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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*

128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xjjss49
audiogabby's avatar
audiogabby
182 posts
 

Can you give us some insight into the $3k and $4k field? I know this is subjective so two or three options under each will do. Thank you very much for your time.

julie_priest
134 posts
 

So the notion that RME ADI-2 Pro is clean and German, and gets out of the way, and we don’t need (and shouldn't need) anything more from a DAC.. is it not true? :)

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jjss49 OP
6,612 posts
 

So the notion that RME ADI-2 Pro is clean and German, and gets out of the way, and we don’t need (and shouldn’t need) anything more from a DAC.. is it not true?

it depends, in my view

yes it is clean sounding, yes it is german made, but whether it totally ’gets out of the way’ is a rather subjective thing... for a very good system set up that capably extracts and renders spatial info from recordings, the rme in my experience is lacking... its soundstage is foreshortened and narrowed... one quick a/b versus say, a chord qutest, exposes this notable weakness of the rme 

this is why i feel the rme is ideal for headphone listeners, much more than those with good in-room setups that seek to recreate realistic imaging, layering and decay of notes

 

jaudio1
121 posts
 

@jjss49

I see that you have had the MHDT Toucan.  What was your opinion of it compared to the other MHDT dacs you have owned.  I have owned the pagoda in the past and switched to the YGGY Less is More Dac which I love, but lately I have been thinking about picking up one of the new mhdt dac again.  I have been thinking about the Toucan and the new Oolong which is similar to the pagoda which uses the upgraded PCM 1704 k graded chip and takes AES input.  Your thoughts would be much appreciated.  Thanks.

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jjss49 OP
6,612 posts
 

I have been thinking about the Toucan and the new Oolong which is similar to the pagoda which uses the upgraded PCM 1704 k graded chip and takes AES input. Your thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Toucan is very nice. Definitely a similar family sound as the Orchid and Stockholm with the benefit of a better case and of course, native 6dj8 tube buffering. The analog output voltage is a touch lower than the other units using the 5670/2c51 mini tube though, so make sure your downstream gear has enough gain or a good buffer stage. The sound is what you would expect from Juin’s better DACs and can be further improved through output caps upgrade for extension at the extremes and a touch more drive.

 

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