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New Audio-gd DAC-19 [10th Anniversary Edition]
Mar 21, 2015 at 3:37 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 1,962
conquerator2

conquerator2

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Well, a new DAC-19 has been released by audio-gd - the 10th anniversary edition.
Seems to be fairly similarly spec'ed as the older models - 2xPCM1704UK, DSP built-in, discreet stages throughout, Class-A PSU.
It has USB [can be swapped for HDMI/RJ45 I2S], BNC/RCA and optical. Goes up to 32/192KHz via USB and 24/96KHz via COAX and optical.
750USD promo, 800USD after that.
Shame they didn't release it a few weeks earlier as I might have had been interested in it. Oh well, I did not get to hear the previous DAC-19s either.
I guess this lies somewhere below the M7 and Ref10.32, directly competing with the NFB units. Seems to be a fairly interesting product. I am interested in what others think about the DAC-19 series.
 
Product info - http://audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/DAC1911/DAC19EN.htm
 
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Mar 23, 2015 at 3:43 AM Post #5 of 1,962
Precious 2 x PCM1704 
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Mar 23, 2015 at 6:43 PM Post #10 of 1,962
cguy said:
I know that people love R2R, however, if this model has 8X1704 I will have no doubt, but for 2X1704 compare to 9018, please be more objective
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despite what many spout out, the chip in itself does not make a good or bad DAC. while I do believe a properly implemented R2R chip sounds more musical and "real" than sabre and other delta sigma chips, it's not always the case.

now, kingwa has a ton of credibility I working with this particular R2R chip and I have no doubt it's implemented well. whether one likes the particular sound is a matter of preference so everyone needs to judge for themselves. there's very little that is "objective" about this hobby.
 
Mar 23, 2015 at 6:54 PM Post #11 of 1,962
Indeed, I might have had sprung for this DAC, had it been released earlier. I have an X12 on order [Sabre9018] that I should receive tomorrow.
Still, Audio-gd's own Sabre DACs are very good, though I'd say significantly different from their PCM based ones. Both are acquired tastes and both sound different.
I would not proclaim superiority of either but so far I've preferred Sabre to similarly priced Wolfson, BB and AKM offerings. Have not had a chance to try any PCM1704 ones or R2R yet as they're kind of hard to find for under a grand. This would have been my best chance. I'll probably wait for the Yggy and will hopefully be content with the X12 until then 
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Apr 3, 2015 at 12:45 PM Post #13 of 1,962
kugino said:
why is he wasting his stock of 1704 chips in this stuff?
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Because average mortals without $2.3k to spend on a Yggy would like to enjoy R2R also.
 
Kingwa, can you speak to how this sounds compared to the NFB-28?  I'm interested in trying R2R, but I heard the PCM1704 is not that great for an R2R chip.  I think the NFB-28 is a fantastic implementation of the Sabre chip.  I'm wondering if the DAC-19 will really be a step up in sound.
 
Apr 3, 2015 at 12:53 PM Post #14 of 1,962
I wish people would stop comparing Sabre32 and PCM1704 chipped DAC's.
 
One is not inherently superior to the other. One would be preferred to the other depending on the type of sound you are looking for.
 
Apr 3, 2015 at 12:56 PM Post #15 of 1,962
nigeljames said:
  I wish people would stop comparing Sabre32 and PCM1704 chipped DAC's.
 
One is not inherently superior to the other. One would be preferred to the other depending on the type of sound you are looking for.
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Well, that's one way to think about it.  Others have stated (loudly and often) than R2R is superior in every way if implemented well.  The resolution and detail of D-S with the musicality of R2R.  In fact, Purrin thinks that the Master 7 is a best-of-both-worlds device when setup properly.  Since this is made by the same person and uses the same chip (although in a different configuration), it stands to reason that it may also be a good balance between the two.
 
And that's why I was asking how the sound of the two compare.
 
EDIT - I've never been able to compare R2R to D-S so it's hard for me comment, I'm just going off what I read.  I did hear the Yggy and CanJam for over an hour and it was both detailed and musical.  Unfortunately, it's out of my price range right now.
 
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