That Lab12 dac is a sleeper. I had it for a month and I thought it was better than the Weiss Dac502, in my room. I just sold the Lab12 to TMR because I got caught up in not being able to upsample it to DSD and not having volume control. I think I made a mistake by not keeping it.

auroravengeance's avatar
auroravengeance
135 posts
 

@phastm3 

Well, it's less than one third the price of the Weiss, why not just get another one for a secondary setup?

I had the pleasure of doing an A/B comparison of Sonnet Morpheus and the Lab12 DAC1 because they were carried by the same dealer, and it was not even funny how the DAC1 was superior to Morpheus in every way. I also don't understand how that reviewer from Alpha Audio came to the conclusion these two sounded similar, because the Morpheus was clearly a lot brighter and more intense to listen to, whereas the DAC1 was simply just so much more easier to listen at louder volume but without sacrificing speed and liveliness. The soundstage for DAC1 was also clearly wider and the bass quality was significantly better. I think I have reached my end-game DAC. Maybe if I strike lottery I might consider listening to DCS Vivaldi or MSB Reference, but I struggle to think how other DAC could get much better than the Lab12. 

 

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