Worlds best DAC

Hi Mr. Tennis...just curious, do you still like Zanden? I still love mine...and have spent countless hours on elements which, for me, have continued to take the 4-box further and further. It is in fact amazing for me how well it responds to these things, and continues to deliver even more of what I love about Zanden. Specifically, I have NOS tubes throughout (Mullard 1950s rectifiers, Amperex 7308, EAT Tube dampers), independent HRS M3 or Stillpoints Ultra 5s under each box, plus HRS, Ultra, dampers on top of each...to create an 'isolation sandwich'...and finally Purist Audio Dominus Power cables.

6 years running and no desire to look at further digital, and I have been fortunate to hear: Metronome Kalista Ref/C2A, ARC CD 3,5,7,8, Stahl-Tek, TAD D600, Esoteric X-01SE, Emm CDSA, Audio Aero La Source, Weiss Medea, Krell 505, Meridian 808.2, Wadia s7i, DCS Scarlatti full stack and Vivaldi full stack. I'd love to hear the new Trinity DAC and Light Harmonic DaVinci. But otherwise, perfectly happy.

Just curious on your end if you've discovered other digital you like better.

I heard from someone that the Trinity Dac has the typical cold brighter German sound. I will listen to this and the DaVinci at CES.

Interesting JWM...I am most interested in reading more about this particular DAC. Until I can hear for myself, it is always good to collect different opinions...every now and then, certain 'themes' surface from all the varied opinions. I look forward to your own opinions here. What have heard about the Light Harmonic DaVinci DAC in terms of any particular 'character'? I do like the fact that they do separate DSD and PCM architecture inside...which is consistent with the techno guys who say that each architecture is different and excels at different formats. It is either jack of all trades...or truly best of both. I am hoping the latter of course!

The Phasure eats it alive using PCM. Its closer via DSD but the Phasure is still clearly better.

I have the Phasure NOS1 DAC here, as well as many other DACs.

Prior to the Phasure the best sound I had heard was DSD using the Playback.

This just proves the fact that "best component" is only a synergy between all components in a given audio system. :-)

Well said Alex. Can we infer then that the Phasure dac is not eating your dac alive? Are you using the all-important software and computer as a pre-ampless transport. Bruce Bowen found that the Phasure on its lonesome was not the rockstar its groupies claim it to be.

I just read this morning that the Phasure NOS 1 has a very similar architecture to the Trinity DAC. Quote from ACG at Whatsbestforum below:

"The Phasure NOS1 USB dac seems to use much of the same tech as the Trinity. Eight x PCM1704 and completely filterless (analogue or digital) running femto clocks. The Phasure relies on the computer software to upsample to 705 or 768 and to apply a special Arc prediction filter that eliminates pre and post ringing (called impulse response in the Trinity manual) which takes all of this processing out of the dac which improves dac clock behaviour.

When I read the description of the sound of the Trinity dac I thought that it was exactly how most of us Phasure owners would describe the sound of our dac: that it has no sound of its own. I am quite sure that the designer of the Phasure does not pick the cream from his crop of PCM1704s Like for the Trinity) and it's unusual shape and presentation do manage to keep costs down so it is a fraction of the price of the Trinity, but I sure would love to hear them both side by side one day."