Battle of the Older DAC

OP for around $2k put Bryston BDA-3 on your list. Also don’t shy away from the older PS Audio DSD DAC. 

OP,

Most of us had a moment early on in the pursuit of high end audio where logic said something shouldn’t matter and the actual sonic difference was huge. It becomes clear that numbers and measurement only tell a very small part of the story. That’s when listening becomes the number one tool, and you spend lots of time honing it.

@jond +1

These observations by Vlad, of Audio Mirror, make much sense.

OP: No DAC, by itself, is a silver bullet to fantastic SQ. It takes a system. And a system takes time to build. Stay within your budget. Take your time. And no - streaming is not simply 1’s & 0’s.

I have to disagree I think older Dacs can sound just fine and even really good. Older multibit chips seem all the rage and not much in the way of advances in power supplies or analog output stages so what really improved in the last 10 years? My Dac was built in 1995 and sounds fantastic.

And to answer the question that I missed above, budget would top out at USD 2k realistically. Came into this upgrade path wanting a new amp, but that is another story.

Thank-you for the advice, much appreciated. 

Listening to a variety of DAC options in my own (heavily compromised) room would be the ideal way to go, just limited options to do that. I feel a trip to the closest dealer with a listening room is the next best step. 

Initial take on ASR was interesting, it supported my limited understanding of digital audio (they are just ones and zeros!)

Then had my mind absolutely blown with the very clear difference a different power cable made on the streamer of a high end system.  Still getting over that one.  And now coming around to the fact that every link in the chain can make a difference, some more obvious than others, obviously. A power cord on a streamer...honestly.

jasonbourne71

Go to Audio Science Review and read the test reports ...

Reading ASR is sorta like reading the Onion, but without the wit.

But they have not tested "Every" DAC, most of what they have tested is lower end stuff. Bought the Topping DAC and ended up giving it to my hearing impaired cousin. ASR has some okay information but they are a far cry from being the authority on anything. @jasonbourne71 is so predictable with his posts. I  am sure @audiotroy will chime in with his advice, 1,2,3.

Go to Audio Science Review and read the test reports on all the DAC’s. Measurements don’t lie! Subjective opinions are just that - opinions - and worth little!

The last ten years the sound quality of DACs has improved significantly. Consider a newer one… maybe three to five years, you will get a significant discount and probably much higher quality.

Do not waste your time on Audio Science Review (ASR). The information there is completely worthless for evaluating the actual sound quality of components.

Go to Audio Science Review and read the test reports on all the DAC's. Measurements don't lie! Subjective opinions are just that - opinions - and worth little!

I agree with oddiofyl.  DAC technology has progressed quite a bit in the last few years.  Look into the newest chips, then try to find one that's well designed.  

I would try to listen to a few DACs if possible.   Not sure I would buy a digital component that is 10 plus years old.     What's your budget?