The Vintage Dac & CD Player List/Review Thread

[DaveBSC]

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Must still be popular with some people. Wasn't upsampling the talk of the time back then? I remember the MSB dac which employed upsampling was hyped up as well. I was curious so I bought one and it was absolutely blown away by my Theta DS Pro Basic I also had at the time. I guess one should really take into account the amount of advertising there is in the mag from these flavor of the month products that get rave reviews.

The P-tech set was also supposed to be only the first shot in a high-end assault from the company... nope. What I'd really like to see is a new DAC from Spectral based on their SDR-4000, as it seems like such a waste that it's a disc spinner only. IMO that's a dead end.

 

[computerparts]

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The P-tech set was also supposed to be only the first shot in a high-end assault from the company... nope. What I'd really like to see is a new DAC from Spectral based on their SDR-4000, as it seems like such a waste that it's a disc spinner only. IMO that's a dead end.

 
Do you know what the model of the older dac is? The only thing I could find on their site was the SDR-4000.

 

[padam]

SDR-2000 it is there, just go to the Spectral Audio System and then to the Digital Component Archive.
 
And great thread btw although might decrease the chance of obtaining one of those 90's best in the future

 

[computerparts]

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SDR-2000 it is there, just go to the Spectral Audio System and then to the Digital Component Archive.
 
And great thread btw although might decrease the chance of obtaining one of those 90's best in the future

Ah yes I didn't even think to look in the archives, thanks. Update: Amperex tubes installed in the SFD-1. See above for details.

 

[computerparts]

Looks like the ref-7 loaner program is behind schedule. Not sure if I will be getting it this month. In any case, I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[estreeter]

I'm with Uncle Erik - this is a balltearer of a thread. So much of Head-Fi is dedicated to shiny new product - its great to see reviews of oldies-but-goodies : keep em coming, computerparts.

 

[computerparts]

Reference 7 arrived, review to follow.

 

[computerparts]

Audio-gd Reference 7 added. Whew, that was exhausting. I believe it to be the most thorough review of it out there so enjoy.

 

[The Monkey]

Good job on the AGD review.

 

[scottiebabie]

what about the CAL Sigma II tube DAC. theres a local seller & i was kinda wondering how this would compare with the new dac now?

 

[Currawong]

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Good job on the AGD review.

x2. I was hoping someone would give a very thorough review like this.

 

[computerparts]

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what about the CAL Sigma II tube DAC. theres a local seller & i was kinda wondering how this would compare with the new dac now?

It's been a while since I have heard them, but from what I remember the CAL dacs are very warm sounding. Bad recordings won't show themselves, instrument separation would not be as good, and the soundstage would not be as wide or deep. If I had to take a guess, I would say the CAL dacs would be more in line with Audio-gd's lower end stuff.

 

[not_sure]

Great thread computerparts thanks!
A little bit of topic what do you think guys about ESS Sabre 32? I have never heard one with this chip, I believe if it is good implemented it is probably something see many positive feedback. 
But the main disadvantage of the ESS Sabre 32 is that it has firmly implemented ASRC, which does not go off. And It is for DACs which have the opportunity to have a good clock a great disadvantage. Sabre, while reducing jitter but it does not clear because there are still running ASRC. In conventional structures it is a benefit but in high-end solutions I do not think so... For this reason I still think AD1955 Dual Mono or AD1853 is best options these days. Of course it is subjective as everything in audio and anyway mainly depends on implementation.

 

[DaveBSC]

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Audio-gd Reference 7 added. Whew, that was exhausting. I believe it to be the most thorough review of it out there so enjoy.

 
Indeed, thank you for actually exploring and detailing its abilities rather than providing a three sentence blurb. The note about the Gen Va I found particularly interesting as those are $1500 or so.

 

[DaveBSC]

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A little bit of topic what do you think guys about ESS Sabre 32?
 
I still think AD1955 Dual Mono or AD1853 is best options these days. Of course it is subjective as everything in audio and anyway mainly depends on implementation.

I know MSB was not impressed. The Sabre with a few exceptions seems to be showing up mostly in mid-price DACs around the $1K range. The traditional high-end guys don't seem to be interested, at least not yet. PS Audio said they preferred the sound of the Wolfson WM8741, and the Sabre does have a bit of a reputation for sounding on the cold and sterile side.
 
Implementation is indeed key. The DAC chip/s are only part of what makes a DAC. The power supply, digital receiver, SRC (or not), and analog output stage all play critical roles.