New DAC! Meitner MA3, Denafrips Terminator Plus, Holo May KTE, Mola Mola Tambaqui

kairosman

198 posts

06-16-2023 at 04:45am 

First off Roon is not as good sonically as the Lumin or Aurender apps. If you don't mind ditching Roon get the new Lumin U2 with fiber optic input to start (I have the P1 with the same set of LAN and fiber optic inputs), however if you are married to Roon get an Innuos Zenith Mk.3 server, then ditch your MAC as it will be a bottleneck in your system when you upgrade your DAC.
 

I disagree. The DAC you’re using and it’s implementation of a network renderer vs what kind of streamer? Now add USB cable or whatever type of connection you will be using…that cable matters too. 

My Roon ready Bricasti M3 with network renderer wired to an access point with a good ethernet cable beat the lumin U1 Mini streamer.
Mola Mola also has a built in renderer, is Roon ready and does not require a streamer. 

Mac Mini sucks as a streamer but as a Roon core only it won’t be a bottleneck.  

another one you should put on your list is the Wyred4sound 10th anniversary dac, the reviews have been stellar, one of the reviewers put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he said it was every bit as analog sounding, I bought it from that review and I totally agree analog warm detailed doc that I've ever had in my system, not cheap though $4,500 US and they also give you a 30-day trial period if you don't like it you send it back and get all your money back. it has bested DACS from $9,000 to $15,000.

The I2s standard is pretty much theoretical. To me, the main advantage of I2s is being able transmit digital data with fewer conversions and clock. Unfortunately, many I2s devices don’t transmit clock signals, or the DAC isn’t setup to receive and use the clock.

My Aurender N20/May Holo DAC KTE aren’t quite up to my analog, but very very close. To be fair, my analog cost many times what I have spent on digital, so I consider the Holo to be a great performer. Where it sits today compared to other DACs in this price range, I do not know.

The PS Audio DAC 2 wasn’t out when I purchased the Holo, but it does come with a 30 day trial period, so that might be a good place to start. I would ignore the vitriol around the subject of hum in that a trial in your home would suffice and be more relevant. I don’t know where you can do the same type of trial with the T&A, but that just might be out there. I believe that they are priced the same.

I’ve had the Lumin D2, Lumin P1, MHDT Pagoda Balanced, Krell Illusions ii used internal DAC, Node 2i and a couple other DAC’s I’m forgetting about along the way.  I have a PS Audio MK2 currently.  I’ve used Lumin and Auralic dedicated streamers.  Synergy is key, power supplies and clean power make a big difference.  Your preference on sound characteristics is also a huge factor.  Some really high end DAC’s are very clean, detailed, dead quite and can lean toward analytical.  R2R especially a tube design tend to be warmer, more analogue but they don’t have the level of detail, nuances nor are they as quite.  Hearing the differences also largely depends on your supporting gear.  Some gear will really highlight the differences between DAC’s and some set ups won’t present noticeable differences.  The list you have compiled is a strong list, you’ve gotten some nice suggestions on what to add to the list.  I’d add Lumin to it, they are highly regarded in the Hifi space and their gear tends to punch above its weight class.  Not because I have it currently but the PS Audio DAC is getting rave reviews by many.  In my system it has a more laid back quality than some other DAC’s I’ve used.  If you do spend the coin on one of the DAC’s I’d echo comments, suggestions on replacing your Mac as a streamer, if you are spending that kind of money on a DAC having a high quality streamer is key to getting the most out of it.  I’ve done an A/B comparison and found a streamer to be a big improvement and the vast majority of forums I’ve read lean into the virtues of a streamer vs using a PC or Mac as a streamer. Good Luck! 

Every system is different.  The only way to know what you prefer is to hear the DAC in your system.  I've recently listened to the Tambaqui and Bartok in my system. I prefer the Chord Dave to both.