magiccabbage said:

  I like what you had to say about the Hugo. For some reason I thought that you would slaughter it but you went easy enough. The Hugo is the best DAC I have heard to date. I like it a lot more than the NAD M51 although I haven't tried the NAD balanced. 

Click to expand...

 
Shows how much opinions vary... I think the Hugo is one of the worst DACs I've ever heard. It looks to be the Ultrasone/Grado of the DAC industry...

magiccabbage said:

  Oh I have been meaning to ask if you have heard any of the Lampizator DAC's? It would be interesting to see how they would stack up against the rest on his thread. 

Click to expand...

 
I've heard three different Lampis (4, and two Big 5s I believe), and they seem to be all over the place. None of them sounded exactly the same. It irks me that there are so many models too, making straight comparisons impossible, i.e. "which Lampi?" Then there's the issue of tube rolling - there are a lot of options and tubes to roll inside. Supposedly the OR5 helps tremendously. One thing I feel pretty confident about saying is that the analog tube section is fantastic. However, the DAC sections either sounded mediocre (and hence why I suspect the OR5 would help tremendously) or pretty darn good but with showstopper type warts.
 
As things stand, I wouldn't recommend the 4 or the Big 5 to friends, unless they are the type that wouldn't mind spending an additional X amount of tubes, tweaking with caps, etc. You may be just as well off buying a cheapo DCX2496, wiring in a boutique clock board, and connecting the output directly from the DAC chips to a tube amp like the BA. I do wonder why there have been four Lampis on sale for quite a while now on the 'gon.

Hello purrin, what DAC would you recommed for 3k? I am really looking at the Auralic Vega but who knows there might be something better out there at the moment..

searchofsub said:

Hello purrin, what DAC would you recommed for 3k? I am really looking at the Auralic Vega but who knows there might be something better out there at the moment..

Click to expand...

My guess, just looking at the list. A used master 7 and a used or5 fits that bill

It seems like from the review he prefers PWD MK2 over the Auralic Vega...

I do want to hear the Master 7 but my listening will come mostly from transport so OR5 etc wont b3 any good..

If Purrin can only do a update using stock inputs like coax or optical through the same transport, it realy would be outstanding for all types of audiophilles who dosent just use a usb or computer to listen to music..

But again, Pwd mk2 over Auralic Vega.. what?

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

Both the M7 and the PWD mkii need an offramp,or AP1/PP. TO sound there best. Without them it's very different . So I think he is making the best observation possible .
Regarding his lampi comments he is correct lampi,s all sound different even if it's the same model. I had a level 4 and two level 5 for a while and they all were very different although they all had a house sound at the same time. And he is also correct in tube rolling. This changes them drastically in some cases. I presently own a B7 and love it. For now I have the stock tubes being used they are very good tubes to start with . The tube sound is not tubby but there is something tubes add to the sound that gets you more involved In the music . Where I do differ is the Pwd over the new DS I much prefure the new dac . To me the old dac was too heavy at least with headphones anyway. The new dac is more like the lampi and the msb stack I have . I like hyper deatils and microphonics. As the pwdmkii had this it was not at the level of the others I a mention. Again choice is also a big factor of what we end up with . And by choice I mean what we as indivuals like and go towards . I much prefure the DS to the Hugo I feel the DS is much more refined . But again choice comes into this. With iems the choice gets blurred as they just have much less. Resolution and does not reveil the whole picture in sound. Hesdphones do a much better job atleast the hyper detailed ones example hd800 over a LCD can. For me only speakers give us a true image to judge devices by with headphones as tool but iems just not usefull to me. So there is much that goes into decerning what is best for us and thus comes down to choice . Although some stuff is just bad for anyone who has some experience in what good is but the search for best is a futile one at best.
Buy enjoy learn and listen to comments but always make the decision yourself not totally based on someone else's views they may not be yours and no one should tell you what you should like but sugestions are fine by me.

Al

Al - when you say DS, is that the dangerous source? Seems like a very interesting option and highly praised by those who have tried it. Wish the form factor wasn't such a turn off though...

Also, out of curiosity, is there a reason no one here ever seems to discuss AR dacs? Seems like a lot of folks consider their pres and power amps to be about as good as it gets. Is their digital team playing in a lesser league?

Audio Research are too expensive for me... I dont even google it because it wold kick off the upgratitis.

searchofsub said:

It seems like from the review he prefers PWD MK2 over the Auralic Vega...

I do want to hear the Master 7 but my listening will come mostly from transport so OR5 etc wont b3 any good..

If Purrin can only do a update using stock inputs like coax or optical through the same transport, it realy would be outstanding for all types of audiophilles who dosent just use a usb or computer to listen to music..

But again, Pwd mk2 over Auralic Vega.. what?

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

 
What transport? Vega is best with EXACT mode via USB. I'm hesistant on the PWD2 mk2 and would prefer the PWD1-2>. What are you currently using? What don't you like about its sound? Do you more bass or less bass? Vega, Berkeley, M7 all sound very different.
 
PWD1->2 can sound extremely different. We tried five transports with it. Some very technically precise sounding but with treble etch, others warmer, gooey, and smoother. I was exploring CD transports, but ditched that in the for the OR5 because that killed of all them. I still have a transport sitting around, but haven't used it for two years.
 
What about an old Sonic Frontiers CD player like the SFCD-1?
 
Maybe Berkeley Alpha 2 DAC? I really like that one and would recommend it. Make sure you have a top-notch transport to boot.

alrainbow said:

lampi... The tube sound is not tubby but there is something tubes add to the sound that gets you more involved In the music .

Click to expand...

 
That's a good point and why I feel the tube section is fantastic. Just very immediate and resolving. Also, I have not heard Big 7, but that's another category in terms of cost.
 

alrainbow said:

Resolution (Cantata) and does not reveil the whole picture in sound. 

Click to expand...

 

LOL! The irony is this the name of the DAC.
 

alrainbow said:

For me only speakers give us a true image to judge devices by with headphones as tool but iems just not usefull to me. 

Click to expand...

 
I was just talking to a friend about this. Speakers allow us to evaluate soundstaging, especially separation and layering, much better. The HD800, however good in may be in staging, is a joke compared to properly setup speakers in a properly setup room. One can get away with DACs which stage poorly, especially with depth, on headphones.

skeptic said:

Al - when you say DS, is that the dangerous source? Seems like a very interesting option and highly praised by those who have tried it. Wish the form factor wasn't such a turn off though...

 

Click to expand...

He's referring to the PS Audio Direct Stream DAC

purrin said:

   
 
Maybe Berkeley Alpha 2 DAC? I really like that one and would recommend it. Make sure you have a top-notch transport to boot.

Click to expand...

 
What price does that DAC go for?

About 4500 new or so . It's pretty good for me it's above a Hugo anyway but agin there that choice that is no being made by me. Reg speakers I get bashed when I tell people this especially the iem people wow are they uptight. I use all these things daily and so I feel I understand this fine . But most who just use one are totally convicted of one being the end all. Thanks for staing it.
Al

alrainbow said:

About 4500 new or so . It's pretty good for me it's above a Hugo anyway but agin there that choice that is no being made by me. Reg speakers I get bashed when I tell people this especially the iem people wow are they uptight. I use all these things daily and so I feel I understand this fine . But most who just use one are totally convicted of one being the end all. Thanks for staing it.
Al

Click to expand...

Have you got any pic's of your home speaker set up on headfi? 

No sorry. , I am presently renovation the NYC office system now. It will be done in a couple of months or less. Inhope and then I will post some pics for while .
Al