I have spent last few weeks researching DACs suitable for me and my setup, hoping for a noticeable step up from Lynx Hilo and Chord Mojo which so far have been doing the duty. Despite their designs being a few years apart and their technologies being quite different, there’s very little difference in the output quality between these two and I was wondering how much better can things get at all. In the end there’s a whole religion created around a dogma that all DACs sound the same. So let’s see if I should become a believer!
My criteria were as follows:
Most importantly the way it sounds. My preferences are with lots of dynamics, full body sound, with precise positioning and as much detail as can be had without compromising on the other criteria.
Technology: R2R seems to be the flavour of the year, but I also followed the latest developments in DS – that’s not critical to me as long as it sounds the way I like. Still, I wanted to have a proper R2R DAC among my weapons, and ideally something that is a recent design.
Formats: My library contains about 85% of redbook FLAC files, with the rest being mostly 24/48 and 24/96 vinyl rips and a sprinkle of 24/192 and DSD downloads. I’m not too phased about ability to handle DSD as my other two DACs can do that, and in practice I listen to versions of these recordings converted to PCM anyway.
Connectivity: This thing will have to slot into my system, so connectivity must be right. I wanted to keep the Hilo and connect the new DAC to it, ideally using AES/EBU (Coax and Toslink outputs are already taken). For the output my preference was XLR, although having RCA outputs as well would give me some extra flexibility. For the same reason USB and some S/PDIF flavour would be nice to have.
Budget: I started with assumption that $1500 to $2000 should do the trick, but that was never the hard limit.
That has quite nicely narrowed down the list of candidates to only a handful, so I started reading reviews and other available info, messaging owners and chatting to experts. With all the feedback gathered it was down to two: Metrum Menuet and Dangerous Sources Convert-2. And that’s where the hard part started, as I had to make decision without listening to either of them. I mean I could have arranged a demo at the store, but previous experience taught me that in my set up it may sound different. The Australian vendors I know (and that carry this type of gear) aren’t too keen on loaning the equipment, and their return policies are usually better not put to the test.
This is where sites like Head-fi become really useful, as comparisons to other DACs I know by people who have similar requirements are much more helpful than professional reviews. Still, there’s not a lot info available on either of them.
I am happy to report that in the end, as of today, the Menuet has become a part of my setup. And what a part it is! So far I only managed to connect it and listened to a few of my test tracks on speakers. First impressions: it delivers all I wanted, right out of the box, without even as much as warming up. It’s as if so far I was watching the world through a dirty window and suddenly the glass has disappeared. Feels like I could touch the instruments in front of me. The sound is full, rich, dynamic and well extended.
OK, time to settle down, let the first thrill of purchase pass by and do much more of listening. But one thing I know already: the God of DACs hasn’t made them all equal.
