Probably a dumb DAC question

if I were you I'd get used to the new pre's sound, then, once you've got a sense of its personality, ask yourself if you want a more 'romantic' (maybe tube), 'gutsy', 'analytical', etc. DAC. in some ways, DACs are like cables: the audiophile's way of achieving tone controls (since our pre-amps don't have 'em). changing two important parts of a system in close succession is, IMHO, not a good idea.

Thanks guys,
I have not listened to very many dac's. My opinion about them is like what 2chnlben said (less than warm). I think that the manfacturer caught me off guard.

My budget is about 2k. New or used.

At this point i am using an intergrated with a built in dac and will need a seperate dac for the new pre.

I listen to vinyl most of the time, but I listen to my Mac Mini-pure music set up a lot more than i use to. I really don't want to get into high rez yet. I just want something to do redbook well.

My equipment after setup will be Wilson Sofia's with a Pass XA.30 amp and a Supratek cortese (due to arrive in about 2 weeks).

Matt

From my experence with the Focal Titanium tweeter, I had Mini Utopias and my friend has Wilson Sasha, I would stay away from "hot" sounding DACs. You might look at the new Rega DAC, it has a choice of several filters which make slight differences in the sound according to what I have read. It has gotten good reviews and lists for $995.

I'm using the Eastern Electric Minimax Dac (Mullard tube and upgraded opamps). Probably the most organic, engaging piece of equipment I've EVER heard - with Cardas neutral reference to my pre, Silflex glass toslink to my iMac.

Mwilliams:

PS Audio is offering their excellent Perfect Wave DAC (PWD) for $2,000 along with the trade-in of any used DAC - old or cheap. This is for certain a true bargain. I highly recommend visiting their website for details.

I pair my PWD with solid state, but I have heard it with tube gear (ARC amp and pre), with which it sounds spectacular.