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Best Dac for Wadia iTransport ?

post #1 of 51
8/10/08 at 11:04am
Thread Starter 
Hi, I know this is an ongoing topic, and I have read over a lot of the DAC topics here, but I'm wondering if the fact that it will be baught just for an Wadia iTransport might have an influence on a good choice.
It should have XLR output, does not need a preamp stage.
The ipod will be on the iTransport then going into the DAC that goes into a balanced Krell preamp, then into twin Jadis mono blocks that go into speakers that are 98 dB, so I really hope to get a DAC up to that level with out going into crazy money. So far have been thinking of.
DAC 1
Lavry DA10
Twisted Pear Buffalo
Twisted Pear Opus
CI VDA 2 with the balanced cables (not sure thats the same)

Any thoughts?
Thanks
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post #2 of 51
8/10/08 at 11:18am
I own both the DAC1 and Lavry DA10 and they do sound very similar.

Ultimately, I think the Lavry is the "better" DAC, but individual preference will probably depend more upon system synergy and personal preference.

Lavry can seem bland in a good way, just like Cardas Neutral Reference. Seductive character from the overall system will have to come from elsewhere in the audio chain. Superb piece of gear, though.

Benchmark DAC1 is also superb value for the money, but it seems to impose more of it's own sonic signature on everything it transduces. It has this very subtle, surreal type of transparency and big bloomy soundstage (seems to synergize really well with Luminous Audio Synchestra Signature in my system), and can be quite seductive in the right system. But I always do get the very subtle sense that it is imposing it's character upon the system (just like a high end cable that is voiced for a particular house sound, rather than being voiced for more characterless neutrality).

I am probably going to keep the Lavry and sell the DAC1, but that's because the seductive character of my system comes from a well proven combo of Merlin / Joule / Cardas and the slightly more characterless nature of the Lavry sounds better to my ears. YMMV.
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post #3 of 51
8/10/08 at 12:27pm
How about the Electrocompaniet ECD1?
A really great DAC with balanced (XLR) outputs, and which don't cost crazy money
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post #4 of 51
8/10/08 at 1:00pm
I would go along with the Lavry as well. The DAC1 sounds sort of clinical bright on anything with lots of treble, or speakers with bright tweeters. This makes the bass sound lower in output level than it really is.
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post #5 of 51
8/10/08 at 2:10pm
I will be posting a review of the CIA VDA-2 shortly. I used it with both balanced and unbalanced cables, and enjoyed both a great deal.

You can get the DAC itself for $600, and then pick up the cables and upgraded power supply later if you wanted...it's a nice way to get in and has a nice upgrade path later.
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post #6 of 51
8/10/08 at 2:54pm
3x and 4x the Lavry since I own two of those.
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post #7 of 51
8/10/08 at 5:29pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for that, I have also heard great things about the Lavry. I know they also have great tech support. On the other hand some of the newer dac chips like the Sabre that is used on the Twisted Pear Dac seem to be really great on paper and are the newest chips.
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post #8 of 51
8/10/08 at 8:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kimon View Post
On the other hand some of the newer dac chips like the Sabre that is used on the Twisted Pear Dac seem to be really great on paper and are the newest chips.
I am not discouraging you, but don't base your purchase opinion on the DAC chip.

Many DACs that have come out of places like China in the last few years are heavily reliant on some great DAC chips for their sales strategy. The PCM1798 is perhaps the one most frequently seen.
We could argue about the sound of the NOS DAC chips of old versus the 16 bit, delta-sigma, etc. types of DAC chips.
But the modern DAC chip is has more to do with the decoding method and process, and its level of accuracy in doing that job with the least noise and jitter, rather than the soundstage, dynamic range, signal to noise ratio, warmth, etc. Those things are what makes up the musicality of a DAC. And there is where DACs with even the same chip sets are told apart.

Any DAC designer can knock up a DAC using the best DAC chip sets on the market, but the success or failure of the audible outcome will have very little to do with those chips.
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post #9 of 51
8/10/08 at 8:53pm
Twisted Pear offerings are fully modular and allow configurations (e.g. fully dual mono from PS to (I/V or vout) DACs to analogue out (opamp or discrete; with the new Haiku board) that should surpass any of the other stock commercial offerings you listed. It's DIY though, you'll need to hook up the modules and power supplies and do casing, etc.

Another commercial DAC you might want to look at is the PS Audio DLIII.
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post #10 of 51
8/11/08 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 
I've been looking into all these ideas. How does the Electrocompaniet ECD 1 compare to a DA 10 or Dac 1 ?
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post #11 of 51
8/12/08 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 

16/44 not 24/96

The other thing to consider is that since the itransport outputs 16/44 and not 24/96 is it better that the DAC is an upsampling one. or is it better that it remains at 16/44 ?
I wonder if that make a difference for a DAC choice for this ?
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post #12 of 51
8/12/08 at 7:45am
Makes no difference, really. You're still going to deal with the overall signature of the DAC; whether it uses ASRC or not.
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post #13 of 51
8/12/08 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kimon View Post
I've been looking into all these ideas. How does the Electrocompaniet ECD 1 compare to a DA 10 or Dac 1 ?
Hopefully someone can answer this question.
I have owned the Electrocompaniet ECD1 the last two years (sold it last week), but never heard the DA10 or DAC1. So no idea how they compare.
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post #14 of 51
8/12/08 at 12:31pm
Lavry DA10 has this matter of fact neutrality type of presentation, which reminds me of Cardas Neutral Reference.

A superb transducer, but any seductive character from your overall system is going to have to come from some other part of the chain.

DAC1 does have this almost surreal transparency, which can be seductive if you like that sound, but can also sound kind of unnatural at times. Tends to really bring out the "edges" of a poor recording much more so than the Lavry. (at least for me, Luminous Audio Synchestra Signature interconnects seem to synergize very, very well with this dac)

Review of LASS from Audio Asylum: http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl...32132&review=1
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post #15 of 51
8/12/08 at 1:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by krmathis View Post
Hopefully someone can answer this question.
I have owned the Electrocompaniet ECD1 the last two years (sold it last week), but never heard the DA10 or DAC1. So no idea how they compare.
Why did you sell it ?
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