[oldson]

had my stagedac for a few years now, and am happy with it.
but like most on here, i cant help wondering if there is something out there that is better, for the same price range.
i think i paid around £500.
how much would i have to spend to noticably improve on it's performance?
thanks

 

[dura]

Quote:

had my stagedac for a few years now, and am happy with it.
but like most on here, i cant help wondering if there is something out there that is better, for the same price range.
i think i paid around £500.
how much would i have to spend to noticably improve on it's performance?
thanks

Well, I had a stagedac for a few weeks, impressive dac with huge 3D soundstage and deep bass but not quite my taste; tried other dacs like the MHDT Havana and the AudioGD Ref5, but eventually found my true love in the Rega DAC.
But it is not a matter of better, it is a matter of taste.

 

[Argo Duck]

I have pondered the same question oldson. Strictly based on reviews, I'm not satisfied I can improve much on the Stagedac (or Bifrost or EE MiniMax) unless I spend quite a lot more to get to a 'better' level of reproduction, always dependent of course on the qualities you want. Resolution? Transparency? Detail? Musicality? PRAT? Etc...
 
You could continue to save money by spending time instead., i.e. waiting for new price/quality points. Sheer speculation until its been extensively reviewed but maybe Schiit's forthcoming Gungir is the start of a new level of DAC quality at about StageDAC pricing...
 
BTW I 100% agree with Dura about taste. DACs broadly similar in price and quality of design/construction do differ subtly, presumably due to differences in the analog output circuits. I guess that's why someone like me, who finds Meier's recent amps to his taste, also likes his DAC.

 

[Lorspeaker]

i havent seen a dac that can tweak the soundfield like this stagedac at this price point...
v enjoyable while i had it. the new meier amp seems to have all the levers on the amp itself.
 
saving money for a phonitor...
 
nah, i will stuff more cotton wool into my earpads to angle the drivers.