[LCfiner]

Quote:

any new contenders in the mix, all?  i must say I'm looking forward to hearing how the BMC PureDAC shakes out....

 
Well, I just got a Bel Canto 2.5 and it's been incredible. Works wonders with my quad 12L actives as Dac and preamp. great "out of the box" sound and it has all the inputs and outputs I want.
 
decent headphone out for low impedance, high sensitivity headphones. (won't drive an HD800 to full capacity but does very well with my markl modded D7000)
 
For under 2K, you may want to consider a DAC 1.5 (does not have the 2.5s analog input and with a lesser power supply) and a USB/ SPDIF converter like the Bel canto mlink/ ulink or audeophillio 2. I just ordered an AP2 to trial for 30 days to see if i like it over the built in USB input 

 

[aphinity]

Quote:

I know it is a bit over your budget but I cannot recommend more testing  Eximus Dp-1. It is great 3in1 with sound signature you are looking for.
 

 
Oh, that Eximus Dp-1 is sure purrty.  Sebna, do you have one?
 
Frankly, I don't think think I could rationalize a $3k DAC in my setup until i had minimum $100k in the bank.  Or maybe just a case of early onset upgradeitis!

 

[sebna]

Well I mean if you are about to spent 2k on a so so DACs why not spend 1k more and have it done the way it should be done. I honestly hate buying cheap becasue always you end up buying twice and in the end spending more then just buying the right thing first time round... also following your thought pattern I assume you already have 66,666$ (what a sweet number BTW LOL) on your account as you are ready to spend 2k for DAC ATM (sorry could not help myself )?
 
You can have it for less then 3k if you search a bit.
 

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

Quote:

Well I mean if you are about to spent 2k on a so so DACs why not spend 1k more and have it done the way it should be done. I honestly hate buying cheap becasue always you end up buying twice and in the end spending more then just buying the right thing first time round... also following your thought pattern I assume you already have 66,666$ (what a sweet number BTW LOL) on your account as you are ready to spend 2k for DAC ATM (sorry could not help myself )?
 
You can have it for less then 3k if you search a bit.
 

I had that same mentality, as evident by my purchase of the lcd-3. DAC wise, its not that simple. just read around on this site, you'll see opposite ends of the spectrum impressions of virtually every piece of gear. the eximus has a built in headamp, which a lot don't have. who's to say a 2k DAC only piece wont crush the eximus? can you put a price value on the headamp alone to justify it? i'm not sure if you can or you cant.. bottom line is that theres no reason why something less expensive can actually be better for someone. the 'always buy the top' mantra doesn't always work i'm afraid. in this hobby its so important to hear before you buy.

 

[aphinity]

Quote:

Well I mean if you are about to spent 2k on a so so DACs why not spend 1k more and have it done the way it should be done. I honestly hate buying cheap becasue always you end up buying twice and in the end spending more then just buying the right thing first time round... also following your thought pattern I assume you already have 66,666$ (what a sweet number BTW LOL) on your account as you are ready to spend 2k for DAC ATM (sorry could not help myself )?
 
You can have it for less then 3k if you search a bit.
 

oh geez.  was praying i wouldn't get audited this year!
 

 
seriously though, i'm on a budget for the DAC and will stick to it.  i'm confident $2k can get me a well-capable DAC......

 

[Happy Camper]

oh geez.  was praying i wouldn't get audited this year!



seriously though, i'm on a budget for the DAC and will stick to it.  i'm confident $2k can get me a well-capable DAC......

$2-3k has always been a good value for quality gear and performance. The returns get pretty pricey from there.

 

[Happy Camper]

You can get a PWD II for under 2.5, a M-51 for 1.8, a Master 7 for 2., the Grace, Hilo, Mytek are around 2. A well built Buffalo for 2.3, the D2 is 1.3? You could also look at a CI Audio stack. So many options.

 

[ehlarson]

Quote:

You can get a PWD II for under 2.5, a M-51 for 1.8, a Master 7 for 2., the Grace, Hilo, Mytek are around 2. A well built Buffalo for 2.3, the D2 is 1.3? You could also look at a CI Audio stack. So many options.

 
I think adding a Legato II to something like the Anedio D2 is also an interesting idea.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

 
I think adding a Legato II to something like the Anedio D2 is also an interesting idea.

 
That was gonna be my end goal, until i decided to sell my Anedio D2 to fund a turntable setup

 

[aphinity]

well, after all that, I just bought a Dangerous Music Source.  it's made in America:
 
http://www.dangerousmusic.com/products/source
 

 
I was very impressed to read the many endorsements for DM from music industry engineers, producers, etc:
 
http://www.dangerousmusic.com/news-and-press/
 
It's a pro monitor controller which is a good fit for me since I listen to the majority of my music through monitors rather than my Grados.  for $900, it's been reputed to be a great value for the audio quality you get. i started a thread for the DM source and will report more of my experience there:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/647917/dangerous-music-source-dac#post_9343065

 

[Happy Camper]

Ooh, I like the looks.

 

[cycler2]

Aphinity,
Congratulations on your purchase of a Dangerous Music Source.  I continue to enjoy mine.  Sounds great and is bullet-proof.  
Rich 

 

[aphinity]

Quote:

Aphinity,
Congratulations on your purchase of a Dangerous Music Source.  I continue to enjoy mine.  Sounds great and is bullet-proof.  
Rich 

 
Thanks, Rich.
 
I continue to be very happy with my DM Source.  I was ready to drop up to $2k on my new DAC but really stoked I decided on the Source at around the $900 price point - what a great value! The DM Source via balanced xlr connection to my Dynaudio DBM50s (+ good tunes, of course) keeps me a happy sound traveler!  Clean sound every time...