[ngkwunwah]

My father is a classical audiophile for many years. So far he is so resistant to CAS. He has his very hi-end amp & speakers. I’d like to introduce him CAS. So I need to buy a DAC for him. Is M2Tech Young suitable for him in this case? Or any other idea? Price doesn’t matter. But I risk that if I buy an expensive one, and he still so resistant on lossless file. If I buy the M2Tech DAC for him, do I still need to buy a power supply for the DAC? He likes listening classical musics and he uses windows system. Thank you very much.

 

[chesebert]

Linn klimax ds mk2. Can be used wirelessly with a windows machine located in a separate room or NAS. Can be controlled via iPad or directly on the computer. Get some 24/192 tracks and he will think he is in heaven. Very expensive but worth it.

 

[yage]

If cost truly is no object, I would look at the dCS Vivaldi - you should probably purchase the master clock as well (~$50k total). Another hot ticket right now is EMM Labs' DAC2X (~$15.5k). Or you could take a look at the MSB Platinum DAC IV - the 'Diamond' series includes a more accurate clock, but a 'power base' and USB input must be purchased separately (~$37.5k total).
 
dCS
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/product/vivaldi-dac?p=product&id=39
 
EMM Labs
http://www.emmlabs.com/html/audio/dac2x/dac2x.html
 
MSB Technology
http://www.msbtech.com/products/dac4diamondDetail.php?Page=platinumHome

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

My father is a classical audiophile for many years. So far he is so resistant to CAS. He has his very hi-end amp & speakers. I’d like to introduce him CAS. So I need to buy a DAC for him. Is M2Tech Young suitable for him in this case? Or any other idea? Price doesn’t matter. But I risk that if I buy an expensive one, and he still so resistant on lossless file. If I buy the M2Tech DAC for him, do I still need to buy a power supply for the DAC? He likes listening classical musics and he uses windows system. Thank you very much.

 
Price needn't be an object, as any neutral DAC (plus amplifier) will do.
 
The ODAC or ODAC+O2, Benchmark DAC1, Vioelectric V800, Grace M902, and a number of others are (relatively) inexpensive. Marketing features such as asynchronous USB, external power supplies, overpriced clocking hardware, 192 or even 384kHz sampling, 32-bit samples, etc. don't make a bit of difference although some listeners fool themselves into thinking they do. You can spend much, much more, but since devices such as those listed above already no audible distortion, you can't get a better sound.

 

[StudioSound]

I would just buy a Benchmark DAC, but I am biased, having recently purchased one for myself.

They have proven, reliable performance, and avoid most of the annoyances that many DACs have. No pops and clicks through your speakers/headphones when switching inputs, no noise when powering on or restarting the PC (some devices are very bad for this) a completely silent background at any volume, the USB connection remains active even when the DAC is switched off, so that the computer doesn't lose its connection, it has a remote control, it's a relatively compact unit with a lot of inputs on the back - including analog inputs so that it can act as a pre-amp as well.

The new DAC2 has a much better USB implementation than previous models, and a number of other useful upgrades, such as native DSD support, and 3.5dB of digital headroom to avoid inter-sample overs, which few DACs do.

 

[Neuromance]

I feel like your answer or this needs to be somewhat based on what the rest of your father's stereo system looks like.  Does he have tubes for amplification, high-efficiency speakers, and a turntable?  Then he might like an NOS DAC.  Does he prefer the sound of solid state plus Wilson-type speakers?  Then he might might prefer the sound of an oversampling DAC.  

 

[RonaldDumsfeld]

RME make the best audio interfaces available on the market. \Well not everyone would agree with 'best' of course but no one with pro experience would leave them off their shortlist. You have all probably bought music made or recorded using RME kit. No point in having playback gear that is theoretically superior to what the source was originally produced on.
 
The least expensive product in their range is the Babyface. http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_babyface.php
 
You will not need the breakout cable, at least at first. Looks stylish, legendary driver stability, excellent support, reliable operation.
 
Some of the more expensive options have a remote control option which might be popular if cost really is not an option.