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Who has found happiness giving up on DACs?

With apologies to the other post (and with tongue planted firmly in cheek) and with all seriousness, I have gone back to a CDP. Right up front I'll admit that I have neither the time, resources and the inevitable inclination to try one DAC after another. My ears will never achieve the amount of abuse that those who have gone before me have had to endure. I do not envy you but am thankful. Its folk like me who rely on the accumulated ken of those who have paved the path to certain and wise choices.
Having said that (in none too correct a fashion), I'd like to hear from those who have gotten off the merry-go-round and settled on a CDP.
128x128nonoise
danielk141
489 posts
 
Many years ago I started with an entry level Theta DAC & TLC jitter control.
I've had higher level DACs (and digital cables) and tried all the way up to the Theta GenVA (very nice).
I'm on my 2nd Electrocompaniet EMC1-Up, this time with the spider clamp.
Merry-go-round ride over.
mezmo
516 posts
 
Gotta say, currently loving pecking this out on an iPad which simultaneously is controlling every scrap of music own, ripped lossless to a 2tb drive resting under a Mac mini. Convenient and lovely, yes, but kinda necessitates a decent DAC or you're pretty much lost. On convenience alone, haven't touched e CDP since I've set this new source up. And it sounds pretty darn ok to boot. Different strokes, I suppose... No right answer, that much is for sure.
robertbrown
151 posts
 
It sounds to me that you haven't just found the right
DAC. I have MSB TECH and with their new ilink I have their DACII and what I hear the three and the new four totally blow it away
4est
507 posts
 
I am with Mezmo and Robertbrown on this one. I also do not think that your assessment of one DAC after another is really a fair one. FWIW, the transport makes a big difference in the amount of jitter getting to the DAC. Furthermore, the digital cabling and implementation are huge! To simply distill it as to DACs being a PITA is simply not true.

You didn't ask, but I will recommend that you try a Mac as a server (out of the box easier) and a good asynchronous connection. Even a M2Tech hiFace will improve many SPDIF connections, and it is cheap!
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,208 posts
 
4est stated.... "I will recommend that you try a Mac as a server (out of the box easier) and a good asynchronous connection"

Need help understanding what you mean by "good asynchronous connection". Can you give some specific examples ?

Thanks.
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