Best DACs under $7,000.00

@ricevs I definitely used an upgraded power cord but I think it was a Puritan Ultimate XX in both cases.  I see your point where the right cable might make a difference.  I will give it a try with an Audioquest Thunder.  I also might step back the Digital Coax I am using.  Thinking that maybe the Inakustik is just a bit too open.  

So this is challenging...you are looking at trying to get an analog/neutral sound which only is relevant within the context of your system.  Looking at the two other components that you have (PrimaLuna and Harbeth), I would expect your system to be neutral to a hair warm which means if you go with too warm of a DAC, you are likely to end up with the system sounding dark or laid back.  I would look neutral to a hair bright and you end up with a natural and engaging sound. 

I would look at:

- Bricasti M3 (or M1 used) as these are dead neutral.  Soundstage is huge and they are detailed and engaging.  Incredibly musical and fun to listen too

- Rockna Wavedream Edition SE.  Your amp is single ended.  The Rockna is incredibly detailed.  The soundstage is massive and it is one of the most neutral units I have ever heard.  Part of the challenge in describing it is that the sound doesn't stand out in any way. 

- Audiobyte HydraVox - it is similar to the Edition SE in sound but is FPGA rather than R2R.  It is wonderful sounding and with the HUB (which is hard to get) it is really great sounding and Roon ready.  The challenge is that when the DAC changes tracks it makes a clicking sound.  

- On the brighter side, the Weiss 501/502 will be in that price range used.  It is definitely forward vs neutral but with the very musical system you have could land you in a good place.  

- Chord TT2 is a great DAC.  It is brighter and will lack the scale of the Weiss or the Rockna in terms of soundstage width and height but has incredible depth and stability.  No one is better than chord between the speakers.  

I know this is unhelpful as all it does is add to your list which is already incredibly long.  Best thing to do is borrow a unit of two and see how it performs.  You might try a neutral unit and a brighter unit to see how you enjoy them with your system.  

The only way you can tell is to try one in your system.  

Full disclosure, I am a retailer for all of these brands.  I have tested lots of DACs but have never heard the Terminator or Holo May and can't speak how they will compare.  

I would definitely revise my suggestion based on the different speakers.  Bricasti would remain.  As would Audiobyte and Rockna.  I would also look at the Wavelight from Rockna which is a bit warmer than the Bricasti and I would definitely second Aqua.  It will be warmer than Bricasti but is good sounding.  Don’t bother with Weiss or Chord. 

@agisthos The Weiss is a bit more expensive than $7K.  You can find a used 501/502 comfortably in this range.  It is a great unit and the preamp stage is very good. 

You have the secondary concern about system matching though.  The Weiss is superb but a hair forward of neutral.  I would never say that that is the right unit for you without knowing more about your system  The new MK2/4Ch version is about $2K more.  There will be an upgrade available to the new board sometime in the new year.  

The best preamp stage in the price class (or very close) IMO would be the Rockna Wavedream Edition SE at $7200 and that unit is dead neutral and the preamp stage is better than most.  If you don't need XLR connections, the SE versions of these DACs are jaw droppingly good for the money.

In the similar price class to the Weiss MK2 4Ch, the AGD Adante which is a full preamp with R2R DAC inside and is Roon ready.  This has a distinct advantage over many of these units as it is a true preamp that has a DAC module in it. 

@agisthos I hear good things about T+A.  Supposed to be a first rate unit.  The fact you have a dealer who has both will make it easier.  One thing I will say, you need to get a signal to the DAC.  T+A is supposed to be best with USB.  Weiss, the onboard renderer is amazing and I would recommend connecting to it via ethernet.  Rockna is best via I2S.  So depending on your source...could indicate which is the best solution.  

@ricevs i ordered a peachtree.  Looking forward to comparing it to some different gear.  

Mine arrived on Christmas Eve.  I haven’t had a chance to open it yet.  I will listen to it tonight for first time.  

I will use two sources depending on system it is attached too.  I am kicking off with a 2Go/2Yu via a wired connection with a Clarus Crimson Coax cable.  I think the cable retails for more than the amp.  This is being served from my Antipodes Oladra. I just dropped that back into the system and don’t feel like swapping in the Nucleus.  I will eventually.  When it moves to that system it will be an Inakustik Coax into the amp.  I am using the Roon volume control. 

Okay, I fired it up last night and listened a little.  It generally sounded good. I did no AB comparisons and did not listen critically but tonally it is not bright and with a very easy to drive speaker (7.3ohm min impedance) there was no strain, etc…  it sounded good.  

I am going to try and complete a very fair test for it vs an NAD integrated later today.  I would expect it to wipe the floor with the NAD based on everyone’s reviews. We shall see.  I would also say the NAD sounds good in casual listening.  

There have been some bold claims about the Cambridge unit topping some very expensive gear. My conclusion is maybe. I did not hear this type of performance, but I have limited options in terms of speaker pairing. Ultimately a huge factor is speaker choice and your personal preference.

First thing to note is that it is decidedly bright and a bit cold sounding even after a week of burn in. Maybe it needs more burn-in time. After a week, I would say that you need to be very cautious in your speaker choice and I would lean toward speakers that are warmer and more musical. Harbeth, Spendor D/Classic might be good options and maybe Wharfedale.

Soundstage size is gargantuan. If size of image is a priority, this thing delivers. It rivals Rockna in terms of image size.

Overall tonality in not just forward, but to me sounds a bit unnatural. Instrument decay is a challenge, particularly in very complex moments. I am not shocked this is a truly digital amp. With a colder more analytic speaker, this is painful. A more musical speaker mitigates this issue. That said, I do not have a price appropriate speaker here other than the B&W M1s which I am not prepared to run this test on. That is a brighter speaker and I doubt would lead to a favorable outcome. The next least expensive speakers I have to test on list for $8K a pair which is an unlikely pairing with this amp.

Finally, impedance appears to not be an issue. I paired with easy and difficult speakers and bass remained crisp an accurate, even on Kaya 45s which have a minimum impedance below 3 ohms in the bass region.

My initial reaction was fresh out of the box with my Verdant Blackthorn speakers which are carbon fiber cabinets with a magnesium driver and a ceramic magnesium tweeter. These are very revealing speakers with a focus on detail and are a hair forward. At low volumes, it was nice. It sounded good. As I got to reference levels, this became unpleasant. It was time to change speakers quickly.

I switched to my more standard reference Vivid Kaya 45 and the sound improved dramatically. That said, this speaker is still not a good match. I did my full listening test - Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, In a Sentimental Mood, Sting, Be Still My Beating Heart, Anette Askvik, Liberty, Bozio Levin Stevens, Duende and Berg String Quartet No 14 in G Major.

The soundstage width on In a Sentimental Mood is wonderful. The saxophone comes in a solid 4’ to the left of the left speaker. Good instrument separation and great detail. Drum roll is wonderful and separation is brilliant. Soundstage is huge on Be still my Beating Heart. Separation of the bells is good but Stings voice seems sibilant. Moments of complexity toward the end are awful, cold, bright and unnatural. During Liberty there are a few moments that were unpleasantly forward and there is a fundamental lack of instrumental decay. This comes through massively in Duende. Instrumental decay is not missing but sounds unnatural. And the Berg piece is not pleasant. Cold. Good instrument separation. No massing but it sounds artificially big and the strings lack warmth.

In comparison, I ran an NAD C 368 into its digital coax input. This is a pretty fair comparison as this unit retails for $1199 without the BluOS module. With the exception of instrumental separation at the beginning of Duende where the DAC on the NAD is just outmatched, I found it to be a more pleasing and enjoyable amp with the Vivids. There is a musicality and sweetness to it that is wonderful. You hear sparkle in piano and saxophone is smooth and analog sounding. No sibilance in Be Still my Beating Heart. Decay sounds smoother and more natural in Liberty and Duende and the Berg piece is pleasant. There is some massing of string but it sounds smoother and more like strings in a small space rather than in an operating room. This unit lacks the absolute scale of the Cambridge but it still sounds big and more than makes up for the slightly smaller image with improved musicality.

The NAD uses a Hypex module and they don’t publish what chip is in it but I would assume it is either a Cirrus Logic or Wolfson.

Side by side, I would take the NAD with either the Vivid or Verdant speakers. It is warmer and a better match.

So, I have another speaker here that is warmer than either Vivid or Verdant. The Perlisten S4b. Despite the Beryllium tweeter, it is a neutral to warm and surprisingly musical speaker. This is much better with the Cambridge. Everything sounds a little softer and more musical. Separation of instruments remains. Soundstage is huge but instrumental decay sounds much more natural on In a Sentimental Mood. Toward the end of Be Still My Beating Heart there are a few moments I winced as this remained forward and a hair digital sounding at moments where there was a lot complexity. Almost like the amp/DAC was overwhelmed with data. Overall, much more pleasant than with the Vivid or my Verdant Speakers. Liberty and Duende sound much more natural. There are moments the piano sounds a touch colder than it should in Liberty but other moments it sounds flawless. The Berg piece sounded natural and musical.

In comparison, the NAD sounds a bit dark and recessed on the Perlistens. Piano lacks sparkle and is quite flat. Everything sounds like the tweeter is slightly muffled. Separation and detail are relatively poor but it still sounds musical. That said, NAD vs Cambridge with Perlisten, it is easy to pick Cambridge.

The improvement from Vivid to Perlisten was so great it is what is driving my "maybe" above.  I do not have a speaker here that is quite the right fit.  I do think it is possible to get a lot more performance out of this amp.  Alternatively, I think that I extracted every drop of performance possible from the NAD in its test with the Vivids.  

Now, for the less fair comparison. Since it has been claimed this can replace a $15K system, I decided to run it vs an AGD Alto Preamp ($5K), Tempo Amp ($5500) and Chord Hugo 2 DAC w/ 2Go which retails for $4500. Given the poor performance on other speakers, I chose to do the comparison on the Perlistens. AGD pioneered the utilization of GANFETs in audio and make a very musical and engaging amp.

The Cambridge delivers more scale in terms of soundstage. It is inferior in every other way. Soundstage depth and stability is better with the Chord. Instrument separation, decay sounding natural, noise floor, and general musicality of the sound is far superior with the Chord/AGD combination. If you are familiar with my review of these DACs, the critique of Chord is the scale of the soundstage. The image doesn’t extend well beyond the boundary of the speakers but it is incredibly musical and detailed and no one is better between the speakers than Chord. That holds here. If you are a junky for soundstage scale, this would disappoint but it is much more enjoyable in every other way.

To get less fair, I also have an Oppo Modwright UDP-205 here being fed by the 2Go/2Yu. This is a DAC that is currently selling in the used market (new units aren’t available) for between $4k and $4500. This unit mods the Oppo to add an outboard power supply and a tube based output stage.

I will be updating the audio shootout because this DAC is great. With 2Go/2Yu feeding it, the price is $6500 to $7K putting it in the beefy part of relevance for this thread. This unit is phenomenal. At least into the AGDs and Perlisten speakers, Soundstage is BIG. Maybe lacks the raw scale of the Cambridge but the image extends well beyond the speakers. Separation of instruments is great and depth is very good. Detail is maybe not at the same level as Chord but probably the same as Audiobyte. The liquidity and musicality of this combination is stunning. This is so far superior to the Cambridge, it is difficult to explain. In fairness, this AGD/Perlisten/Oppo-Modwright combo is unusually good and feels like a system that is delivering above its pricepoint.

In conclusion, I will continue to run the Cambridge to see if additional burn-in time helps. I am not prepared to call this a giant killer as I just haven't heard it. When put up against well matched systems at higher price points, the Cambridge does not compete.  

Everyone has their own taste, and I would recommend this amp. Just to specific tastes with specific speakers. The soundstage is massive and detail is impressive and these two things can lead to short term wows but this unit struggles at moments. I would say the same thing about the NAD and it struggles as well. It is far from the ultimate amp to drive Vivids.  The Cambridge seems like a fairly priced amp that I believe will pair well and deliver with class appropriate warmer speakers.

Finally, I will follow up with a test of this amp on my Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zeros as they are definitely a neutral speaker but my hunch is this won’t go well. I think the Cambridge needs a warm but slightly forgiving speaker to make it shine like the sun. One thing the WBs are not is forgiving.

Oh god…yes Peachtree.  Not sure why I was thinking Cambridge.  I was tired last night when I wrote that.  
 

i used a Clarus Crimson Coax cable for all tests out of the Chord 2Go/2Yu and was using Clarus Aqua speaker cables.  Both are well broken in. I used a Puritan Ultimate XX power cable.  I used same cables for Peachtree and NAD along with AGD and Modwright.  All ICs were Clarus Crimson.  The lone exception was the Chord Hugo 2 where I had to use Kimber Tonic ICs as Clarus terminations won’t. Fit.  
 

I did not do any tweaks or use and kind of footer on the Peachtree.  The amp sat on a rack in the shelf by itself.  I removed it and swapped NAD in.  

@yyzsantabarbara fascinating that you are having a different experience.  I am curious what will happen in a week as I found the GAN1 more pleasant out of the box than after a week. Maybe another week will soften it a little.  I only have maybe 180 hours on it at this point and things don’t completely settle for 500 hours technically.  
 

@yyzsantabarbara i trust you too.  That is what surprised me about this.  I am very interested to see how your unit burns in.  

Next round with the Peachtree - it is MUCH better than last time.  I must have tested this at just the wrong time.  Cycling through speakers and still has a tiny bit of etchiness in the treble on the Perlistens.  But noticeably better.  Still don't like it with the Vivids or Verdants.  I can't call this amp neutral but it is nowhere near as bright as it was two weeks ago.   

I spent two more hours testing this.  It is fine.  Sounds good but I legit don't get the giant killer mindset.  Maybe it needs another week?  Maybe it is the speakers I am using.  It's a good amp.  Just not elite and certainly isn't competitive with cost-no-object gear. 

I am curious how this has evolved for other critical listeners.  The one big caveat is this amp is dryer than I like.  I much prefer a more liquid and tubey sound so this is definitely a poor match for my taste.  It is like asking someone to judge a peated whiskey when they prefer Speysides.  I can offer an opinion but if I dislike it somewhat fundamentally, it is tough for me to be fair.  

I have a notes on this listening session I can post but opted not to as it was just too wordy.  

@ricevs I trust that modding this unit is going to have a positive impact.  It has a foundational scale to the image that is impressive.  Issues were with tonality so if that can be corrected....

That said, modding is not my business.  Going to be selling this unit.  

Your enthusiasm is great for you and for others willing to mod things.  You could resell these modded units or have people pay for you to mod them.  Great business for you.  But for those of us who have minimal interest in modding things, whether it be lack of familiarity to some folks who are nervous about soldering, etc... This is fools gold without modifications it is a fairly price amp that presents a good value vs its competition.  Not significantly better than other units available and when you take into account it lacks a volume control, it can just be a giant PITA.  

I may reach out to Peachtree and I would consider being a dealer but I can't see this amp being as disruptive as you see it being.  It needs to be elevated.  The technology could be extremely disruptive.  I am VERY interested in an elevated version of this.  Change will happen if it makes sense for consumers.  The market will change.  Those that don't embrace change will die.  Those that do will thrive.