2. digital
  3. 1319808520

Rega DAC vs Havana DAC

After reading many impressions/reviews of Rega and Havana DACs, the two seem to have lots of in common. People say they are "analog sounding, they sound earthy and organic, tonally dense, overall "rightness", musicality, good rhythm, not over-detailed".
The main differences I could spot after reading others' impressions (unfortunately I haven't listened to either of the DACs) are that Havana provides more delicate, subtle sound (which as some people claim, might not be aggresive enough for rock music) and Havana has a wide and very deep soundstage (which I consider a big advantage - not sure about the soundstage of Rega DAC..)

Anybody compared Rega to Havana? What are the main sonic differences between the two DACs?

I am considering buying one of them and it is difficult for me to decide which one to choose as I don't have a chance to audition them beforehand. (I'm interested mainly in their sonic abilities. I will use coax input only).

Any help appreciated!
artmindes
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
I was on the fence about whether to buy the Havana or the Stockholm. I talked to the guys at ALO Audio and they insisted that unless you are playing Hi rez material, that the Havana is the better sounding DAC.

I am still burning in my Havana and waiting on a proper digital cable that arrives tomorrow. I will reserve final judgement until later, but I think it sounds pretty good so far.

Shakey
artmindes OP
12 posts
 
Very helpful tips! Thank you Guys.
robbob
273 posts
 
BTW...I had the W4S DAC 2 to compare and I posted the results in the review section. Long story short....We preferred the Rega when connected to the CD player and the W4S had a very small edge via USB. They were very close. The W4S sounded brighter, the Rega had a deeper soundstage.

Rob
daveinla
2 posts
 
I too had a W4S Dac2 and ended up sending it back and settled on the Rega Dac which I'm very happy with. I used a MF v-link for USB to SPDIF conversion, but recently upgraded to an Audiophilleo 2 which is much cleaner sounding.
robbob
273 posts
 
BTW, I added a Pangea AC-14 power cable to the Rega. I really expected no difference, but the Rega was suddenly AWFUL sounding, bright and almost grainy. The effect was so strong that I switched back to the Rega stock cable to be certain. Since the Rega is in the burn-in cycle I've left the Pangea cord in. After three days it's more transparent sounding than with the Rega cord, but still just a bit bright. I've switched back and forth a few times.

This has been interesting as I was a non-believer with power cords.

The burn in will continue. There is now about 120 hours on the Rega DAC and about 50 on the Pangea powercord.

Rob
More to discover