8 Reasons why you should buy an $50,000 DAC

A $50,000 DAC is an investment?

l have never considered hi-fi equipment as an investment.

Every time l make a monetary investment l normally see in the small print…

Disclaimer….. 

Your investment can go up or down.

l would expect in this case a new item $50K DAC “investment” can only go down.

One good financial reason why not to buy at full retail. Now a $25K one second hand may be a sound financial reason why to, and a different story.

A DAC is a poor investment. Next year there will be something better and cheaper.

I am going to eat my words now. I said that I have not heard any DAC substantially better than my under $3k Schitt Yggi+ OG (discontinued). I have compared it to 3 other DACs at $10k, $15k, $20k. I always chose the OG with price being a factor.

Yesterday my friend let me take home a DAC he reps. It is a tube DAC with an ESS chip made in the East. Now I am not a stickler for tubes or ESS DACs, though I have no issue with where a DAC is made. There are geniuses everywhere. My friend is such an audio genius, and I learned today that he was a consultant in the design of the DAC I had in my home.

By all audio measures this new DAC was substantially better than my incredible Schitt Yggi+ OG. The DAC cost a ridiculous $24k and I only took it home because my friend said it was the best DAC he had heard. I have so much respect for his audio acumen that I go with his opinion without asking questions.

The price is not affordable, but I am now going to save up for this DAC.

BTW - If you are in Los Angeles. The DAC I have now will be returned so that it can be played at CanJam Los Angeles this upcoming weekend.

Schiit DACs are good for the money. But that is all. I own one, a friend of my owns one (I’ve heard in my system). They are substantially bested by DACs of higher quality...  depending on your taste almost any DAC over $5K. I have heard Linn, dCs, Audio Research, Berkely, Boulder, etc. Of course you have to pick one aligned with your desired taste and have an appropriate resolving system. Weiss, Chord and some others are relentlessly detailed and analytical, PS Audio are forgiving and warmer, Audio Research and Berkeley are detailed, natural and musical. 

My Yggi+ OG was taken to a show in Colorado and went head-to-head with a Chord Dave and a Mola Mola Tambaqui. Those DACs are substantially more $$$ than the OG and came out shocking the owners of those 2 DACs. My friend, Danny, took my OG DAC to the show (here is a blurb on his listening skills)
 

SR1a (6Moons)

Danny told me he preferred the OG over the DAVE and the Mola Mola over the OG but in a blind test me may not be able to figure which was which. The OG is something special. On head-fi there is a discussion thread that talks about this event, but I am too lazy to search now. They were using maybe the world’s best headphone to listen to the DACs, the RAAL 1995 Immanis.

Now saying all of this the DAC I have sitting on my rack besides the OG is substantially better than the OG. Danny told me yesterday that he was a consultant with the Korean designer (especially on the analogue side) to help come up with this new version. He asked me to listen to the DAC because he thought I had some decent experience with DACs, and he loved my Yamaha NS5000 speakers. He wanted my opinion on how this DAC sounded on the speakers. I basically told him that I am shocked at the difference and to drive up on Wed to hear for himself. 

Allnic D15000 – Allnic Audio

My Livingroom system.

Yamaha NS5000 | Allnc D-15000 DAC (temporary) | CODA #16 amp | Benchmark HPA4 | fibre optical streaming via ROON

I also heard this DAC with my RAAL SR1a earphones and it was the best sound I have ever heard on these phones. This weekend the DAC is going to be at the Los Angeles CanJam paired with the following:

Top end Woo headphone amp | Allnc D-15000 DAC | RAAL 1995 Immanis.

Jason Stoddard of Schitt is supposed to be bringing 2 new Byggi DACs (not sure th system). I am going to make the torturous drive down to LA to hear both of these systems.

BTW - I used to own the 15k Lumin X1. For my ears, the OG and the X1 are not even in the same ballpark.