[Curtisvill]

I am in the process of purchasing a new DAC. The DAC will be paired with a hybrid tube amp which is being built for me. I have very eclectic musical tastes, from EDM to Opera, Classic Rock to Alternative, Grateful Dead to Ella Fitzgerald, and everything in between. I have found that my listening is moving more towards the quality of the music I am listening to, FLAC files via my Sony WM1Z to streaming Tidal using my computer. My headphones currently consist of Focal Clears, ZMF Verite Closed, Sony Z1Rs.

I am open to suggestions, problem I have is I am not able to audition any of the DACs I am considering. There is quite a disparity in price between the 3 I have narrowed it down to, from $1,150 to $2,499. I am not as concerned about price as I am about performance. Please do not get me wrong, I am happy to save money if the purchase warrants it or if the difference between units is not big enough to justify the additional expense.

The 3 DACs I am currently considering are:
Mytek Brooklyn DAC +
Schiit Yggdrasil
RME ADI 2

I am very interested in your feedback on any/all of the above DACs. If you have been able to compare any of them or have any impressions please let me know. I will purchase a new DAC within the next month and I feel like I have paralysis thru analysis, and since I am unable to audition, I am looking for feedback. If you have one of the above DACs you are looking to sell shoot me a PM and let's talk.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[penguinofsleep2]

I've heard all 3 and strongly prefer the Ygg with my equipment and against my preferences. Nothing wrong with recent iteration IMO so no need to hunt for some discontinued magic revision.

However, with that being said, I've always felt that synergy is the biggest part and not knowing what amp you will have or what you like in sound, I wouldn't recommend ANY piece of equipment without some caveats. There have been many amps / headphones / chains I've heard where the ADI 2 would or did sound better.

I will say that before I got my Ygg, I was lucky enough to listen to about 5 other DACs in a similar price range before buying the Ygg. While the Ygg isn't perfect, it's more than done it's job since buying it and I do feel that most other DACS in the $2-5k range are only sidegrades of the Ygg. Schiit also has a pretty generous "try it first" policy IMO (although you're going to lose on the shipping with the Ygg) so risk is relatively low as long as you have time to listen within the time window.

 

[surfgeorge]

Did you consider the CHORD Hugo 2?
Interesting take from Currawong:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-13838276

 

[Curtisvill]

Thanks for the replies.

However, with that being said, I've always felt that synergy is the biggest part and not knowing what amp you will have or what you like in sound, I wouldn't recommend ANY piece of equipment without some caveats. There have been many amps / headphones / chains I've heard where the ADI 2 would or did sound better.

I agree with this completely. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, I am purchasing both the amp and dac somewhat "blind", at least to my ears, and I am looking for the help and guidance of the head-fi community. The amp being built for me will have similar sound and tonality to the Cavalli Audio Liquid Glass Hybrid Amp, I can post up the specs of the build if that helps.

I am currently using a Liquid Platinum hybrid which is able to power all of my headphones and I am enjoying the sound but am looking for an upgrade. Last night I rolled a pair some Brimar ECC82 black plate slanting D getters into the amp and the sound was incredibly satisfying. The soundstage opened up, the detail was more precise and the warmth of the sound was exactly what I am looking for in my new setup. I will not get rid of the LP, it will stay as my bedside rig paired with a Music Fidelity MX2 DAC.

Did you consider the CHORD Hugo 2?

Yes, the Chord has been on my radar. I do not need the amp portion, so while I did not write it off, it went to the back of the line. I know that the Mytek and RME both have amps as well, they just have additional functions which I might find useful and would enjoy playing around with.

John