Short list of dacs for CEC TL-2X

I used to own this transport....Awesome!

I always felt that it would be best paired with a solid state DAC which had more control and impact. The downsides to this transport are that it can sound slow and somewhat limited dynalically. With that, I always felt the best fit would have been the Pass Labs D1. Very rare and expensive, but alledgedly quite good. (If I had more $$ I would have gone that route just to see)

I also heard Audio Logic 2400 was an amazing fit! Other than that it will be trial and error and you will need to determine what it is you are looking for. Meaning, what would you like to improve upon or accentuate from the TL2x then find a DAC that will complement to fit your needs.

one more vote for the audio logic 2400.i have owned the cec TL2 & still own the audio logic, they make a very relaxed,almost analog sound together

Find an Entec Number Cruncher and get it modded by Bob Crump. Designed by Demian Martin and built by Jerry Crosby, they show up on the used market once in a while. Built like a tank and beats just about everything else out there.

Brian

Current dac is an Alpha 16/44 & a pair of NOS tubes, like the sound, but wondering about more openess, naturalness, slam and laid-back qualities. Analytical, more detail, upfront presentations are not wanted here. Sutts, Rcprince, Sean, you other guys, I know you're out there, any after thoughts ? Are those other dacs worth considering or just more $$$ ?

Not sure what the Alpha sounds like, but the Audio Logic does fit your criteria in terms of naturalness, openness and, particularly with the transformer upgrade, slam and bass extension. It is not completely laid-back, I suppose, unless that trait is on the recording, but it certainly is not an upfront, in your face presentation (some of its character, particularly if you don't get a transformer-coupled version, will depend on the tubes you use). It just sounds more "alive" and real to me than most DACS, and does a great balancing act between retrieval of detail and sounding "musical"; from the comments I've heard, the higher level Audio Notes appear to have the same qualities. I'd choose it over the Thor and Jadis, simply because Jerry Ozment designed those units as well and I think he saved some of his best work for his own unit, and at a substantially lower price. Can't comment on the rest of them, although you've certainly identified the DACs that, from the reports I've heard, probably have sound qualities that you're looking for. If you're near enough to my area (northern NJ), you're welcome to come and give a listen to the AL.