[Sound Eq]

I am looking for a dac/amp combo around 1500 usd or a bit more

that is powerful to drive planar and has

1- rich sound
2- tight bass
3- full mids
4- good detail and no harshness
5- big sound stage

any recommendations for a dac/amp for a 1 device combo


or dac connected to amp as 2 devices combo

 

[mtmercer]

I like my Audio GD NFB 28.38. I’d say it checks all of your boxes fully or to some degree for less than $1k. It has the Sabre 9038pro dac chip but it does not have any harshness IMO.

I read good things about the questyle dac/amp combos buy I have not heard them.

 

[Sound Eq]

I like my Audio GD NFB 28.38. I’d say it checks all of your boxes fully or to some degree for less than $1k. It has the Sabre 9038pro dac chip but it does not have any harshness IMO.

I read good things about the questyle dac/amp combos buy I have not heard them.

Thanks for the reply, I look for an upgrade in sound from the Burson Conductor V2+, as I liked it but I felt its sabre dac is a bit too detailed for me, or maybe a bit metallic sounding in the upper frequencies. When I see the word Sabre I get a bit drawn back, as I owned few gears that have a Sabre dac and depsite many say that Sabre has come a long way, I still find its signature in the detail.

Right now I think the biggest contender is to get the Ifi ican pro and Ifi dsd micro combo

But still I am open for getting other options

 

[ostewart]

Keces S3, uses a ESS Sabre chip but is not bright or harsh. Its an awesome DAC/Amp.