That's a lot of DACs..... what's your favorite or among your favorites.
dacs that I have had in my system - a listing
i comment quite a bit on threads about digital/analog converters, as i have tried many since the covid period in early 2020, when i recommitted to my hifi and getting streaming and a truly modern digital front end implemented in my main home system
i have had questions on what dacs i have actually tried -- so last week when i was sleepless on a long transcontinental flight home from a holiday, i made a listing, which i post below
almost all dacs below have been owned, and spent extensive time (at least 2-3 months) in my system, obviously there have been changes in my system over this time, and not all dacs were owned at the same time
i post this here so others can refer to this here - i looked, but i could not find a way to post this on my 'system' page
the asterisk-ed entries are still in hand, currently:
2020
topping d90 mqa
ayre codex
mhdt stockholm
mhdt orchid
mhdt istanbul
denafrips pontus original
musical paradise mpd1
ps audio d link iii modded cullen
bs node 2i
2021
denafrips ares 2
denafrips pontus 2
denafrips terminator
auris d1d vu
audio mirror tubador 3 se
van alstine fet topp*
van alstine fet hybrid
rme adi 2 (akm)
schiit modius
schiit gumby
schiit yggy*
sonnet morpheus
border patrol se i
metrum jade
metrum octave
metrum hex
metrum adagio
musical fidelity trivista 21 (modded)*
weiss 501* (now 4ch)
2022
chord 2qute
chord qutest
chord m scaler* hugo tt2*
mhdt orchid modded*
audio note kits dac4 pro
msb analog w powerbase*
denafrips venus 2*
denafrips pontus 12
audio gd master 7
musetec 005
bs node n130
bricasti m1se mdx
doge 7
hegel h90 190 390 590* (internal)
2023
gustard r26*
eversolo dmp a6 master*
mhdt toucan
orchard pecan pi*
cambridge audio cxn2 modwright modded tubed*
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- 113 posts total
+1 @oddiofyl First, thanks for the incredibly comprehensive and impressive list! Obviously they all have their inherent strengths/weaknesses as they pertain to your system and tastes, but can you list the top choice — or at least the top three — and explain what puts it/them there? Curious minds wanna hear your very valuable thoughts/experience. |
top three (no order of preference) - i favor dacs with some linestage/volume control capability so i can go direct to power amp, and even better if streamer is onboard, and is a smaller form factor weiss 501 (utterly pure and incisive sound) and with so many useful sound-shaping features, and built in streamer too) chord hugo tt2 w scaler (absolute soundstage champ, fantastically smooth but with density and with detail effortlessly portrayed) - best at driving all kinds of power amps directly due to special analog output capability of the tt2 msb analog/powerbase (older gen r2r msb -- very aptly named, sounds most akin to top notch analog -- slightly softer, sweeter, less razor-focused sound, highly musical) - has streamer onboard and separate analog input too, and prolly the best remote ever 😉 i listen to the hugo/scaler the most, i use the weiss when i feel the downstream system needs a little more zip and clearer focus, and i resort to the msb in the other case, when what is downstream is a little too unforgiving up top, needs just a touch of smoothness |
- 113 posts total