Best DAC you ever heard list. 1.Budget under 1k 2. Mid Under 5k 3. Cost no Object.

Lumin D2 - $2k

Lumin T3 - $4k

Nagra Tube Dac with separate Power Supply $48K

Under $1k.  $999.   I would pick RME adi2.  I owned this DAC for a few years and it's hard to beat for the money.

Under  $5k.  $3300  After looking at several DACs between $1500 and $6000  I chose the Lab 12  DAC 1 Reference.   I love this DAC.   Not feature rich , in fact it's pretty stripped down but sounds great.  Can listen for hours without fatigue.  

The best DAC i have heard in person is the MSB Discrete.   I would buy one if I had the means and a system that could exploit it.  

Under 1k- used RME

Under 5k- Gustard r26 or RME

Over 5k - T&A D200

I have experience with maybe 30 DACs in my systems at various times so not a ton but enough to have an opinion. That T&A was really special

@oddiofyl @jrareform

I agree with selecting the RME ADI-2 (used) under $1,000. Especially if it comes in an AKM chipset variant. What I’ve noticed is that any system improvement is picked up and passed along. Rather uncanny that way.  

With an ordinary USB cable, a significant improvement is available with DSD upsampling. Whether doing so with Audirvana or HQPlayer, it’s a serious sound enhancement. 

I’d love to see this DSD Direct upsampling option compared to others like the Holo May and Denafrips, as I suspect it’s right in the ballpark. Have yet to see such a comparison to date.  

Can’t speak to the 5K plus category as I’ve not had them in my home system. Hearing systems and DACs in other systems isn’t good enough for me to proffer an opinion. 

 

jrareform

45 posts

04-27-2025 at 06:10pm 

Under 1k- used RME

Under 5k- Gustard r26 or RME

Over 5k - T&A D200

I have experience with maybe 30 DACs in my systems at various times so not a ton but enough to have an opinion. That T&A was really special

@jrareform 

Agree 100%, especially T+A D200, which is a remarkable DAC.