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Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp
mattnshilp OP
917 posts
 
Audiolabyrinth and Rrsclyde - Thank you both for the input and info. I am certainly open and interested in giving the Aesthitix Signature DAC a listen (either the Romulus or Pandora). I'm just waiting to get the email or call from John (my local dealer) to offer me a few days to give it a listen. As always, I'll post my results.

Does anyone know what DAC chip the Aesthtix uses? Just curious.

Alex, you definitely lost me on your last post, but I am truly enjoying the back and forth between you and Steve (as long as it stays civil and collegial). I am learning a ton!!!
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Alex said... "Yes, I have read your posts that you don't like the sound of AKM DACs, but try to convince the owners of Esoteric K-01, for example, that their player
doesn't sound good because it has AKM inside."

Bingo! A couple of years ago I had an Esoteric K-01 loaner in my system for quite a spell, and its music with 4X upsampling and Slow Delay 2 (apodizing) filter was sheer magic to my ears.

Let us not get too hung up about the quasi religious propriety of using a particular chip, electronic part, sub-circuit design tactic, etc... The totality of a component is often much more than the raw sum of its parts... While sometimes, sadly enough, it ends up being much less than the aforementioned sum of such promising parts.

G.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
Audiolabyrinth - the problem with trying to evaluate D/A chips by listening to different DAC implementations is the following:

Some D/A chips, like Op-Amps, require a bit more babying in the power delivery in order to deliver the goods. If the same lame treatment for power delivery is done for all D/A chips, then the ones with better on-die power delivery and better packaging/power-pin assignments will always win. On the other hand, if one optimizes the power delivery, the results may be very different. The better D/A chip may have poor on-die power structure, but actualy sound more natural. So you see, the answer is not black-and-white.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Steven Alex, on your respective DACs, what signal processing parameters can be controlled by user selectable settings on front panel / remote? E.g...

* Upsampling rates,
* Filter types and subtypes,
* filters on/off,
:* Other?

Saluti, Guido
lula
213 posts
 
This is directed to Randy....did you find the Signature upgrade on your Romulus to be worthwhile for playing Redbook? Also, do you think the transport in the unit is up to the quality of the DAC? Would it make sense to use a dedicated transport, i.e. Levinson 31.5, with the Pandora Signature DAC rather than go for the Romulus Sig player? I know the transport only adds 1K to the price so it seems like a worthwhile "risk".
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