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Musical Fidelity VLink 192 to kw dm 25 dac

Vinyl has been my preferred source for many years and I think I have a really nice setup. Going forward I need to diversify away from vinyl for various reasons. As part of my cd set up I have a 2006 Musical Fidelity kw dm 25 dac. I propose to use my MacAir as a music source with hi res downloads. Hence, MacAir > VLink 192 > MF kw 25 dac. This to my mind requires a minimal investment of under $300 for the VLink 192 + cables
I am a novice at computer audio. How does the 2006 MF kw 25 dac compare to current dacs at or about the $2k mark e.g. Mytek DSD dac or Nad M 51 ? ? Will I be wasting my time going down this road or should I straight away opt for a current model dac ?
Would appreciate advice/comments
Cheers
128x128sunnyboy1956
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,506 posts
 
I own a V Link II running into a Wyred dac1 and it is fantastic!! I bought this off a guy who replaced the V Link II with the Berkley USB converter and he said the sound was "very close" at almost 4 times less the price.
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Tim
Many thanks for endorsing my budget minded approach. Hopefully with small steps at a time I will get a foothold in the world of computer audio.
Stereo5
Really appreciate your comments as you have a vinyl set up
Cheers
Pradeep
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
As a gross generalization, many modern DACs go for maximum detail, which to someone coming from vinyl can sound overly "digital" and can easily becomes fatiguing. Of course, it really depends on your system. I would just in selecting any new DACs without thinking about this aspect. Of course, not all news ones are designed for maximum detail. I have an old MF A3-24 and have tried a few, not many and not the ones you mention, newer designs, and ended up staying with the old one. My vinyl still sounds better to my ear, but you cannot beat the convenience of computer audio.
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Thanks Dtc
Am sticking to the old. Computer audio makes sense to me only , and only if ,it can capture or mirror the emotional context of music sans any digital detritus . I am still groping my way...but my initial forays suggest that there is hope...
Cheers
Pradeep
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
The kw 25 dac is unable to read 24/96 or 24/192 hi rez files downloaded from HD Tracks but is ok with 16/44 files. I am using a VLink 192 as a SPDIF converter. I believe others have had similar problems. The Stereophile review and side measurements seem to indicate that this should not occur. Can anyone throw some light on this.
Many thanks
Pradeep
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