Hello, You have serious money to spend on a DAC. To me DACs have a sound signature. You would have to demo them. All of the DACs listed here are really great. If you have the inputs on your preamp available. Maybe get two or keep you chip based DAC and get an R2R. They have a realistic detail to them but can sound warm on some systems. This is probably why they are adding a chipset that can be switched on and off. 11stereo.com or OCDHifiguy on YouTube has done some of the best a/b comparisons out there. The issue is that you are a little below the all time greats and well above the best value for money. One thing that makes a big difference to me is an isolated power supply. Achievable with an SBooster or the manufacturer was smart enough to isolate it. Go with $5000 DAC for now and upgrade later to a $14,000 or more DAC later. https://www.11stereo.com/ |
IMO to many times people look at the wrong place when upgrading when it comes to dac’s. It does not matter what dac you are using if you are not getting the best 1’s and 0’s being sent to the dac. Yes most high end dac’s will up sample a bad input but now you are not getting a neutral sound but a digital rendition of the sound that now puts you at the mercy of the designer and circuit boards. Anyone who is a majority streaming listener should look at the products from a company Small Green Computer. They make a system that will introduce fiber optic delivery into the signal. No need for up sample as fiber will deliver the best clean 1’s and 0’s possible today. Your music will sound natural the way the recording was produced with an average dac leaving you money for a power conditioner and cable upgrades.I would recommend you do this before you dump 10 k on a dac that is receiving a bad signal being put into it. |
A few interesting options - You could step up in the Chord Range. The Dave is still an elite DAC and if you paired it with something like an Antipodes S30 streamer, that would be a pretty awesome combination. Not all-in-one but a killer combo.
The Chord TT2 with an MScaler could be had in that price range. Brilliant combo and extraordinary sound. This could be an interesting solution for you and obviously offers a lot of flexibility.
The Rockna Wavedream XLR new is $8800. As you move up Rockna's line the DACs get more precise. Again, Antipodes streamer with it is worth a look. A bit more natural sounding than Chord or dCS but not rolled off and warm.
The Weiss DAC 502 is awesome. Tons of detail and again, a hair more natural sounding than the Chord or dCS. Two models are available and it is on budget for you. Check out the relatively recent Stereophile review.
The Esoteric D-05x is an incredible unit for $10K. I really like esoteric's sound and their approach to design. Worth a look.
Full disclosure - I am a chord and antipodes dealer. I am vetting and considering bringing in Weiss and Rockna but have no current relationship with them. I have no relationship with Esoteric. |
If you sell the qutest and network Bridge that puts you right there cost wise with the Bartok. Then you have the dac and network bridge in one box. |
Forgot to tell you the Wyred for sound anniversary dac retails for $4,500 US. |
You should try the Wyred for sound 10th anniversary dac.The reviewer said it was one of the most analog sounding dacs he's ever heard in his system. I bought one and I totally concur. Very warm and natural sounding. I absolutely love it. |
I own the PS Audio Directstream with Bridge II. It is excellent. But I’ve placed it in a smaller system, because once I heard the Mola Mola Tambaqui, I was toast. It’s a really really good DAC. Detailed and clean joined forces with musical and enchanting. Not thin. Not dry. Not clinical. But not thick. Not over-ripe. Goldilocks. Not one of these DACs that ever-so-subtly rolls off HF to calm down the presentation, which is just laziness. You can get it for $11,000 or so if you try. It’s killer.
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The Lumin X-1 is an awesome DAC / Streamer. I have owned the D2, A-1, U1 mini and now the X-1. I am about to upgrade to a Lampi Pacific and could sell the X1. If interested to know more about Lumin send me a private email. |
I am also curious why you are not moving up the Chord line of Dac’s I couldn’t believe the performance for the money Qutest Delivered
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+1 to soix's question...
what are you trying to improve over the qutest?
m scaler might be the ticket if you want more smoothness and dimensionality to go with the crystalline dynamic sound of the qutest |
Just curious: is there a specific deficiency in the Qutest that you are trying to address or do you just want a change? |
PS Audio Direct Stream is ~$6K,FPGA design and in -home audition. Combine that with their Stellar Power re generator for ~$2k and you are still under $10K. Might be worth considering. They proly take the Chord in on trade as well.
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I would vote for the DeBussy. I owned the Bricasti M3 and wish I would have kept the Debussy. I have downsized my system since owning them both, but the dCS Debussy was one sweet sounding DAC. |
Have you considered dCS Bartók as all in one unit? It appears you like dCS sound and they pair nicely with Wilson speakers. |
Another one for the Mojo EVO DAC. You can read about what owners are saying about it. Ben of Mojo offers a trial period.
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Really depends on your individual tastes and what improvements you’d like over what the Qutest is giving you. Not knowing any of that, I’ll just throw out that the Mojo Mystique V3 Evo has garnered a lot of praise and may be worth adding to your list. FWIW, and best of luck. |
Maybe try and audition a Bricasti M3 or M1SE just another option. |
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