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Worlds best DAC

Went to CES this year to work on my transition to high Rez digital. I've heard many of the highly regarded players in my room or in others systems in the past. I'm actually very happy with my current cd based sound. As I listened to various DACS playing CD then high Rez, I was not bowled over. High rez was better, but only slightly so. The best (and most different) sound I heard happened to have one similarity. They were 2 non oversampling DACS with tube analog stages(Zanden and Ypsilon). These were without question the most natural sounding digital systems I heard at the show. They made CDsound miles ahead of high Rez. What gives?

PS: I understand the limitations of show auditions.
bflowers
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
hi chadeffect:

it's not possible to audition all dacs that ever existed. while i appreciate your enthusiasm for the weiss medea, i have auditioned it myself several times, with different transports.
i prefer the original zanden to the weiss dac. perhaps because i perceived a more full-bodied, classic tube sound, while the weiss with transport had a more linear sound.

i think one of the issues in this hobby is preference for spectral balance, which will determine component choices.
tpreaves's avatar
tpreaves
2,686 posts
 
World's best,huh?
argyro
438 posts
 
Chadeffect although the new Weiss Medea Plus is an amazing product, heard the first unit that came to my country, I think the Vekian and especially the Orpheus are quite a bit better. They are not 3 times better though as their price suggests. By the way I owned the original Weiss Medea.

Happy Listening Everyone.

Mike
lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Mike,

Thanks for that...good to know.
chadeffect
586 posts
 
Hi Mrtennis,

I agree. Personally I only ever used the medea in FireWire mode with Amarra direct into various amps. The zanden adds to digital what my Yamamoto adds to the Medeas über clean untouched approach IMHO.

Personally I want my audio untouched. But obviously this means the synergy between the system needs to be finely tuned.

Argyro,

I felt the Vekian had nowhere near the openness in the treble or anywhere near the transparency & lack of grain of the Medea.

Again I agree with you that each of the above mentioned products balance is completely differently if used with preamps or without, or with transports or computers etc.

As always set up is everything. I found the Medea plus to be utterly true to the source (with FireWire). That's why I find it the best DAC I know. If you want editorialized signal then you need to look elsewhere.
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