DAC shopping - Trying to sift through the Hype. Can I trust the reviews these days ??

After thinking about a new dac for over a year I have decided on the Audial DAC S5b. Why you could ask? It uses a very old chip.

But that is one of the reasons, these chips were abandoned because they were very expensive to manufacture. Also in my opinion the implementation is the all important aspect of a dac. Pedja has spent years optimizing this design.

The dac I have been using for last many years is a Primare dac30 which is still going strong and will be doing service in my second system, for this new dac I wanted something different than sigma delta variations.

Should get it in time for the holidays, am really looking forward to hearing it in my system.

@bunkertoy I wouldn’t blindly subscribe to all DAC’s in a $ 1,000-3,000 sound the same, even if they share similar designs.  I’ve been able or lucky enough to be able to compare DAC’s in my system, have had Node 2i, Lumin D2 w/Sbooster, MHDT Pagota Balanced and the DAC in a Krell Illusuons ii Pre.  I was able to swap between the DAC’s and also use either the Node 2i and Lumin D2 as a streamer only.  I then sold the D2 and bought an AURALiC G2 as a stand alone streamer.  I still had the Node, MHDT and Krell and would switch between them.  They all sounded noticeably different.  With all of the DAC’s using the stand alone streamer was a noticeable step up.  Synergy was also a big part of the equation.  Choosing the input and output’s also played a key role.  I moved on to a Lumin P1 and then to a Lumin U2 mini w/Sbooster feeding a PS Audio Direct Stream MKii.  So, I’ve had R2R, various Chip designs, FPGA designed DAC’s and they all sound different in my system, noticeably.  I can also hear differences when changing inputs / outputs.  
 

Finding either a streamer that’s versatile and can play well many DAC’s and various outputs or getting a Streamer that is known, designed to have a special connection to a DAC like say the PS Audio Airlens and MKii using the I2s are keys.  
 

You have a really nice DAC already, I don’t know that in this price range you’ll beat it, more likely you’ll find something that sounds different.  I like the advice you got around picking a versatile streamer, enjoying the DAC you have and then upgrading the DAC down the road.  If you do roll with a new DAC and want North American made or European made and want to go the R2R route, Linear Tube Audio (LTA) just launched their first DAC, it’s R2R and has a Tube stage.  It’s getting a lot of love and they are known for making outstanding gear with high quality parts usually not found in gear at the price ranges they sell at.  Schit also has a crazy ratio, value relative to price.  If you venture into Asian made products, MHDT offers some really well implemented R2R tube stage DAC’s.  If you went with an all in 1 box, a Lumin T3 used would be a nice step up but then you are a little more limited, not as flexible as having separates.  Used will give you a nice bang for your buck.  Another highly regarded R2R Tube DAC made in the U.S. is the Audio Mirror Tubador has gotten a lot of love in the past but haven’t heard much recently. 
 

Synergy is key, the streamer and how well it plays with the DAC matters, how well the DAC matches the Pre / Amp also play a big role.  The technology is always evolving from DAC standpoint but a well implemented power supply and output stages along with the overall design of the DAC are way more important than the latest chip.  Out of all the DAC’s I’ve had, the MHDT Pagoda balanced was my favorite.  Next to the Node 2i, was the cheapest, the design was old school, R2R with a tube stage.  At some point I’m going to either buy this DAC again or a similar design, something like the LTA or Tubador to compare to the PS Audio.  
 

Good Luck! 
 

Tons of great responses.

@jimmyblues1959 Totally agree about the marketing aspect. My speakers are Revival Atalante 3. They are a new speaker company, based in France. The engineer is from Dynaudio. I'm so happy with these. I found them through discussions on a forum.

Point being there have been many DACs mentioned in this thread which I would never have looked up, so many thanks for expanding my search. Totally spending hours reading and searching reviews, while I listen to music. Not a bad way to spend a day.

@dz13 @mitch2 @trivema I really like to try the idea of a DDC. could be an interesting experiment, with low cost.

So how many dac suggestions do we have here on this thread alone? Anyone shopping for a dac should be confused.

My overall take on dacs, this based on countless reviews, opinions and my own listening, is that digital as it pertains to A to D and D to A conversion has finally become a mature technology and industry. Not that difficult to achieve relatively high levels of resolution, transparency in  dacs, presentation is where the greatest differences will be found. And I'm not saying there are NOT meaningful differences in the realm of resolving, transparency, only that even at lower price levels dacs may provide all the resolution many systems are capable of. 

Streaming setups is where the real action is, innovation coming fast and furious. One can't even begin to know what their dac capable of without first attending to the entire streaming chain.

@mm1tt77 Some great info there. I'm very curious about the new LTA dac. I've always dreamed of owning one of their Preamps, but out of my price range. LTA is a solid company.

I do like that my DAC has a separate power supply, it's always best to get the power in it's own chassis. With my Antipodes streamer I also use a Sbooster. As far as streamers go... I like Antipodes or Innuos, because they both support SqueezeLite. That's my ecosystem of choice. Both companies make solid Streamer/Servers.