dac recommendations for turntable listener?


hi everyone, kindly asking for your dac suggestions. im almost 100% a turntable listener, but recently picked up a DirectStream Dac for those times I cant find the vinyl, its too expensive, or it simply doesn't exist. im looking for suggestions as im not happy with the DirectStream dac, its just not to my liking. its too sharp up top, too thin in the lower midrange, other than that everything else is pretty great. id like to get, if possible, a dac that sounds more like my turntable. I feel like I would get mostly there if the midrange was fuller, and the top end was softer. 

my current system is marantz tt15 , dynavector 20x2, icon audio ps3 mk ii, primaluna prologue premium, and elysian 4 speakers. 

the current dacs I was looking to switch to were lab 12 dac, primaluna evo 100 dac, lampizators entry model, or Merason DAC 1. does anyone have experience with these and can recommend them? 

thanks a lot! 

Anthony 

128x128palutena

I know, this might not be your price range (and neither is it mine if I'd to pay list), but I just got a MSB "Discrete", the junior model in the MSB stable, and playing DSD256 it is almost indistinguishable from my analog versions of the same tracks.

I found mine on the Aussie AudioMart site for about 50% off (good present exchange rate helped): one of the best purchases I ever made. The "naturalness" , stage depth, and complete absence of the usual "in-your-face" DAC presentations (like the DirectStream, which I had five years ago, and most other ones in the sub-5K dollar range) makes my listening truly enjoyable and non-fatiguing. As an analog vinyl head, I can honestly say: this is almost it!  Up to now, I was quite happy with the Gustard R26, another resistor-ladder-DAC, which is now for sale at USAudioMart. You might want to check it out.

@reimarc

I have a Gustard R26 dac.  I've thought about upgrading, but I think it would take an upgrade like you made to make it worthwhile. 

Definitely a DAC with a tube in it. Audio Mirror Toubadour IV $3500.....Smooth as Silk!

I had a DirectStream I DAC with a network card that I was NOT happy with. It sounded like your description. HOWEVER I upgraded to a DirestStream II and added a AirLens and VIOLA! actual analogue sound. 

I have auditioned a number of DACs and the one that sounds better than the above upgrade (to me ) is 2.5X the price PlayBack Designs. The extra 17K price tag was as they say "juice not worth the squeeze".  If I had 300 million dollars it would be no biggie. However I'm still a working stiff so I'm on a budget. 

For digital, removing noise from your system in the form of EMI or RFI really helps produce smoother sound. You've taken the first steps by getting the Blluesound Node streamer. Other steps that can help are:

  1. Turning off the Wi-Fi receiver in your streamer and using an Ethernet cable. One way to use an Ethernet cable without running cable all through your house is to use a Wi-Fi extender to create an Ethernet access port which then connects to your streamer via an Ethernet cable. That at least gets the Wi-Fi receiver and the RFI it generates away from your streamer.
  2. Local files can sound better than streamed files.
  3. USB cables matter. I'm using a Stordiau Phasure Lush.
  4. An Audioquest Jitterbug noise filter on the USB output of my streamer seemed to make a positive difference.
  5. For streaming, the fairly inexpensive Supra Cat 8 cable works well in my system.
  6. My latest upgrade is an Audioquest Niagara 1200 power conditioner. That seems to have taken out any remaining harshness that was causing listening fatigue after several hours of listening.

I also rejected digital audio for a long time because it caused listening fatigue for me. From 1989 to 2021, I didn't have any digital in my home system. I would stream Qobuz using my laptop or phone and headphones. That changed during the pandemic when I was doing a lot of music listening while doing work and I started building up a digital source for my home system.