2. digital
  3. 1378636154

Best digital converter $5k under

I have gone on a hunt listening to different setups and by far
The most balanced and , Hi tech,parts build is the Auralic Vega dac
It does everything including DSD,since i had the Bryston dac-1 i listened
To the new dac -2 my friends own both dacs Including the Berkeleydac-2
This dac was developed from several Swiss firms and Taiwan,Hong kong.
The clock is the lowest jitter I have ever seen listed under$10k
It is as good or better sounding then anything Under $8k IMO. It has a very natural warm balance, superb imaging and micro dynamics and excellent sound staging.even my vinyl friends were very impressed and for under $3500 it is a no brainer.my friend bought it after seeing a review in Computer Audiophile. I am for sure buying one this fall.do your homework
And build quality is as good or better then Anything out there even in the $10k range,that is saying a lot !!
128x128audioman58
sarcher30
596 posts
 
Another very good DAC for under $5k is the eXasound e20. Comes with a 130fs (femto seconds) clock that can be upgraded to 82fs. It does PCM up to 384/32 and up to 4x native DSD. I bought the 82fs version and could not be happier. Best digital I've had in my system by far.

It would be interesting to compare it to the Auralic Vega in my own system. I heard the Vega through JPS headphones at RMAF and thought DSD sounded very good through it but PCM was lacking. Maybe it needed more break in.

f1a
198 posts
 
agree on the e20...superb!
audioman58's avatar
audioman58 OP
4,134 posts
 
I am told the eXasound dac with 82 FS upgrade is only $100 or so on
Only Mk-3 units ordered at time of build, also optionallinear powersupply
Is well worth the $400 better everythjng due to the much better control.
I just bought a linear supply from Auraliti on their pk-90 player
Used a friends Nuforce supply makes a nice improvement
Auraliti now has their own better unit ,I am awaiting on delivery.
This may be a great option to the Vega dac for similar moneys with the options,and very similar to the Meitner MA-1 for a lot less money .
audioman58's avatar
audioman58 OP
4,134 posts
 
The eXasound totally destroyed any chance I will buy it .i feel with the separate hard drive U.SB cables,and a good player it sounds great ,and no noise from relays, or power supply's .the eXasound only works with a windows based computer very limited.
He Vega dac is far more versatile in that price group.
hifial's avatar
hifial
332 posts
 
Audioman58 YOU ARE TOTALLY WRONG. I have the exaSound e20 MK III with .082 Clock and I use it with a Mac Mini with an Apple OS. I also have my HD Boot Camped so I can use Mountain Lion or W8. I then can use ANY Server Software I want. I use Pure Music and A+ on the ML side and J River on the W8 side. I also use a Paul Hynes SR3-12 Power Supply with the E20. Also it is my understanding that the E20 is designed to not benefit from any upgraded USB cables. Other owners that have the E20 and tried an upgraded USB cable have said there is no improvement in sound. I have not tried it yet but plan to in the next few weeks. I will be borrowing a Light Harmonics USB cable. If that makes no difference nothing will.

Please speak to George at exaSound and get all your concerns answered before you make a commitment.
More to discover