Better music--classic DAC's or new Channel Islands


I have been looking at a Theta DS Pro Prime DAC (used) from a local audio dealer, have read about the Muse Two, and also have considered a newer, economical DAC like the Channel Islands VDA-1. I love beauty in my music and it seems that spending $300-$500 for an older DAC which is known as a "class act" might be better than going with the newer Channel Islands--which is rated very well, but can it compare to a $2-3,000 DAC (even though the DAC is older)?
salby6
Hi there,

I was in your delima for a short while, I had the Theta Gen Va and the Micromega DAC (1bit) unit and its warm and enjoyable and expensive as well but, a new well made dac (digital done correctly) will outperform it, I sold my Theta and bought a CI Audio Dac.

Its resolution is better and and its a warm sounding DAC compared to the Meridian DAC for example(older dac) and its much more musical I believe!
Thats my opinion of course! Good luck.
I do like my Goldmund DAC still and I am keeping that with me!
I agree with Joe_b. If your looking at Theta, A Pro Basic III is considerably better than the Pro Prime.
I own two older (1996), "classic" one bit dacs. I have tried a few of the 24 bit dacs (MSB, Bel Canto, Art DIO). I have not heard the Channel Island dac. All of the newer dacs I have heard offer more detail and an airier sound. None of them were as enjoyable to listen to over the long haul. This is a case of whether you want the most detail or do you want your detail to sound like music. Also, this is not an indictment of newer dacs, as I am sure if I wanted to spend 2K or more, I could find something decent.
If you're interested in Theta and you want a refined sound, I would suggest you consider a Gen Va or Pro Basic III.