BTW, was going from 2ch to 4ch with the Weiss DAC501 worthwhile?
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*
- ...
- 113 posts total
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)
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
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%
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
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!" |
@jjss49 Well my friend you certainly stepped in it this time! I’m sure you knew making this post would be a little like having a kid — it never ends. Thanks again for sharing all this extremely valuable, helpful, and insightful hands-on info, and RIP to your free time. Heh heh. |
well you know me... i knew what i was doing when i chose to post the list, and i don’t mind the consequences 🤣 part of my motivation, frankly, is to establish a thread and a dialogue that puts this forum back into its proper (and positive) comfort zone -- dedicated and interested music lovers and audiophiles sharing experiences and info, without the b-s and negativity i know my example with dacs here is extreme, but hopefully it helps reset the tone and nature of discourse here, at least on this thread |
- 113 posts total