you might want to take a look at the Wyred4Sound 10th anniversary dac,the reviews on it have been stellar, one of the reviewers put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he said that the 10th anniversary DAC was every bit as analog sounding, on that review I bought it because they give a 30-day trial period and I totally agree It's one of the most analog DACs that I've ever heard and I kept it It's not cheap it's $4,500 US but well worth it.
Let's Talk DAC's
My current DAC, the Chord Chordette Qute HD is getting on with age and I am looking for a new one with superior performance. So far, I have narrowed down my search to five DACs. At the low end is the Denafrips Ares II and the Eversolo DAC Z8. Mid range the RME ADI-2 and at the top end the Chord Qutest and the Denafrips Pontus II.
This is for an all-digital setup in a 12x12 dedicated room. I have a much larger room with a much "bigger" set up, but for this room it is a simple PrimaLuna Prologue Classic integrated, Audiolab 6000 CD transport, ProAc Tablette 10’s, and a REL T/5i Subwoofer. I plan to add a streamer as well, but that is for another discussion.
I am conflicted with the choice between a delta-sigma modulated DAC and an R2R type Dac. I do like the FPGA technology in my current DAC. It has served me well.
I am certainly open to other ideas and welcome comments from those of you that have experience with this equipment.
I forgot to add; I like a wide and deep soundstage and good imaging. I also hate a rolled off high end.
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Why bother if you’re looking all lower performance DACs, Giant killers are a fallacy, yes there are okay low end DACs out there but really they are no better than your iPad. As @pennfootball71 said save some money and look further up the line, Limpazator, LessLoss, Simaudio, Aqua, Briscatti……your ears will thank you. |
I’m not sure you are going to do any better than the Aries in your price range. A different sound yes, but all around, no. Until you get to the Pontus ll. I bought a Pontus ll a couple of years ago and haven’t found another DAC that sounds as good to me until I almost doubled the price. All the best.
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My local dealer loves to do whacky, but very instructive, demonstrations with the ProAc Tablette speaker. Recently, he put a $30,000 tube amp on the speaker to demonstrate that amps matter a whole lot, even when the speakers are supposedly "modest" in price and expected performance, and to demonstrate how fantastic the Tablettes can sound when they are given a fair chance --i.e,, used with other high quality components. A few years ago, at a Washington DC area Capital Audiofest show, the dealer took a laptop with stored music, a small and modestly price (but really good sounding) tube amp and the Tablettes. The secret sauce in the setup was a DAC that now costs above 6 figures (Audio Note DAC 5 Signature). People who heard the room were simply amazed at how good the system sounded--full, rich, alive and musical Almost everyone went around the room looking for a subwoofer (there was none). The speaker was fully capable of showing off an ultra expensive DAC. The Tablettes will be very capable of showing off whatever changes you make in your DAC choice. Again, as I said above, you should include in your auditioning a few DACs that emphasize the analogue stage--primarily they are tube-based DACs that don't merely add a tube buffer to give them a tube sound. |
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