[warp2600]

Canary DAC by MHDT LAB
Non-oversampling (Philips TDA1545A chips), tube buffer,
BNC, USB, Coax and Optical inputs
Very nice warm sound, no trace of any listening fatigue (when I turn it on, I listen to it all day long)

 

[exander]

I ended up grabbing an Ayre Codex for $800 on eBay. Hopefully it was a good choice.....

 

[rmsanger]

I ended up grabbing an Ayre Codex for $800 on eBay. Hopefully it was a good choice.....

Please post your thoughts... I'm seeing a few of them pop up in the $800 - $900 range... I haven't heard alot of glowing reviews about it but haven't really sought them out either.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Flux Labs FCN-10 (USB) is in your budget too :
Link: https://fluxlab-acoustics.com/product/fcn-10/
Review: https://soundnews.net/amplifiers/he...n-10-review-a-muscle-car-for-your-headphones/

And if you are into Denafrips Aries check this out. The reviewer says its the best DAC he heard under 2K.
Musician Audio Pegasus R2R DAC
Link: http://www.musician-audio.com/en/col.jsp?id=103
Review: https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/musician-audio-pegasus-r2r-dac-review/

 

[Deolum]

Chord Qutest is just north of your price range, but my go to DAC. Isn't necessary warm, but it's not bright or cold at all. It's just right to me. And as @Rhamnetin noted above, the Chord Mojo is supposed to be even warmer.

I can't imagine a having a Chord Dac and having problems with height either. I have a Chord2Qute and it's the only piece in my chain i never considered another model could sound better. And a used 2Qute is at ~500 €.

 

[Law87]

I can't imagine a having a Chord Dac and having problems with height either. I have a Chord2Qute and it's the only piece in my chain i never considered another model could sound better. And a used 2Qute is at ~500 €.

Chord are not really warm, they are neutral to bright

 

[exander]

Just got the Codex set up. So far, pretty happy! Very detailed but not quite as bright as the D70 (to me....). Definitely more bass. May need to tame that a bit by moving my speakers. The D70 did not have this low end.
This is probably a keeper.

 

[Chu]

RME is not warm sounding DAC at all. It is very cold sounding but has a lot of features that you cannot find in another DAC. If warm sound is what you are looking for, then maybe Denafrips Ares II is your best option

So this weekend I just did a massive upgrade -- from an original Compass (~10 years old) to an ADI-2 DAC. My primary headphones are HD600s. Which I understand a lot of people say aren't a good match for the ADI-2 DAC.

The Compass was often described as "warm", and the ADI-2 as "cold" or "sterile". But the ADI-2 without any EQ is *significantly* warmer than the Compass, to the point where it pushes the voices much further back in the mix than I would like. Also one of my test tracks features a lot of violins over an EDM beat and they are also pushed much further back in the mix than I am used to.

Either the target sound signature of mids has significantly changed over the last decade, people have intentionally been introducing harmonic distortion into solid state products to get them closer to tubes, or there is a lot of wrong groupthink on this DAC/Amp (which given my experience in this and other hobbies happens a lot with products people talk a lot about, but have restrictive price-tags).

 

[sajunky]

I don't understand that 'warm' feature push voices back. My Audio GD R2R11 gives very punchy and real sound, especially on violin and percussion, but in the same time is neutral, soft, no signs of harshness in the mid/high range, no sibilants (whatever) and slightly on the warm side. This is what I get with HD 600, it doesn't push vocals back.

A real test for a DAC is whether you can listen for hours without being tired. I expect it was a problem with Topping, I had the same experience. 20 minutes was a maximum I could tolerate.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I know it's too late for OP, but for 1000 bucks DAC, Cayin iDAC-6 mkII could be one of the sweetest sounding DAC I ever heard, especially at tube mode. It's not dead neutral of course, but the "warm and fluid" feel and spacious staging from this compact size DAC is indeed really pleasing to my ears.

About RME, I don't think it sound thin, but slight at cold side. For more specific meaning, personally cold means rather clear sound with not much excitement or "fun" feeling. You may say bland or lifeless to certain extend. Cold doesn't always negative, it could be what people looking for to balance their set-up to create perfect synergy.

 

[exander]

I'm not done yet! The Codex is better than the D70 (for me) but I still don't feel I can listen for a long time. I didn't have this problem with the MyDAC. Of course, my speakers could be part of the problem. Just ordered Ohm Walsh.

May try a few more DACs before this is over.

 

[PsilocybinCube]

I have a sensitivity to highs (it sucks) and find really detailed DACs to be bright. I just bought a Topping D70 and it's pretty awesome. However, I'd like it to be a little warmer. I know I could probably tame it with an equalizer but I'm able to spend a little more than before so why not upgrade.

I'm open to any suggestions. Was thinking about Jolida's tube DAC and Schiit's Gungnir. I took BorderPatrol off the list because I need an optical and USB in.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Are you using HD 800 as in your pic? A tube amp with proper warm tubes will help greatly. Alternatively, the HDVA 600 is great as it is quite dark and fixes many of the HD 800 issues.

 

[exander]

Are you using HD 800 as in your pic? A tube amp with proper warm tubes will help greatly. Alternatively, the HDVA 600 is great as it is quite dark and fixes many of the HD 800 issues.

I don't use headphones. That's just the default. I should change it....

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Bifrost 2 fits your stated preferences. I would get that and skip the Gungnir Multibit. The Bifrost 2 is like an upgraded Gungnir Multibit A1, which conveyed a slightly warm--yet highly dynamic and resolving--sound signature, in comparison to the slightly brighter and more technically impressive Yggdrasil A1. Although I liked both the Yggdrasil and Gungnir from the first generation of output stages, the latter more closely aligns with my tonal preference and gear synergy; its technical prowess approached that of Schiit’s flagship DAC. The Bifrost 2 arguably displaces the Gungnir A1 and is warmer (slightly) than the Gungnir A2, which is brighter (slightly) than the A1 and the Yggdrasil A2. It similarly includes both balanced and single ended outputs. Unlike the Gungnir or Yggdrasil, both of which perform best from their balanced outputs, the Bifrost sounds equally competent from both. And as with the Gungnir Multibit, the Bifrost 2 soars above its price-point into Yggdrasil territory. With that being said, I prefer my Sonic Frontiers DAC to them all. Unfortunately, they are (sadly) no longer made and are hence not easy to find these days.

 

[exander]

Bifrost 2 fits your stated preferences. I would get that and skip the Gungnir Multibit. The Bifrost 2 is like an upgraded Gungnir Multibit A1, which conveyed a slightly warm--yet highly dynamic and resolving--sound signature, in comparison to the slightly brighter and more technically impressive Yggdrasil A1. Although I liked both the Yggdrasil and Gungnir from the first generation of output stages, the latter more closely aligns with my tonal preference and gear synergy; its technical prowess approached that of Schiit’s flagship DAC. The Bifrost 2 arguably displaces the Gungnir A1 and is warmer (slightly) than the Gungnir A2, which is brighter (slightly) than the A1 and the Yggdrasil A2. It similarly includes both balanced and single ended outputs. Unlike the Gungnir or Yggdrasil, both of which perform best from their balanced outputs, the Bifrost sounds equally competent from both. And as with the Gungnir Multibit, the Bifrost 2 soars above its price-point into Yggdrasil territory. With that being said, I prefer my Sonic Frontiers DAC to them all. Unfortunately, they are (sadly) no longer made and are hence not easy to find these days.

Excellent summary. It's interesting that you recommend the Bifrost 2 as that's what the Schitt rep recommended also when I said I was considering the Bifrost and the Gungnir.