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another thread on DACS/players...thoughts please

Looking to upgrade my digital front end...now PS Audio Perfect wave d/t...it sounds pretty good on the transport mode using I2S; but the DAC alone on my Qsonix server falls a bit short.
Units I'd like to consider:
Ayon CD-5S; tubed dac integrated preamp and transport
Accoustic Arts DAC mark IV
Weiss DAC 202; but none of my connections are Firewire; which is how many feels it sounds best
dCs Puccinni
Playback Design
Berkeley alpha
I'd like to try to eliminate my preamp; if the dac can run directly into amp with volume control. Only sources are transport; Qsonix digital music server; and Directv and Oppo 95 for combined home theater...no analog...amps are Bryston 28sst's...so this list is a mix of tubed dacs and ss...
Looking for something close to SOTA while keeping budget more upper real world of around $10-12k...presently using Purist audio aes digital cable
Thanks for chiming in; and enjoy the holiday weekend..

I'd like to hear from folks who have gone through this exercise before me; to learn from their evaluation process. I do have the Ayon piece being shipped for their two week in home audition; not arrived yet..
mribob

Showing 2 responses by mrtennis

mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
hi teejay:

have you ever listened to an audionote cd2 or the first lector cd player ?

there are others, such as the amr and an expensive dac beginning with the letter t ?

the point is there are many other tubed dacs that are outstanding and tube dependent. one or more of them may be more musical than the acustic arts.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
the orginal zanden is my favorite dac. it is pricey, and probably hard to find. if you go with the zanden,i doubt it has usb, so you need to find a transport other than a computer. if you have the bread, zanden makes a decent transport.

i found the later zanden dacs lost some of the tube magic which the first has.
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