In answer to how I play my digital music, it is usually through J. River via USB to the Teac UD-501, or from my Fiio M11 via coax to the Teac.Files are flac generally 96-24 or 192-24 PCM or 512 DSD. I will have a look at some of the other options being suggested (petaluman) so thanks for that input as well.
A Newcomer to Digital Looking to Upgrade My Dac, Tubes? Ideas?
Being a relative newcomer to digital downloads and playback, I love the convenience when I am looking for a short music session and don't feel like going through my vinyl. I find the digital quality pretty good, but looking to upgrade my dac to get some additional warmth into my playback, I'm thinking maybe a tube dac, not sure what I should spend but cost wise was thinking of $ 2,000.00 as a budget. Not sure if such a dac exists, or if you have suggestions. I have built up a pretty good collection of both PCM and DSD HD music, mostly copies of what I have on vinyl but the vinyl has seen better days. Currently I am using a TEAC UD-501, tube preamp- (Schiit Mjolnir 2), Amp.- (Adcom 555se), Balanced throughout usually through my PC but I also use my portable through the coax to the dac. Speakers are Wilson Benesch Square 2. Unfortunately I have an L shaped listening room, which seconds as our living room, typical of what you find in a condo, volume levels are generally low to medium, to spare the neighbours, and I split my time between the speakers and headphones.
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op that is correct... all dacs handle pcm but only some can do dsd, and then, some will do dsd but only via usb input -- so you need to be careful to doublecheck what dac does what and how... i noted that your initial post stated you have a collection of dsd encoded music, thus my reply pointing you to a denafrips pontus or soekris r2r dac, or a doge 7 tube dac |
If I read between the lines right, you're using the Teac as a sort of digital switcher, but your most common source is a computer (desktop or portable). From a SQ perspective, you'll get the biggest improvement by not using your computer to convert the digital file to PCM. Your excellent sound system is being held hostage by a cheap IC before the signal even reaches it. This can be done by connecting a full-featured streamer like the Aurender, BlueSound, etc or an endpoint device like the ultraRendu.directly to your network. How are you playing the files on the computer right now? |
I found a used Lampizator for $3,000.00, but I don't think you can play DSD on it. I think I want that option, and besides it's a lot over budget. The search continues! Thanks for the Schiit tone control idea, I use a Schiit Lokuis from time to time to help out with my worn out vinyl, never thought of using it on my digital, might be worth a shot. I'm always up for new ideas! |
Last year we had a severe thunderstorm that fried some of my audio equipment. This last summer I took the plunge and bought several new pieces of equipment (including stuff for sound diffusion, noise filters, vinyl playback, cd playback and plain old fm radio), and I'm really happy with the results so far. (I had settled for listening through my computer until this last summer.) One piece of equipment that exceeded any expectations I might have had was the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M ($500). IT IS NOT A TUBE DAC, but if you're open to exploring a less expensive option, it's worth your time. I can't say enough positive things about this DAC. It's astounding to hear it in action - like night and day compared to the old system I had. I use it with a much better CD transport and coax cables now, and absolutely everything has improved (the DAC itself has separate chips for left and right channels, and I think that's made a major difference for some reason). I'm also ripping my CDs to flacs to create a "poor man's music server", using a Sony blu-ray player with a USB input and a coax output. Same incredible results in high fidelity, but now it comes from flac files on a USB SSD running through the blu-ray player into the DacMagic 200M. I'm much happier these days. https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/hi-fi/dacmagic/dacmagic-200m |
I second the Schiit Loki Mini+ tone control....It's amazing for adjusting the sound just the way you like it without adding distortion like many EQ's do. DAC wise, No other DAC under a grand sounds more analog and gets more positive rave reviews than the Denafrips Ares 2....Wide open , musical and I love the phase button that gives you that " I am there" feel. Most DACS don't offer that feature. Definitely an R2R DAC for analog sound..... |
op your compromised room notwithstanding, your wilson benesch speakers are quite resolving and you already have a tube pre feeding a solid state power amp, so you have a reasonable system tonal balance i would guess (although my experience with adcom amps is they do tend to sound quite typically solid state) i would suggest you try a denafrips pontus, which is quite middle of the road tonally (not too sharp/lean or too overtly tubey), a better soekris r2r dac, or if you can spend a bit more, a doge 7, which has a tubed output stage, but is also very middle of road in tonal balance all are excellent at their respective price points, and iirc they all can handle dsd |
+1 more for Yggdrasil, in particular the new "Less-Is-More" variant. It's an absolute revelation. I had a Gungnir Multi-bit, itself no slouch, and this new Yggy has provided the biggest improvement in sound for me that I have yet experienced in my front-end. According to many pro reviews there's nothing even 3-4 times it's price that can touch it. How it handles less than stellar recordings must be heard. Their Unison USB interface is also fan-freakin'-tastic. The guys at Schiit know their....stuff. There's a 6-8 week wait for this new version, for good reason. |
You can definitely find a DAC which offers good SQ for $2000. If you go the used route, it could take you to a higher level Dac, I bought a used Audio Note. There are many positive user reviews about MHDT and Border Patrol which use a tube stage. A lot of good buzz about Topping and Exogal. Browse the classifieds to see the wide variety of Dacs. |
This might not be the popular opinion but after going thru a few DAC’s I’ve realized that they have the least amount of impact as almost all the things you can do to your system. Acoustics, cables, different speakers! and amps/preamps all have WAY more impact on the sound than a DAC, unless you are using some cheap built in DAC right now. What speakers do you have? If they are be all, end all speakers then that’s great but selling your speakers and adding $2k to your budget for new ones is the biggest difference in sound possible. Diminished returns puts DAC’s pretty far down the line of changes to your system if you ask me. |
If you are a music lover a $2k DAC will not give you the sound quality you are used to with Vinyl. Now if you just want music in the background then any inexpensive DAC will work. I have had 4 Lumin DAC's ...U-1 mini, D-2, A-1 and X-1. Each one was a step above and the sound level improved in each stage. I now have a Lampi Pacific, which now exceeds the X-1. Check out the Lumin Line for SS and there are some Lower end Lampizators that would shine. |
I encourage you listen to a few DACs Several have headphone amp and DAC capabilities if that’s of value. In my experience a higher end DAC makes a difference - the details and specifically the separation of delicate sounds when music is dynamic is quite revealing. Bells, bass guitar resonance and other sounds become more distinct within the music. I have a Moon 280D it was a significant upgrade from the Node 2i and the Moon interface is excellent if you are a big user of Tidal, Quboz and music on a server. It’s $3k new and I’m sure you can find a used 1 at $2k. Since you are using a tube preamp I would focus on the DAC that performs to your sensibilities. |
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