[sokolov91]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sxr71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The BDA-1 seems darn near perfect. More than enough inputs, remote, 20 year warranty, good reviews.

It does look pretty good! But, I remember reading posts by Dan Lavry though, stating how jitter is not always a problem, and at times useful. He said completely or almost completely getting rid of jitter was not ideal. Also, I forget exactly why, but he also said that 192khz is too high for an audio signal and he does not use it in his products because it reduces the fidelity...

Too bad there is no clear cut choice... and a lot of this boils down to very complicated math.

Power is really a big factor in high end components, and I am really wondering to what degree the Ref 7 with its 3 isolated transformers competes against offerings with one or two.

I have read a few people say the Ref 7 is the best DAC the have heard under 10,000 USD...

 

[The Monkey]

I just went through this exercise. What I learned is that there are a lot of excellent DACs out there. Don't limit yourself to new offerings as there are plenty of vintage DACs that smoke some of the newer ones.

Here are a few that I have really liked in or around your price range:

PS Audio PWD
Dodson DA217 mkII-D
Electrocompaniet ECD-1
North Star m192 mk2
Neko Audio D100

Here are a few that were competent, but just didn't do it for me:

Bryston BDA-1 (great features, kind of boring sound)
Esoteric D-70 - Cool DAC, but I wish the output stage had been better implemented
Benchmark DAC1

I didn't like the following:

HeadRoom UDAC

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif I didn't like the following: HeadRoom UDAC

Shame to hear that

What didn't you like about the UDAC, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[noinimod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sokolov91 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It does look pretty good! But, I remember reading posts by Dan Lavry though, stating how jitter is not always a problem, and at times useful. He said completely or almost completely getting rid of jitter was not ideal. Also, I forget exactly why, but he also said that 192khz is too high for an audio signal and he does not use it in his products because it reduces the fidelity...

I remember pretty clearly that wasn't what he said. He said something along the lines of, jitter might sometimes give the impression that the music sounds 'better', because they like the distorted sound that is caused by jitter

 

[IPodPJ]

I have the same feelings about the UDAC. I thought it was one of the most artificial and digital sounding DACs I had ever heard. I listened to it through the BUDA. I guess that's a shame because I've heard good things about the Home line of DACs they used to make.

 

[dreamwhisper]

Yeah I've been really disappointed with the mid-tier DAC market.
I think the differences are much too small between all of them and would rather get a budget or vintage DAC OR spend much more to get into the next pricerange stalemate, or the one after that
Let's say ~5K MRSP mimimum because I was very impressed with a DAC in that price range that I heard.
Most likely the next DAC I get will be an Emm Labs DAC or a ULN-8

If you can find a nice vintage DAC, great. Other than that, if I were you I would just get a Pico DAC and call it a day...

 

[krmathis]

Electrocompaniet ECD-1
Red Wine Audio Isabellina

Both around the price range, and I find them to be excellent DACs. Multiple inputs, but no remote switching (just local).

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shame to hear that What didn't you like about the UDAC, if you don't mind my asking?

I think it's just a matter of taste. To me, it was just a bit boring. It was nice and fast, and was black between the notes, but it just didn't have the bite I was looking for. On the other hand, I'm sure it could easily be said that I was looking for a more colored sound.

 

[SteveM324]

In the last 2 months, I've purchased 2 PS Audio PerfectWave Transport and DAC combos that were quite a large step ahead of my previous Rega Saturns (I owned 2 of them). I also tried the Rega Saturn as a transport with the Perfect DAC (PWD) and it was much better than the Saturn by itself. I also owned a Benchmark DAC1 PRE and the PWD is a nice step up from that as well. The PWD provides a big soundstage and air around the performers, black backgrounds, well focused images, excellent resolution of details without sounding analytical, and a musicality that draws you into the music. If you shop around, the PWD comes in right around your price point brand new.

 

[ciphercomplete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveM324 /img/forum/go_quote.gif In the last 2 months, I've purchased 2 PS Audio PerfectWave Transport and DAC combos that were quite a large step ahead of my previous Rega Saturns (I owned 2 of them). I also tried the Rega Saturn as a transport with the Perfect DAC (PWD) and it was much better than the Saturn by itself. I also owned a Benchmark DAC1 PRE and the PWD is a nice step up from that as well. The PWD provides a big soundstage and air around the performers, black backgrounds, well focused images, excellent resolution of details without sounding analytical, and a musicality that draws you into the music. If you shop around, the PWD comes in right around your price point brand new.

I have been looking at getting the PWD but I don't know if I want to get the transport. How do the typical inputs (coaxial AES/EBU) compare to the I2S input? Thanks

 

[SteveM324]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ciphercomplete /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have been looking at getting the PWD but I don't know if I want to get the transport. How do the typical inputs (coaxial AES/EBU) compare to the I2S input? Thanks

I have not compared the balanced input (AES/EBU) to the I2S input yet but according to PSA, the I2S is the way to go if you have the PWT. I'm using PSA I2S-12 silver cable between the PWT and the PWD. I tried the Rega Saturn as a transport using its RCA (SPDIF) output into the the coax RCA input of the PWD and it was very good (quite an improvement over the Saturn by itself). The PWT added the last bit of improvement (maybe 15-20%, hard to quantify) over the Saturn as a transport. If you play a lot of CDs like I do, the PWT is definitely worth it. I'm extremely happy with the PWD. I've had a long list of digital equipment including Meridian 500/566-24bit DAC, Monarchy 22B, Cary 306/200, Sony XA5000ES, Benchmark DAC1 PRE and the Rega Saturns. The PSA combo clearly plays in a league above my previous digital gear.

I bought my first PSA combo for my speaker system, I liked it so much I bought another combo for my dedicated headphone system (Zana Deux SE). I think the PWD offers a great value and flexibility when you consider that the "Bridge" will be coming soon to provide wireless networking. Based on SQ alone, I think that the PWD is a great value.

 

[SteveM324]

Double post

 

[minimus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ciphercomplete /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have been looking at getting the PWD but I don't know if I want to get the transport. How do the typical inputs (coaxial AES/EBU) compare to the I2S input? Thanks

I have written this elsewhere, but the PW DAC really sounds stellar with the Transport. It does not sound as good with other digital sources I have used, but is still very good.

 

[minimus]

To the original poster: if your primary source is a Mac, I would get an asynchronous USB dac from Wavelength (these regularly come up for sale on Audiogon for <$2K), or the Ayre QB-9 for $2500, which licensed Wavelength's asynchronous DAC technology. AFAIK, these units are the only one box audiophile components designed for computer audio. Most other computer-based audiophile solutions seem to involve more components, expenditures, and trial and error. Just take a look at the Empirical Audio forum on Audiocircle to get a sense of all the permutations and combinations that are recommended to get a low-jitter signal to the coaxial digital input on a DAC...

 

[ciphercomplete]

Minimus and Steve your comments echo everyone else I have asked about the PW combo and I have finally decided to pull the trigger. I had ordered a new transport and I had planned on getting the new Wyred 4 Sound DAC 2 but I just canceled both orders

Gotta to sell the Monarchy now and wait for my tax returns.