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Bel Canto DAC3 vs Theta Gen Viii

The transport is Bel Canto CD2, so the easiest guess might be using the same company's DAC3 which seems to be very well regarded. I am even thinking of the Underwood-modified DAC3 for further improvement.

Then the Theta Gen Viii which shows up on the audiogon once in a while. Yes, it's more expensive but it can also eliminate the preamp. And I am happy to reduce the number of equipments.

The Underwood site claims their modifed DAC3 can compete with $10,000-range DACs, and the Theta is really a $10,000 product...:)

Anyone heard both? How do they compare? I'll welcome other suggestions too. I'm interested in the overall sound quality but my priority is in the decent reproduction of big orchestral music.

Thank you.
jhyang

Showing 1 response by jhyang

jhyang OP
2 posts
 
Thanks for the replies.

Trying unmodded unit first seems reasonable, but the modded unit comes at a discount. So I thought buying an already modded one is a good idea, especially when used DAC3s are either hard to find or not so cheap anyway.

I do need analog inputs, and considering the price of a decent preamp, Theta isn't that much more expensive..

Are there anyone who compared these two and willing to share his experience?
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