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*
Only had a few dacs. Presently running a vintage Audio By Van Alstine Insight Multibit dac from 2008, A Schiit Modius AKM4493, Schiit Modi 2 Uber, and an original ifi Zen Dac Signature. IME all are very good dacs for the money. One of the best sounding dacs I have heard was an Anodyne Adapt hybrid from the early 1990’s using Burr Brown chips. Not inexpensive at the time (about $2500 - nearly $6000 US in the present day), but very impressive. Sorry I ever sold it.
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@jjss49 I wonder if your final 3 would have changed if did not have a preference for a volume control? As many have said this report its a valuable contribution to the overall community.
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this is a fair question, which deserves a thoughtful answer... this and the earlier question about ’best bang for buck’ dacs... i am in a busy stretch with summer family/visitors events next several days, i will try to provide proper replies sometime next week
if you really mean what you wrote here the hugo tt2 will certainly meet your criteria -- but i sense you want to travel a little farther afield from chord, which is fine, all part of the experience/journey -- i would only say that once you get used to what the qutest/tt2 brings sonically, many (if not a majority of) other dacs may sound a little slow, a bit closed in, a little muddled and slurred -- in some cases cabling or cleaning up the front end feed may 'close that gap' |
just quick comment on the above statement, which i had missed earlier the weiss units are not r2r topology - they are based on the ess sabre delta-sigma dac chips |
