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DAC recommendations under 10,000 bucks
Oct 18, 2014 at 12:35 PM Post #16 of 46
i suggest you will look also on this thread
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/693798/thoughts-on-a-bunch-of-dacs-and-why-i-hate-chocolate-ice-cream
 
purrin know what he said and under 10k you can check the Bricasti M1.
 
i saw really good things on amr dp-777
and of course MSB...
 
Oct 20, 2014 at 6:10 PM Post #18 of 46
deuter said:
Hi all.

I have Grado PS1000 running through Leben CS300X

Iam looking for a new DAC, have previously tried the Hugo,audio gd pcm1704 DAC chip based.

Please key in what you have tried and would recommend as the most revealing and detailed DAC, without sounding too digital.

Also doing DSD would be nice.
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I was just in a similar, 3 month long search for a new DAC.  I auditioned quite a few and had in home demos as either loaners from local audiohilocs or dealers of the MSB Analog, dCS Debussy, Ayre QB-9, Meitner MA-1, Weiss 202 and heard seemingly countless others in stores (but that's not terrbible useful, IMHO).  I had each one in home for at least a week.
 
I can say for certain that there is no "one best DAC" that I've heard.  That's a bit like saying what the best colour is...  Or best flavor...  
 
So far I am very happy with my choice.  The M1 was the most detailed (aside the dCS) and I don't perceive any digital harshness (which was my #1 concern).
 
Happy hunting.
 
Oct 20, 2014 at 7:30 PM Post #19 of 46
bigfatpaulie said:
I was just in a similar, 3 month long search for a new DAC.  I auditioned quite a few and had in home demos as either loaners from local audiohilocs or dealers of the MSB Analog, dCS Debussy, Ayre QB-9, Meitner MA-1, Weiss 202 and heard seemingly countless others in stores (but that's not terrbible useful, IMHO).  I had each one in home for at least a week.

I can say for certain that there is no "one best DAC" that I've heard.  That's a bit like saying what the best colour is...  Or best flavor...  

So far I am very happy with my choice.  The M1 was the most detailed (aside the dCS) and I don't perceive any digital harshness (which was my #1 concern).

Happy hunting.
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Which one is the M-1 is it MA-1 you are referring to ? Also did you try thr auralic vega and the calyx femto
 
Nov 15, 2014 at 9:11 PM Post #21 of 46
I am also looking for a 10.000 $ DAC to feed my Eddie Curent 445 tube amp.  
 
the AMR777 (the new SE version) and the MSB Analog are considered, but I have more interest for the TotalDAC D1, that is R2R and should therefore offer good synergy with my 445.
 
 
There are several versions of TotalDAC: a tube version, a SE version and a balanced version (plus some extremely high end versions), all ranging from 8000$ to 30.000$.  
 
The Total-Dac D1-Dual with it's XLR->RCA special cable might be the best solution for me, and....I can add to it the Total-DAC server + reclocker 
 
and also we could consider the Bricasti M1 and the Meitner MA-1 ?
 
Nov 16, 2014 at 12:27 AM Post #22 of 46
$10k is an odd place on the money scale. It is firmly in the ultra-fi realm but not to the Berkeley RS/Kalliope/Esoteric/Davinci/money-is-no-object realm. But I'll take a stab with where I would start: PS Audio DirectStream and Bricasti.
 
Nov 16, 2014 at 6:06 PM Post #24 of 46
stereolab42 said:
  This one looks cool:
 
http://valveaudiodevices.co.uk/products/dac-10-dsd/
 
Allegedly around $10k.
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thanks for the link.  This DAC that i did not know is VERY interesting !  and.... a beauty ! 
size]

 
This high quality DAC coming from UK is not very well known: VAD new dual mono DAC-12 DSD
 

 

 


 
2 totally separate DAC engines: one for PCM and one for DSD !  This DSD playback is completely separate from the PCM DAC: It has its own dedicated USB, mains power supplies and analogue path.
 
Anyone has heard it ?  
 
I wonder if it will offer a good synergy with my Eddie Current 445 tube headphone amp ?
 

 

 
Nov 17, 2014 at 8:39 AM Post #25 of 46
bigfatpaulie said:
   
The Bricasti M1.  I've only head the Vega in store on speakers so I don't really don't know much about it.  I have never heard the Calyx Femto.
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What did you find about the Analog? What are its strengths and weaknesses compared to the M1?
 
(Not that it matters too much to me - I pulled the trigger on the Analog with upgrades for less than $6k)
 
Nov 20, 2014 at 5:42 AM Post #27 of 46
bmichels said:
 
 
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What price range are we talking about here? If its ~10k I think a circuit layout like that is a bit... disappointing. That does not mean it sounds bad, but still I'd expect a bit more attention to detail. The outside is nice, the inside looks more like an early prototype...
 
Nov 20, 2014 at 6:31 AM Post #28 of 46
It's practically Wurstsalat. 
 
Nov 20, 2014 at 9:16 AM Post #30 of 46
Another option that is supposed to be truely remarkable is the Phasure NOS1a. It's praises have been sung over on computer audiophile for sometime and it is regarded as one of the most absolutely pure and accurate dacs. It is not a plug and play solution though and takes some patienceto setup.
 
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