dacs that I have had in my system - a listing

Nice, very nice. Lots of time spent. I get why you tried a few from one single company. I always wanted to know if the same companies product were that much better as you went up the line.

I did not really understand what sound you were looking for to select a DAC. Many DACs you tried were of the same design.

My company makes a a 101D Direct Heated Tube R2R (not a chip) design. Very few people have heard a DHT product. We have a separate 25 pound power supply. This is where we feel we are close to vinyl reproduction. That is until you hear our phono stage. Tone arms, cartridges, TT all make nice differences but the phono stage is the real key to overall sound.

Your desire and commitment are surely commendable.

Happy Listening.

Thank you for taking the time.

BTW, was going from 2ch to 4ch with the Weiss DAC501 worthwhile?

responding to some quickies (i will take the time for more lengthy/thoughtful responses later to address some meatier questions... on mode of listening, best value dacs. how i chose dacs to try etc etc, pls bear with me)

Any comments on the Benchmark DAC3 HGC - Digital to Analog Audio Converter?

no, sorry, i did not try benchmark’s more recent dacs... though well BEFORE the 2020 timeframe i had tried their dac1 -- that was a lean/mean/super clean sounding machine as i vividly recall, consistent with the overall benchmark house sound over the years

Any thoughts on any of the Bricasti DACs?

yes, i hold them in very high regard... built with utmost quality, love and attention by brian zollner and crew, very pure tonally accurate resolving sound that takes no prisoners in treble or bass extension - i loved the m1 mdx i had, but in careful a/b vs my weiss unit i could hear ZERO difference (m1 set on my most preferred ’linear 2’ filter), and given my preference for the weiss on form factor, and features, i let the m1 go

important note here is our friend and esteemed member @tvad is a longtime and multiple bricasti user, he says the m3 is ever so slightly warmer sounding than the m1... i think this this is worth noting - i trust @tvad's ears and sensibilities 100%

Have you totalled up the total money you spent chasing the "perfect" DAC sound; Does your spouse know the figure; and where do you hide the Goose laying the golden eggs to afford this hobby?

haha, well thankfully i have had two lengthy productive careers and money is not an issue (as hifi goes as a hobby, there are indeed much more expensive ones than this), as i have said on prior posts, with my second career developing real estate i acquired property, designed/built my home, and the cost of the home (and the listening room in it) makes money spent on hifi gear insignificant

that said, i regularly check the couple used hifi gear sites, buy units of interest at fair prices, and resell them in time for same, usually at zero or close to zero cost to try... like everything in life money-wise, there are smart and not so smart ways, provided one is willing to expend energy and effort

BTW, was going from 2ch to 4ch with the Weiss DAC501 worthwhile?

for purely sonic reasons, no, imo

@jjss49 Thanks for your answers! 

Did any of your discoveries about DACs lead to any revelations about other gear? In other words, did the capability of a DAC lead you to hear your other equipment -- e.g. speakers -- do something you had never heard them do before?

I guess this is kind of the old "bottleneck" question, but I'm specifically wondering about that moment where you thought, "Wow! I didn't know my speakers could do that!"