Hi,,,
 
I really need some advice recommended DAC for My HD 650, my budget is 600$ im very love transparancy and detail and of course it must be very neutral,,,,
 
 
Thanks,,,

Audio-gd DAC-19 is one of the very best you can buy under 1000$.

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audiofil said:

Audio-gd DAC-19 is one of the very best you can buy under 1000$.

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Transparent, detailed and neutral  sound like the Meier Stagedac. The Nuforce HDP could be another cheaper option.

any other opinion?
 
How about Gamma2 DAC and other DIY DAC?

 
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Transparent, detailed and neutral  sound like the Meier Stagedac

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Yes it does sound like it, but I've never listened to one, so can't say from experience.
 
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How about Gamma2 DAC and other DIY DAC?

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Gamma-2 is an excellent DAC for the money, especially if you can build your own.
I've built mine for less than 200$ (without a few options in the gamma1 module)
 
But as good as Gamma2 is, it's no absolutely no match for DAC-19 DSP as far as my ears can tell on K701 & A-gd ROC or the Stax O2 & KGSS.
Also the sound signature is, in my opinion, more on smooth and musical side of things, rather than dead-on neutrality and absolute detail retrieval.
 
Better DIY DACs would be Opus24 or Buffalo, but both are quite expensive to build and I'm not sure how they really stack up against similar priced DACs (Audio-gd, Meier or other top tier converters).
You can find more info on those at Twisted Pear Audio's website.

I'd look to a PS Audio DLIII for true detail retrieval and neutrality - excellent DAC that has served me well for a long time. You won't be disappointed.

 
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audiofil said:

 
 
Yes it does sound like it, but I've never listened to one, so can't say from experience.
 
 
Gamma-2 is an excellent DAC for the money, especially if you can build your own.
I've built mine for less than 200$ (without a few options in the gamma1 module)
 
But as good as Gamma2 is, it's no absolutely no match for DAC-19 DSP as far as my ears can tell on K701 & A-gd ROC or the Stax O2 & KGSS.
Also the sound signature is, in my opinion, more on smooth and musical side of things, rather than dead-on neutrality and absolute detail retrieval.
 
Better DIY DACs would be Opus24 or Buffalo, but both are quite expensive to build and I'm not sure how they really stack up against similar priced DACs (Audio-gd, Meier or other top tier converters).
You can find more info on those at Twisted Pear Audio's website.

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OMG there's alot of opinion, MEier Stage DAC, DAC-19 DSP, PS audio DL III and someone tell me that is bel canto dac2 its great DAC too,
 
which is the best match for HD650?
i will buy Lehhman Black Cube Linear or maybe Meier Corda Concerto for the amp.

Here's my recommendations based on used equipment. These can be had for under $600. I find to this day a lot of the older stuff still sounds better than the newer stuff until you get into the elite side of things.
 
Audio Research Dac 1
Theta DS Pro Basic

For the best sound you need a DAC with a R2R chip, not the poor new Sigma Delta. The Burr Brown PCM1704 is probably the best of the R2R chip ever made and I think the only one still produced.
For $600 you best bet IMO would be an Audio-gd DAC19-DSP or DF

How about DAC19MkIII PMD100?
anyone compare DAC19-DSP with DAC19MkIII PMD100?
 

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How about DAC19MkIII PMD100?
anyone compare DAC19-DSP with DAC19MkIII PMD100?

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slim.a  did a comparison between DAC19 mk3 (with DF1704 and PMD100) and mk4 (with DSP1).
That will be worth reading!
 
Short conclusion for his DAC19 mk3:
DF1704 is more analytical and detail oriented (better suited for HD650 i think)
PM100 is more musical and smooth
 
It's also worth knowing that slim.a is a HD650 owner and preferred the PMD chip over the DF1704.

I think he preferred the DF filter over the PMD in his setup, unless i remembered wrongly.

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audio-hunter said:

How about DAC19MkIII PMD100?
anyone compare DAC19-DSP with DAC19MkIII PMD100?
 

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Hi audio-hunter,
 
I had the dac19mkIII with both the DF1704 and the PMD100 for a few months then I upgraded to the dac19 dsp.
 
During the time I had the dac19mkIII, I kept going back and forth between the DF1704 and PMD100.
With the PMD100, the sound was warm, soft and "analog" like.
With the DF1704, the sound was fast, dynamic and slighlty on the bright side of neutral.
 
The PMD100 was very good with 16/44 material and excellent with HDCD material.
The DF1704 was OK with 16/44 material and excellent with 24/96 material (upsampling from 16/44 to 24/96 made an improvement to pure 16/44).
 
Overall, I found that both filters strengths and weaknesses using the HD650 with a silver cable upgrade. But, none of them was neutral in the sense that both had a different sonic signature. That is why I decided to get the DAC19DSP as it is was suppose to fall right between the 2 in the tonal balance.

Well, I was very surprised by the performance of the dac19dsp: it had a clearer and more resolving sound than the DF1704 dac19mkIII, but was at the same time more natural sounding than the warmer PMD100. If I had to use one word to describe the DSP filter, I would say "realistic" sounding. If you don't need the HDCD capability of the PMD100, I would say to go for the DSP as it is a far superior digital filter than the PMD100/DF1704 which are known to be excellent sounding.
In fact, even if you have a little bit of HDCDs, it is still worth the upgrade. The latest 24/96 I got from HD Tracks are absolutely stunning of realism and beauty. The HDCD were indeed better than most CDs but those 24/96 are even better.
 
Since you are using the HD650, I would recommend the dac19dsp. If you were using the AKG701/702, the PMD100 could have done a good job. But pairing the PMD100 with the stock HD650, the sound gets too smooth and syrupy and not neutral at all. I hope this helps a little bit.

wow a really detail answer slim.a
 
thank you very much for the opinion and recommendation
now, i can determine the best option should I choose, I think according to some opinions that I have received,,,
for transparent detail and natural sound lover like me i think the Audio GD DAC19-DSP is the best option should i choose...
 
thank you very much all, especially for audiofil and slim.a for the very reasonable advice...
 
 
 
Cheers,

 I like the look and features of the Meier StageDAC but if without being able to hear them side-by-side, I would go down the R2R route too.