the Denafrips runs about $750 including shipping, the website price is in Singapore currency
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Audio mirror use a lot of junk...I was looking at DACs and the Audio Mirror looked nice, lots of folks talking about the great sound, etc. But I did see a few people open them up and do and "what for" and it was not so flattering. I ended up with something else because of those blogs, so if you're thinking about Audio Mirror you may want to look for those to help you make up your mind. That info may sway you, it may not. |
Audio mirror use a lot of junk look at Chinese connectors cheap sink , Elna silver selector switches night and day better fr $40then $3 junk zinc part cheap Chinese $15 transformer ,not good , grounding also mentioned into question ,UL approved -I doubt it . i almost bought it Lamoizator Amber 3 night and day better and tube rectifier not 50 cent diode and UL ,EU apprioved for $2750 best sounding dac $6k or under. Look at 5 star review enjoy the music .com then hesr it for yourself. |
A used Ayre Codex will smoke just about anything out there, and for a bit more than $1K, I believe it one of the best performers out there for the money. A Schiit Yggy or Gungnir would be a close second. I owned the Modi, and Bifrost, and can say you really have to move up the line in order to enjoy the sound quality benefits.-Though Schiit demurs from categorizing models sound-wise, they do seem to know/price their products accordingly. Bob |
I am curious about this Behringer ultracurve, a bit intimidated by the user manual tough, and a bit interrogatively careful about the new noise that this new gear will introduce, but perhaps the pay-off would be the fun to play... I would put it between my computer and my dac...I will certainly buy one someday...If someone has experience with this and a dac I will listen to him... My best... |
Try out this one, one of the few that really plays music unlike most hifi-dac`s https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DEQ2496--behringer-ultracurve-pro-deq2496 |
I’ve recently tried a few DACs in the under $1k range. Topping d50, Sabja D5, Schiit multibit uber(already owned) ADI-2 DAC. I’m keeping the ADI. They all sounded similar. Topping d50 a bit lean and not too much depth of the soundstage. Tried different filters, power sources, etc... Schiit Bifrost nice tone and good resolution. Sabaj D5 pretty much the same as the ADI, but the menus were in 1pt font, the knob felt a bit fiddly (as in might break at some point) not a lot of history of company if something goes wrong in the future. ADI-2 DAC a bit more resolution, a peq that can be adjusted for each channel, solid build, headphone amp with selectable filters and eq separate from the line out or the in ear monitor output. And the filters actually sound different. A long history of the company in audio (mastering products) Harmony remote link, so you can change parameters from the comfort of your comfy chair ;) . it is a bit of a stretch of your budget, but it may be worth a look. |
I can highly recommend the Bryston BDA-1 in your price range. Used Bryston BDA-1s are currently going for $500-$700. This was a $2000 piece when it first came out some 10 years ago and is still capable of delivering quality sound. I had one in my main rig from 2014 until quite recently. I upgraded because its USB input was limited to 44K, but its coax, toslink and AES/EBU inputs are quite capable, but if you need higher resolution USB or support for DSD, you will need to look elsewhere. |
Try a Theta ProBasic III. Old school R2R ladder DAC. Was like $2000 back in the day and I got mine for $500 plus shipping. "Product Details/Highlights... When it was introduced, the DS Pro set the standard for digital playback, making it into Class A of Stereophile's recommended components. The DS Pro was...the first software-based digital processor, employing Motorola 56001 DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chips. All the DSPro Basic's electronics are carried on a single printed circuit board, separated into digital and analog sections. The unit has two separate power supplies, one for the digital section and one for analog circuitry. The digital supply consists of a transformer, rectifier, two 4700µF filter caps, and a large heat-sunk regulator in a TO-3 package. The analog supply is more elaborate, with a similar transformer, two rectifiers, and four 2200µF filter caps. Additional analog power-supply components are located at the other end of the PCB, next to the DACs and analog output stage. Six voltage regulators are used in the analog supply, but not the typical TO-220 type found in most digital processors. Instead, they are small round metal cans which, according to DSPro Basic designer Mike Moffat, offer superior sound over the less expensive and easier-to-implement TO-220s. The digital section features the ubiquitous Yamaha YM3623B 16-bit S/PDIF decoder, along with a few chips whose markings were painted over. The Yamaha decoder extracts the clock information from the signal with an internal phase-locked loop (PLL), strips out the subcode, demultiplexes left and right audio, and sends the data to the next processing stage. The wire carrying the digital data stream from the RCA input jack to the digital board was carefully chosen for its sonic virtues. This low-propagation delay wire was suggested by Dave Magnan, maker of the highly regarded Magnan Type V interconnects. According to Mike Moffat's listening tests, even this short (3") piece of wire carrying ones and zeros affects the processor's sound. Other design aspects of the DSPro Basic include careful attention to timing relationships and clock signals to avoid jitter, an input circuit to keep RF out, and minimizing ground-plane noise." For the price, very worth checking out. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
Hi audiomaze I am going to hammer away at this, sorry Folks. Please, please do research modern DSP (Digital Sound Processing) and/or find someone highly skilled at modern applications of it. ANY downside is overwhelmingly overtaken by the amazing upsides, including maybe adding some tube warmth (my preference with any digital source) or whatever your flavor preferences. Something as moderately priced such as this DAC, for example, using relatively free Reaper & Foobar software can generate astoundingly great sound in a good system: https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-Amplifier-Portable-SABRE9018Q2C-Screen/product-reviews/B073SSNMKK/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews I am an old hobbyist...and can understand old school mindsets...the less in the audio chain the better. That said, DSP has taken this sound to levels never imagined given my skills and audio budget, thanks to my sound engineer 3,000 miles away, who has spent years refining his knowledge and abilities. See other my other posts. If you have the budget and it is your preference to improve your sound by upgrading gear, I'm fully on-board with that! However, audiomaze began this thread in stating he has a 10+ year old dac and wants to move forward. There are ways today with a small budget. Check the specs on this portable dac (and others) for example vs your dac. We live in exciting audio times! More Peace, Pinthrift |
I recently bought a Schiit Bifrost Multibit and am very satisfied with it. I did not compare it to more expensive DACs since I didn’t have the budget for those. This chart (and other research) prior to purchasing the Bifrost Multibit (aka Bimby) helped lead me to pick this particular DAC. The chart ranks this DAC higher than many other DACs costing a lot more, so I think I got pretty good bank for the buck. I got the Bifrost direct from Schiit as a B stock item and saved myself $100. It looks and behaves totally new, and sounded even better after some burn-in time. https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/marveys-dac-chart-of-awesomeness.63/ |
If you have an interest in R-2R ladder dacs, you could take a look at the moderately priced Soekris line ($449-$1,299).
https://www.modhouseaudio.com/soekris-audiophile-line
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There are lots of great recommendations and I appreciate all but there is no answer to the question " Has the technology advanced enough to make a present day moderately priced dac superior or equal to the more expensive MF tri vista?" I would say yes..... I have had $500 DACs in my System and in seeking better performance, I have had Multi Thousand dollar DACs (Highly reviewed and drooled over) A/B with Audiophile friends. They were ’straining’ to hear differences. And when the Test was over they were picking about 50-50... IOW Just Guessing.... IMHO - this is one component that you can save money on... Concentrate on Speakers and Amplifiers and Room Acoustics. BTW - Don't interpret my remarks as "All Dacs are equal". Just interpret it as Shop wisely, and don't throw money at the problem... I would say $500 is enough. |
I purchased a Schiit Yggdrasil (2300 USD) about a year ago, a fairly inexpensive unit; it's a fantastic unit. However, I sold a Monarchy 22B, (always ran in balanced mode) which the Yggdrasil replaced.
It sold for 1100 when new in the early 1990's,
Sold for 450 USD on ebay. The Monarchy 22B was (is) an outstanding performer, and has a superior build quality to ANYTHING near its price of 450.00. |
My experience on DAC choice: I bought a McIntosh D150 one year ago. I have done countless comparisons Bluesound Node 2 + D150 + Amplifier vs Node 2 + Amplifier. I am not able to hear any difference. For my ears, with my speakers and amplifier, thje Node 2 DAC is as good as the D150. So my advice is: compare the two DAC (old and new) on your system before buying it. |
I agree with Mahgister. Here's a good example. The AZ AV Club recently had their DAC-It-Out at a local audio store. The team in charge did a really outstanding job; meticulously set up with precise level matching, etc. Very nice room with $118k system. Out of the ten DACs, even though highly reviewed with impeccable specs, the Benchmark came in dead last, consistently. The Chord Qutest, mentioned above, was in the top three. |
I went through this awhile ago. Bought a Hegel HD12 which bettered anything else I could find at the price point ($1400, IIRC). Another one you don't see much press on is the Monarchy NM24 preamp/DAC. Look up Dick Olsher's review in TAS a few years ago. You can find those for a few hundred used now. DACs seem to depreciate faster than anything else - I have on in a third system that cost $6000 new and probably would bring $600 today. |
Choosing a dac is the most risky and costly and deceiving task in audio, more difficult than to buy an amplifier and some speakers by far....No review can be trusted at all...The price has less indications than for other kind of gear of the level of true quality in sound, the price for a dac is most of the times more and indication of research and engineering cost than of quality sound "per se"... And the customer pay for that research and engineering, it is usual and normal, but the research and engineering are not synonymus with the ratio -sound quality/cost-, the law of diminishing returns eat you all......I am glad I dont have this task before me now... Good luck with all these advice... |
I like the PS Audio nuwave dsd. I think they were about $1200US when new. Now they are an obsolete model I understand. I bought a refurbished unit for $700 and am very impressed with it Performance and build quality wise it's a winner. Very robust and lively sounding. Sure one can spend heaps and get decernably better sound but it's all relative to system and your budget. |
You may want to look at the audiosciencereview.com website. They have a lot of reviews and an ongoing performance chart of all the dacs that they have reviewed. The law of diminishing returns seems to quickly set in.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/master-index-of-measurement-comparison-charts.8246/#post-207205
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@audiomaze if your question is directed at me, I was speaking of the tri vista dac. The v90 is a $300 dac that I would probably not attempt to work on. Parts cost would probably be more that the dac cost! In general there are a few standard options to upgrading any component. Power supply capacitors, signal path capacitors, resistors in key areas and AC filter choke. After that convert to point-to-point wiring, etc. Happy Listening
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I paid over $2,000.00 for a PS Audio UltraLink II back in 1994. It did the job for 26 years, but earlier this year I bought a SMSL SU-8, which you can buy for under $250.00. The SU-8 sounds much better, plus is fully balanced and has a remote control . State of the art in digital technology is a moving target, so what you buy today will be bettered by something cheaper in the not too distant future. I couple that SU-8 with an SH-8 headphone amp and the combination works wonderfully. There is zero background noise, and the music just appears out of that silence. |
