OP here again:
thanks everyone for the recommendations. MHDT seems like a good place to start.
I’m quite sure based on the forum experience that there is nothing wrong with ESS. My findings are subjective and are my own, in my room, with my setup.
R2R next? Don't like ESS
Can you recommend a good 'starter' R2R dac? I've been through a number of ESS Sabre dacs and they're not for me. IMO, they lack a certain transparency that I'm after. Point of reference: The *only* dac that I've heard that is decent to my ears is a 10yr old Maverick Audio D3 w/ Sparkos OpAmp swap. *This* was great. Alas, I sold it because I thought I could do better with something newer.
Geshelli's offerings have piqued my interest - the J3 in particular - but it's an ESS chip. Wondering if I should make the jump to something R2R - Denafrips, Broder Patrol.. thoughts?
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I really like Gustard R26. Not expensive and the sound suits me perfect. I listen to music through analogue sources primarily my turntables and reel to reel Revoxes and Studers. I use Qobus and Tidal only to find new music and after owning around 10 different dacs I found Gustard R26 and it sounds most "analogue" to me which suits me perfect. (I can´t listen to ess dacs I get headache after 20-30 minutes. To "sharp" sound) |
@dclone I went from a Gustard R26 to a Gustard X-30 (four ESS9039SPRO chips). I was afraid that I would miss the warmth of the R26. I don't. The X-30 is very impressive. I'm sensitive to sibilance and high frequencies. The X-30 is very detailed, but not bright or sharp. |
Ive only had the Geshelli J2 AKM 4493 using an external Keces lps. Vinyl is my 1st choice in SQ, but some Hi Rez streaming through the J2 is very impressive. OP would probably want the J2 socketed . Added bonus, the Geshellis were great to deal with, USA product and for the price of the basic J2 its well worth a try. |
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