Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

I second both the Ayre & Wavelength recommendations.

Before I owned my current Wavelength Crimson, I owned the Wavelength Brick Silver Edition. Knowing that Gordon Rankin of Wavelength provided his Asynchronous expertise for the QB-9, I auditioned one against my Brick Silver. The comparison results favored the Brick Silver, but only ever so slightly....

Good luck hunting....I look forward to hearing about your results and your final purchase decision.

You hit the nail smack on its proverbial head Matt!

Many, many fond music room memories! However, none better then what I experienced after returning home from being hospitalized for 2-weeks in 2010!!! Truly memorable and so glad music provides such happiness for so many of us in this oftentimes wacky, but so wonderful hobby!!

I have neither the trained ears, acoustically corrected room, expansive vocabulary nor elocution to properly review gear in the objective manor in which the pros can do it.

As I said when I started, I am simply saying it like I hear it with no bias other then what sounds best to me, in my room, with my ears.

Matt: As expressed by others, you’re doing great! Reviewers, are....well reviewers!! I'm here because I don't have to read prefacing paragraphs about something other than audio that then segues into a review that contains a lot of words, but no direct references to other like-equipment (e.g. DAC’s vs DAC’s) that the reviewer has auditioned...etc.

Your writing is entertaining, humorous and insightful without being pompous or self-important. Your thread is currently my favorite and one of the best that I’ve encountered here or on any other audio forum…..kudos, and keep it up!!
Cheers,
-Mike

Not having any dogs in this hunt, but definitely interested in the outcome, I agree with Matt's chosen audition methods. In fact, I applaud his efforts and am happy that he has established specific processes and has advised us of same.

If 500 to 700 hours of burn-in aren't enough, too bad. If one's in burn-in denial, an "absolute top tier" DAC thread probably isn't your cup of tea. So, now that we’re in agreement that burn-in has its importance, all we need to do is debate the length.

Somewhere between 300-700 hours of burn-in should be enough. Heck, my audio memory couldn't handle more than that. In fact, after a few hundred hours, I'm not sure that I could tell, or really care how hour 250 compared to 430, 670 etc…. How would I really know when the golden hour was reached or more importantly, really believe that someone else would arrive at the same golden hour conclusion as I?

If DAC's ran through Matt's pre-amp aren't getting the best out of one DAC or another, tough! Based on the myriad of posts regarding the pre-amp vs direct approach, at best, this topic is controversial and while most of us have our beliefs based on experience, they dramatically differ. However, as long as Matt tests all the DAC's using the same approach, that’s ok by me!

If the tube voiced and sold with a DAC doesn't bring the magic, oh well. I do roll tubes and absolutely believe that doing so has quite positive results! However, if a DAC's factory supplied tube(s) must be rolled to be competitive in tests such as this, then why doesn't the DAC designer sell his DAC with the tube of magic? I know: because NOS tubes are scarce, expensive, hard to source etc.

However, the DAC's design and its designers voicing, including tube complement, should stand on its own when comparing like-components. If DAC "C" can't compete with Matt's other DAC choices because DAC "C"'s design isn't good enough with its designer's tube(s) of choice, then perhaps the designer should change their design to make it competitive as it is shipped.

With the exception of the need for some burn-in, connection methods, tube types, IC's, PC's, footers, silver bowls hung in space, are all ancillary to what Matt is doing. I know we all have our chosen connection method, cable, tube, footer, stand, IC, PC etc., but how can Matt use what we think works best with specific DAC's etc.?

IMHO, let each DAC out-of-the-box stand on its own with every other DAC. As long as they are burned-in, connected, and affixed electronically and in space, the exact same way, it's all good!

Here is my sincere impression... If you decided to go with either of these top tier DAC's, you would walk away with one of the best out there and enjoy your purchase for years to come. These guys BOTH seriously know what they are doing!!! As a buyer, and a very long time enthusiast, I learned something totally new during my current system built. I used to shy away for these small, "One man show" companies and gravitate towards the big guys. These "One man show" guys usually have 4-7 other people working for them and produce top level gear for fair prices that offer way more performance for the dollar then lost of the big name labels can. It's a simply a matter of overhead and production. For those of you who are on the fence, try a Merrill Audio, Empirical, APL, Lampizator, or the many other speaker and electronic manufacturers out there that can't afford an advertising/marketing camping. You jus tight be happy you did.

That is probably the most important point made in this thread. I have always gravitated towards boutique, artisanal manufacturers. A lot the best, most cutting edge gear can be found there. There are downsides, but if you are a true blue phile in search of the ultimate SQ, its the place to be....

I couldn’t agree more with both Matt and then Agear’s follow-up!

Some of my best finds, with nary a downside, have been off the usual radar screens. My former Supratek Chenin (which my son is using) and present Aria Audio WV5-XL pre-amps, Galibier Quattro Turntable, and Wavelength Crimson DAC are some examples….

It's a shame that this thread has degenerated to product touting by a persistent small manufacturer.

I believe that there has been more than one manufacturer "touting" his wares. However, because each has identified themselves, I welcome and encourage their comments!

-must be from a company that will still exist in 5 years (I think this is the biggest challenge right now)

1) Whatever I would buy will be essentially worthless 2 years later since it will be very very quickly woefully outdated.

Matt, with all due respect, these kinda' seem to be mutually exclusive comments; with the exception that with the former, you may still have direct support, which is probably the reason for your "5-year" viability concern.

Speaking of direct support, my best finds/purchases have come from boutique manufacturers. The manufacturer of one such piece has indeed left the scene. But before doing so, he provided schematics, which tended to counter my biggest concern.

At any rate, I'm not really concerned! Perhaps I have had satistically unusually good experiences over the years. With the exception of a 1970's Phase Linear 400 amp, and a nearby lightning strike, I have never had problems with the dozens of components that I have owned. In fact, many are either mothballed or have been handed down to my son with nary a problem.

So, while I understand your "5-year" sentiment, I for one, don't put much emphasis on any one manufacturer's (U.S. U.K., Europe, Asia, or otherwise) stability!

I put more emphasis on a component's design and perceived quality. While researching the pages of forums such as this, there are many well respected components -- electronics, speakers, turntables etc. -- that are being traded repaired, rebuilt, etc. sans their OEM. So, I'm pretty sure that if the worst happens, finding someone to diagnose and repair an item wouldn't be as difficult as imagined. At least for me, taking the off-chance that a component’s OEM leaves the scene, has paid dividends that have surpassed any perceived chance taking.