Generally speaking, will a tube dac have a significant impact on a tube pre- power amp system. I have a mf a5 cd player and im looking for a tube pre to match with a pair of ss monoblocks. Speakers are Nola Viper iia. I have been intrigued by the reviews of the Havana DAC.
CD players that use a tubed output stage will have the greatest impact on sound. Some players will have a tube placed in a non critical part of the circuit path for the purpose of marketing.
To specifically answer your question, some tube DACs will have a more significant impact than others in my experience, they are not all the same. Using different tubes will further impact presentation.
Tubegroover, thank you for your reponse. Your statements further confirm what I am looking to get out of a DAC - musical involvement. Hearing every single detail never meant that much to me. I just saw a Havana here on the gon for about $550. So, I will wait patiently for the next one and pull the trigger, but only after I buy the pre of course.
Have you considered the Monarchy Audio NM24? You can use it as a pre and a DAC. And, it will give you the ability to compare tubes vs SS. It is quite a versatile piece and like all Monarchy Audio pieces, it is built like a tank.
Tubegroover described the Havana well, I really enjoy the presentation of the dac and while it isn't the last word in detail it really is very musical. Trying out different nos tubes allows for fine tuning. I also upgraded the Dac chips and this does help with the detail and clarity and is well worth doing IMO.
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