Need help matching DAC to speakers and amp

Chesebert,

Your Ayre and Harbeth are an interesting combination. Do they go well together? I'm using Ayre myself and getting extremely good results.

In regards to the internal DAC card...

Im not too sold on the whole DAC technology is changing bit. Yeah, USB inputs have, but other than that there's not much the current DACs are doing that the internal card won't do. Maybe super high-Rex like 348 kHz or whatever the ridiculous number is lately. The reason I call it ridiculous is because what music is available in that resolution?

I almost bought the internal card for my B60, but stopped because I'd have had to get rid of my internal phono stage, and I'd only get a single coax input (I need at least one optical). The B100 has none of these issues.

A few downsides, if you will -unlike the BDA-1, the upsampling is not defeatable, and there's one DAC chip vs 2.

I'm not pushing the internal card on you. Sorry if I sound that way. It just irritates me when people advise others to stay away from a 2 or 3 year old design simply because they think the technology has changed so much. I have a 15 year old DAC that ran circles around today's entry level 'giant killers.' In a DAC, just like every other component, there's no substitute for a solid power supply and output stages.

Again, at $1k I love my Rega DAC and haven't heard anything better for the money. That's a preference thing though.

I probably should have chosen my words more carefully when explaining my thought process when I put my amp and speakers together. I did not buy a bright system and now I am hoping to balance them out with a warmer sounding DAC. But if I get a bright sounding DAC, then the equipment I have, with the metal dome tweater and revealing amp will scream how bright the DAC is.

Also, in regards to my price range, Any real faults will be revealeed with my system. I know the price of a component is not the whole story.....but you will be hard pressed to convince me that price is not a good indicator of the quality of the equipment. Sure there are exceptions, and that's what makes them great buys.....but those are exceptions.

I am looking for recommendations on DAC's that would fit the description I am looking for and information about how DAC's have changed or improved the last few years. Should I generally stay with DAC's that are newer?

I appreciate the feedback

Jeff

You'll get no argument from me about being careful when dealing with an aluminium tweeter on a B&W speaker. You can even say that B&W tweeters made me the audiophile I am today. Just to note, you were very clear in your original post; your concern is very legitimate.

You are also right about something else. (And this is what really makes audio fun.) You state this:

"I know the price of a component is not the whole story.....but you will be hard pressed to convince me that price is not a good indicator of the quality of the equipment. Sure there are exceptions, and that's what makes them great buys.....but those are exceptions."

I disagree with that statement, but you are right. I would have a very hard time convincing you otherwise. Unfortunately, this is one of those things you will have to figure out yourself as you gain experience. One last comment: Just because you may pick a less expensive product does not, necessarily make it a good deal, or an exception. For example, if you get something for $3000 as opposed to $10000, the one for 3 is not, necessarily a good deal. Compared to similar products for $3000 it may be overpriced. That said, it just might be the right thing for you, that works in your system.

I just thought of 1 last thing that may help you out. You may, very well, make all good choices, set your system up, and still have an issue with your B&W tweeter. I just happened to come across a speaker cable made by Synergistic, called the Signature 10. Its a biwire cable that uses a different metal for the tweeter. Whatever it is, it works and is not that expensive. I really dislike making cable recommendations as a means to fix a problem and not just for signal transfer. Given the cost and how well it targets the problem, it makes more sense than buying new components. Also, I know it is no longer in production. You would either have to find one used or call Synergistic to ask what they currently make to replace it. Anyway, I hope this info helps you out.

I know exactly what you mean by your system being revealing. My B60 and Audio Physic Yara Evolution Bookshelves are ruthless of everything upstream. Even though they don't have metal tweeters, they still shine a light on any flaw, well, as much as anything can at this level of gear anyway.

Newer DACs only really have a couple advantages IMO...

1) Jitter reduction/reclocking
2) USB input and/or asynch USB
3) High-res capability

Those can equal better sound, but if your catalog is pretty much all redbook and you're not using a computer as a transport, they can be insignificant things IMO.

As I said in a previous post, there's no substitute for a good power supply and output stages. The entry level DACs pretty much all use wall-warts and op-amps. Both are pretty compromised IMO. Yeah, you can get a better power supply like the Pangea unit and/or roll op-amps, but why? Put that money towards a better DAC IMO.

When Bryston developed the BDA-1, James Tanner (VP of Bryston) said they were very surprised how little the DAC chip made. They said it made a difference, but no where near the difference that different power supplies, input stages and output stages made. That was in response to people asking why they used a Crystal chip rather than the flavor of the month ESS Sabre chip or others.

I own a 15+ year old Theta Cobalt DAC. It was their entry level DAC at the time, costing about $700 or so if I'm correct. I auditioned the MF V-DAC and DAC Magic in my system. They didn't hold a candle to the Theta. If DAC technology has come so far in the last 15 years, how come those DACs paled in comparison? The Theta has superior parts all around. It took $1k-ish DACs to get me to open up my wallet without reservation. I also heard the Benchmark and W4S DACs in my system, and the Rega DAC was an easy choice for me. The only sub $1k DAC that had a realistic chance was the Arcam rDAC. The Rega DAC was far better side by side, so no regrets.

Two DACs that get a lot of favorable press around here in the $1k range are the EE Minimax (whatever the current one is) and the Havana DAC. I heard the previous EE DAC, and it was very good. Not exactly my cup of tea, but very good nonetheless. Haven't heard the Havana DAC. From what I've read, I'm lead to believe the Havana and Rega are very similar.

If you want me to get more specific as to why I chose what I did or didn't choose the others, I'll elaborate.