Mytek stereo 120 dsd dac. The version that has a preamp input $1695
Alan |
used? I have had great luck with the bel canto dacs |
How good are they as preamps? |
All 3 Bel Canto DACs will do this.
***Bel Canto dealer disclaimer |
They sound great running an amp directly, myself and three other audio buddies run bel canto dacs of some form or another. |
Anyone with experience with the BMC pure DAC? |
A few more for your list:
NAD M51
Cambridge 851D
M2Tech Young DSD |
Used PS Audio PerfectWave MKII. They've come down a decent amount since the DSD version came out. You can likely even get one w/ bridge for close to 2K so you can connect it directly to your router for streaming. |
Is there anything up to $2500 that's substantially better? The wyred4sound SE?
Also you mention the m2Tech Young DSD. One review I read said the upper octaves were extremely enhanced and detailed, another said the sound was on the warm side sacrificing a bit of detail and control but very musical.
Has anyone heard the m2Tech? |
Curious to know if it would be better to spend up to $2.5 on a new dac/pre or buy a used dac/pre around $1200 and augment it with something like Audiophelio 2 or a synchromesh.
The list of manufacturers making Dac/Preamps right now appear to be endless. |
I have heard the Mtech. I prefer the belcanto dacs. |
so what did you end up getting? |
Still haven't gotten anything. My system is still in flux, so I'm waiting to get the rest of the system in place before I top it off with the right DAC. I'm leaning towards the Hugo but maybe I'll end up with a warmer tube staged DAC depending on the rest of the system.
I recently heard the SOTM DAC and Pre all in one. With a warmer sounding amp it sounded pretty darned good used as a preamp and DAC which justified the $3K, but just as a DAC there are no doubt better $3K units out there. |
Have you considered hegel? The hd25 or hd20 are both outstanding. |
I am also looking at the BMC puredac and was wondering if anyone has any feedback to contribute too.
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I have a NAD M51 and it is a great sounding DAC with to me what seems like a purely transparent volume control. You can not tell the difference between variable and fixed outputs at normal settings. It is the best digital volume I have experienced and I've owned a few preamps and another DAC with digital volume.
I don't use it as a preamp but my preamp doesn't have remote so I use the M51's volume often. As a source component it is pretty close to perfect for my needs, I have my TV, music server, and BluRay connected to it. The HDMI input is great, I play a lot of music/concert BluRays in 2.1 and the HDMI input will accept the 24/96 content from discs and the 24/192 content from the hard drive I have connected to my BluRay.
It sounds incredible with anything you send to it , even free Pandora at 128k sounds pretty good.
The only con and in my opinion a serious omission, is the lack of front panel volume control.
Other than that I love this DAC |
Have you looked at the McIntosh D100 Dac/Pre?
Had the chance to audition one and it was very impressive.
I'm not sure if it's worth the $2.5K list, but it was very nice.
I recently went the other way, and picked up a ZDac on closeout for $300.00. Running balanced through an Ayre it's quiet and puts out a nice soundstage with good bass. They do run warm, and some have complained that they are prone to outputting a hum when running unbalanced.
The D100 is definitely better, but at slightly more than 8.3 times the cost. If I had the budget, the D100 along with the PS Audio MWII would definitely be on my shortlist. |
W4S DAC 2 DSD w/femto clock - $1,600, 5 yr warranty, upgradeable if desired. |
I will build you a dac for under $2K that will blow your mind.
Send me a message.
Happy Listening. |
Bigkidz. How much under $2k? Also how much over $2k does it sound? And does it blow one's mind in a good way? |
Here is an alternative that I'm considering.
As I've read various forum threads over the years, I've learned to appreciate the comments made by a few who seem to know their stuff. And I've also noticed that there are a few topics that these folks all agree on. One of them is room acoustics; getting control of the room environment can have a HUGE benefit on the sound quality of our listening experience.
That said, a decent pre-pro which includes a room EQ might actually sound better than an expensive DAC/pre with no room treatments.
Now, I'll put up my shield and hope none of the arrows from the "true" audiophiles get through. |
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I had a NAD m51 in my system and compared it with the DAC in an original apple TV.....no difference what so ever none |
For under 2k the conductor USB dac/pre is a great alternative. You can swap dac modules to your liking. |
08-08-14: Marqmike
Bigkidz. How much under $2k? Also how much over $2k does it sound? And does it blow one's mind in a good way?
It is a DHT design think Allnic at $12K so I would imagine that it would compare to that preamp that is getting all out rave reviews. I have been building DHT components for years and now wind my own output transformers because I could not find ones that were good enough. IN the NYC area I can get you one. |
I replaced a Chord 64 and DEQX DAC with the new Graham Slee Majestic DAC/Preamp. It is the most analogue sounding digital converter I have heard and I really cannot find fault, very smooth in the same way as the highly rated Slee phono and headphone amps. It is available in the UK, Europe, USA and I believe Australia on a free home loan basis |
