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What is the right DAC for a Stable Platter Transport & RS-1?

post #1 of 17
7/1/05 at 1:51pm
Thread Starter 
My friend 1911 has this source-

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...etailComponent

Nice at the time, but now only good for its Stable Platter transport. It's time for an external DAC!

He owns a Grado RS-1 as his main can. He has a K501 as well, but that's a very ancillary concern. What he really needs is a DAC that will shine with the RS-1.

He loves his highs, but still wants to maintain impact/energy in the Bass - and he loves Andrea Bocelli, so something that gives some sweet mids is in order as well. His tastes range from Opera to New Wave (technopop like Erasure) to Acoustic rock (Dave Matthews).

His price range is $300-1000. His current amp is a Grado RA-1, but if the DAC has an internal headphone out that is better, then that is good.

My recommendation to him was the Apogee Mini-DAC, especially since I just came from the NYC meet with a continued favorable impression of it and how it tames the John Grado Growl while still maintaining the fun and the resolution. What would you recommend?
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post #2 of 17
7/1/05 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 
I'm assuming the silence is a silent affirmation that my choice of DAC for him kicks ass
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post #3 of 17
7/1/05 at 5:08pm
The Apogee doesn't have the most dynamics though. The midrange and non offensive highs I thought were good. There's not much modding potential inside I believe since it's a tiny unit hehe.

I'd say get a non oversampling one.
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post #4 of 17
7/1/05 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm something like the Scott Nixon TubeDAC? That's non-oversampling I believe - sounded nice and punchy with the MS-2s as I recall.
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post #5 of 17
7/1/05 at 5:32pm
The popular recommendation in this price range is the Benchmark DAC1. It has the features you're looking for too.

Congrats on the stable-platter. Those are great transport mechs and are a little hard to come by these days.
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post #6 of 17
7/1/05 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
And the Benchmark has a headphone out as well - I'd really like 1911 to try both this and the Apogee out ideally, rats.

I tried to finangle the stable platter from him, but he was a tad...resistant lol.
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post #7 of 17
7/1/05 at 7:00pm
mm, i don't like the highs of the DAC1 and it's lack of soundstage with it's headphone jack. it brings the worst out of the grados where their highs can get annoying and there's less soundstage to begin with.
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post #8 of 17
7/1/05 at 7:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lan
mm, i don't like the highs of the DAC1 and it's lack of soundstage with it's headphone jack. it brings the worst out of the grados where their highs can get annoying and there's less soundstage to begin with.
I recall thinking the same thing using a HP-1 at the Fall NYC Meet actually. I can only imagine that a RS-1 would amplify these quirks. *scratches the Benchmark!*
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post #9 of 17
7/2/05 at 12:03am
Try the Ack Dack 2.0 with the standard caps. It sounds great with my RS-1s.
Nice richness to the sound. I liked it better than the Dac-1 and I compared both in my home for two weeks before buying the Ack.
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post #10 of 17
7/2/05 at 12:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmcdonou
Try the Ack Dack 2.0 with the standard caps. It sounds great with my RS-1s.
Nice richness to the sound. I liked it better than the Dac-1 and I compared both in my home for two weeks before buying the Ack.
Isn't the ACK DACK! battery powered? I think he may be looking for something that can be powered thru a wall wart.
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post #11 of 17
7/2/05 at 3:31am
I've got a Musical Fidelity A3.24 DAC in my system for the last few months and am very happy with it. I just moved, so it's difficult to compare it to my past sources. There's one on Audiogon right now, there's lots of reviews out there on it. I'm fairly certain that the output uses a DC-blocking cap, but I believe there is a simple mod where you can replace it with a trim pot. It is also difficult to switch sources. You can't just hit a button to switch between coax and optical, it instead locks onto whatever signal it finds first and won't switch until it loses that lock. I guess not a big deal if you can power down your sources easily or only have one.

edit: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....onv&1124745685
BTW, this is basically what I paid. A lot of these sell (like all MF equip) so the price is fairly steady.
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post #12 of 17
7/2/05 at 11:31am
A used Grace 901?
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post #13 of 17
7/3/05 at 12:59pm
Thread Starter 
He wants to buy new (ridiculous imho especially for something sturdy like a DAC) so stuff like the Grace are out of the price range sadly. Music Fidelity? Adding a trim pot might make him skittish. Dang he's picky!
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post #14 of 17
7/5/05 at 1:35pm

thanks jahn

yes, once i find out that i have passed this exam i plan to treat myself to either a new cd player( was liking the meridian) but jahn has convinced me the way to go was a dac since i had a decent transport. and a new can..drooling over the ms-2i and 325i(although not much logic to these choices considering the cans i currently own.)
unfortunately, since i didnt have the opportunity to attend many meets i rely on the wisdom of jahn and my fellow headfiers to come to a decision.
i am okay with buying used if from a fellow headfier....like all the impressions....will wait for the dust to settle before acting on said recommendations. unfortunately i am headed to redding which doesnt support a local head-fi chapter i think
thanks in advance
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post #15 of 17
9/1/08 at 9:55am
It's been three years since this thread is dead. There are new DACs,
new amps out there so what about bringing this thread back to life?

I own Pioneer PD-S605 Legato link / stable platter CD player, Creek OBH 11
headphone amp and Grado RS-1 with flat pads. I like the way Grados sound
with solid state amplification but want to get into something better. But
after some thinking I've decided that I should think about a better
source first and then think about the amp.

And this is the problem, I love my Pioneer too much to let it go. I listen
to tons of CDs and it has never let me down, plays all albums without
problems and all its mechanisms are working fine. Can you recommend
any DACs that will bring my Pioneer to another level of sound quality and
make my RS-1s sing even better? I am a newbie when it comes to external
DACs .

Thank you!
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