Looking for a Solidly good inexpensive DAC

Wow … thanks so far everyone. Now in order…

Tvad
Well, I'm always more about the musical involvement than the resolution and details... Naturally, they all add to the mix.

Surely I don’t want that “hi fi” analytical, or clinical dry sound, regardless. I’ll amend the price point if needs be to overcome that result.

Gmood1
Thanks. Names I’ve not heard of but will try giving ‘em a call.

Samzx12
‘preciate it. Thanks.

Ngjockey
What’s “SOTA” mean?

I’ve spoken with Mr. Poon previously about his Monarchy DACs. He’s a sWeLL guy IMO. I’ve no issue with his work at all. At the time I felt to gain some greater technology by attaining a 24/192 set rather than the 16 & 20 bit units he made, with but 96KHz sampling.

Biamping? I let go of that bird after finding what the Silverlines & Dodd monos could do with the Thor preamp. The issue then for my tastes were the JRs. In fact I’d like to have another VK 500 w/BP to try on these sonata IIIs… but actually I’m pretty satisfied now and have little .designs on swapping out anything currently on hand…. ‘cept maybe some wire and possibly a PLC. Maybe.

Kbuzz
Well there’s more votes for the MDHT Labs unit, and the sector & promithias units.

The main issue I have with the Pradisea is having to wait for one to go up on ebay. I seldom have great luck being the first one out of the gate on such things. …and truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of non communication from the maker. Kind of hits me like buying a watch on the street corner… Well, almost.

Jwaugh
I’ve been passively checking out those units from a far for some time now… then and Audio Aero… but neither have USB.

In fact I’m wondering just how much a diff, if any, is there by using a USB DAC, rather than out of a half decent USB sound cards digital output into a standard DAC in the final analysis?

That way would open up other doors by way of later DA technology that isn’t employed in many USB dacS. E. I.E., MORE REGULATION, SEPARATE POWER SUPS, PARTS, ETC.

But THE ‘ONE SIZE FITS ALL’ NOTION, IS PRESENTLY VERY APPEALING…. Albeit the prime candidate to do everything for me is overvalued IMO… in that one respect, John Atkinson and I think alike.

I think.

The Paradisea's pop up here just keep a look out if that is what you want.

Samzx12

I probably won't though... I'm just compulsive... not obsessive... Well, not a lot. Well, OK. BUT just to the point where I become fatigued by it all, or realize I've gone off the deep end and am now lost.

Looking at the above posts, it seems there are far more legitablly good units available with far less trouble in acquiring them... I doubt the Paradisea is head and shoulders above all the others that it is worth the trouble to stake out ebay... and wait.

Waiting an indeterminable span is just not me... unless I have no other choice. In this case, I do have other choices apparently.

Anybody familiar with the Lavry DA10?

At the $1K price point, the Benchmark DAC 1 has been the gold standard for around six years. But the newer-design Lavry DA10 is causing some buzz. Here is a comparison test on a studio forum, performed over a period of several months, where a long time Benchmark DAC1 user compared it head-to-head with a new Lavry DA10. Although the Benchmark had some more convenient I/Os and more substantial build quality, the Lavry beat it on HF resolution and soundstage depth. He ended up buying a Lavry and selling his Benchmark.