[xenithon]

Hi all. I have a question regarding external, standalone DACs, which has been lingering on my mind for a while. When researching standalone DACs, I have the impression of there being two distinct groups of DACs:

1. budget DACs - these would be those usually from the Far East, built by private individuals under a company name, often sold direct or via eBay etc. These include the likes of Citypulse, Musiland, Lite Audio, Diyeden, and so on. These are normally sub $500, though sometimes a little more.
2. older "high-end" DACs - if roughly the same amount of money is to be spend on these, you need to look at older DACs from the more prominent manufacturers. These are usually based in the US or Europe, available through bricks-and-mortar audio dealer networks, and so on. Examples include Musical Fidelity, Theta, Bel Canto, Proceed, and so on. Usually anywhere from 2-5 years old.

The reason I raise the question of which to go for, is because I have seen how quickly the DAC landscape changes, especially with the advances in the actual processing chips. It makes me wonder if the high-end DACs from, lets say, 2 years ago, are inferior to the newer budget DACs - even though the former often having been priced at $2000+.

In essence, if I was to start looking for DACs (no plans at the moment, hence this remains hypothetical

) would I do better visiting my audio dealer associates to see what they have, or looking at the new stuff from the Far East online?

Cheers,
X

 

[Dr.Love]

The Older High End DAC's are your friend.

 

[d-cee]

that's an interesting question i'd be interested in as well

though in between somewhere there is a grey area

consider how many new far east DACs are still using the old Philips TDA1543 chips (DAC-AH, MDHT labs, ken law's DACs etc.)

is the advancement just in the DAC or in places like the receiver and analog output stages? hmmm

 

[xenithon]

Grey areas indeed! I've always pondered how one of those 5-year old Mark Levinson, built-like-a-tank DACs selling at $750 stack up against the new range of DACs...whether it be a $300 Diyeden, a $600 Citypulse, or a $1000 Benchmark

Quote:

places like the receiver and analog output stages

Yeah, there are quite a few parts to the higher-end DACs which you rarely even see in budget DACs too like those large, dedicated power supplies; AC filters; possibly word-clocks & anti-jitter components etc. (I am not too familiar with their construction so please forgive any innacuracies

)

 

[d-cee]

there's a dude not too far from me selling a meridian 203 DAC for a clearout price and i am so curious but don't want to be throwing away money as well

hasn't had much coverage on head-fi it seems =\

 

[xenithon]

Don't kid! You'll never guess what I happened upon in the local mag which got me thinking about the topic.....

Quote:

Placed on 2007-07-11, price xxxxx. Phone: xxxx Meridian 203 DAC. Simply regarded as one of the best ever. In perfect condition. Sounds sublime. The best upgrade where digital front ends needs to match high quality analogue.....

.....

To be honest though, I think it is over 10-years old. I found virtually no info about it, but did see the Meridian history page where it shows the 203 in 1985!

 

[d-cee]

yeah it'd be more than 10 years old

i'm thinking about it... still thinking...

the stereophile review of it is pretty good, but it was written in 1990 =\

 

[cotdt]

the old meridians sound pretty good to me, although different-sounding from other hi-end sources. they are mellow and crisp sounding. never heard the 203 though

 

[bowraboy]

There's also one on eBay that caught my eye.

 

[Agent Kang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr.Love /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Older High End DAC's are your friend.

Very good friend indeed.

 

[dgps]

just curious, how old is old? 2 yrs, 5 yrs or 10 yrs?

cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Kang /img/forum/go_quote.gif Very good friend indeed.

 

[tourmaline]

Without a doubt i would say the older high end dacs! it's not only the dac section(say 24 bits vs 16-20 bits) but also the most important is the quality of the output section, there is the biggest improvement made.

Alot of people report that older 'high end cdp's and dacs still outperform most of new players and dacs. if not in resolution, it's in musicallity. Even older cdp's/dacs can hold their own to the new chips used in 24 bit dacs.
For instance the new benchmark dac one is very detailed but lacks hugely in musicality! Most high dacs trash it in that section while retaining almost as good detail as the new dacs. Also alot is in the transports; high end cdp's used superieur transports wich will simply sound better then cheap transports with new dacs.

New dac chip and bad output(analogue section) is still not as good. it's all in how the captured signal from the disc is handled and presented to the amp.

 

[xenithon]

Thanks tourmaline - that was my gut feel. Though I do wonder where that line started to become blurred...as the poster above asked...DACs from 2/5/10 years ago etc.

 

[OntheHunt]

My DAC is a Audio Alchemy that I have been using for over 12 years. I just got through auditioning a Rotel RCD 1072 player and to be honest I thought the Audio Alchemy was way more engaging. I'm going to sit tight with what I have because it sounds like over the last decade there has not been that much of an improvement. Just my 2 cents.

 

[sejarzo]

I suppose that I differ from most of the above.

The newest DAC's that some find "too analytical/not musical" are, IMHO, actually far more accurate in reproducing what is on the CD--especially newer CD's that have been tracked and mastered correctly. Older DAC's might "sound better" on older material that was mastered when they were in vogue.....but when you listen to that material on a newer DAC, it can come off as thin and edgy.

Sort of like the difference between good tubes and good SS, though--it is definitely a matter of personal preference!

It all depends on your favorite music and the way it's typically put to disc. In my case, classical material recorded in the past 5 years sounds better on the newer DAC's......less congested, more precise, more transparent in the mids and lower end.