[bobeau]

Hey Guys,

My setup is in my sig, but to restate -

PC -> AV710 -> Ack! hi-rez 2.0 -> Slam PPX3 -> L3000s

I've had my current setup for about a year and haven't really paid much attention to Head-fi over the past 6 mos... now I'm coming back it _seems_ to me the DAC world has blown up some. The Ack! has served me well, but I'm wondering if I could get something in a similar price range ($500-$1000) that is a clear upgrade, like a real leap forward in almost every respect?

I've read the forum for the past few days and have seen mention of the Zhaolu, Stello, Storm Digital, Lavry... but I can't get a feeling how any of these would spar with an Ack, except for the SD which seems to be clearly better (but this company is shady??)

Anything else I should be looking at? Suggestions in general on how to proceed?

 

[Herandu]

Price should not be an issue IMHO opinion, since the cost of the electronic components in each of these sub U$1000 is probably within the U$50 to U$100 range. Sometimes units are over engineered in order to add value. Some case designs cost a lot more than the electronics parts fitted in them.
If you intend to use your unit on a PC, and you don't have an optical out, your choice is limited to the USB equipped DAC offerings. Asking which unit to recommend is one of personal taste as well, since musical taste etc. can determine which DAC is more suiatble for you. Also judge how it fits in with the look-and-feel of the remaing part of your system. An all silver unit might not look so nice in an all black set-up.

My personal suggestion is to contact the various manufacturers and see which one is happy to sell you a unit that you can return if you are not happy with the results. Some manufacturers like Beresford (TC-7500, TC-7510) used to even let you borrow a loan unit that you could try out for a few days. I borrowed a TC-7500 this way last year, and ended up buying the ( in my case brand new) loan unit at a discount

. He doesn't have a USB DAC listed so don't waste your time contacting him on that one...

 

[jandl100]

I'm looking for a great budget DAC. How do you rate the Beresford these days? Thnx, Jerry

 

[dcktr]

After being unable to weather the "Storm" and sinking $512 leagues under the sea, I ordered a Paradisea (436 plus 35 ship) and a WE396A tube, will post a few comments after I get it. I will be sourcing it with a Boulder digital and elpac modified SB3. Buddy has an Ack, so should be able to compare.
Ron

 

[bobeau]

Thanks guys.

Any Ack comparisons are definitely welcome, almost feel like I should get a more bread-n-butter unit so there's more info to go on when thinking about upgrading down the road.

FWIW, I can use USB, Optical (AV710), or Coax (Theta TLC)