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DAC shopping - Trying to sift through the Hype. Can I trust the reviews these days ??

Hi All,

Well I've been reading a ton of threads about DACs. This is a very complicated endeavor, trying to find a new DAC. My 1st question is: Can I trust all the Youtube reviews these days ?

Seems like everyone is promoting the same DACs. I'm looking into a R2R Dac. Tons of hype for Holo May,Cyan,Laiv Harmony,Denafrips. Are these truly great Dacs or are they just the flavour of the month ?. There is almost zero negativity towards these Dacs. It's kind of like when the Eversolo streamers came out. Seemed like every reviewer was pushing the Eversolo. So searching for a new DAC online almost seems like sponsored ADs everywhere, am I wrong in feeling this way ?

That all being said here is my criteria for a new DAC (Probably searching the used market to get best value)

I believe I want to go with a R2R Dac, but it's not a dealbreaker.

My budget: $1000-$3000

My system: Bryston 3B Cubed, VTL(tube pre),Bel Canto 3.7 Dac(with upgrades), Antipodes Ds-3(player/server).

I really enjoy my Bel Canto 3.7, but it doesn't have USB input and I'm curious how much better a DAC sounds in 2024, compared to an older Bel Canto,. My BC has an upgraded linear supply. Once again this DAC sounds beautiful, but when its not compared to anything......Maybe I'm depriving myself of a better DAC. This is the only DAC I've had with existing equipment.

I know plenty of you will say go audition as many DACs as you can, but that is difficult unless it's hooked up to my gear. Won't help going to a store with a DAC being hooked up to different gear.Plus I want to buy used. I can buy higher end with a bit of a discount.

 

From my research these are the DACs I'm thinking of pursuing:

Laiv Harmony

Denafrips Pontas ii

Holo Cyan

 

You can tell from my choices that I've been buying into the hype.

Please add to my list of DACs and please dispel any extra hype over the most talked about models.

Cheers.

bunkertoy

Showing 4 responses by sns

sns
3,644 posts
 

If you want to believe its only hype than it is. On the other hand, perhaps the reviews are honest opinions.

Agree that I2S superior to usb, I2S native signal path in dac's, and segregated legs for data and clock another advantage. Both the Harmony and Musetec 006 dac's I presently have provide evidence for this advantage.

 

 

sns
3,644 posts
 

No one claiming usb noisy, just that I2S has a number of inherent advantages. I also don't doubt an optimized usb setup could  be superior to a less than optimal I2S setup.  I used usb exclusively for years without complaint, discovered I2S simply sounds better, try it you'll like it.

 

As for generic sound qualities from dacs, I've never heard two dacs that sound exactly the same in my systems. All have had varying levels of resolution, transparency and at least somewhat different presentations. It may well be tha all R2R dacs have a similar presentation and one that's different from Delta Sigma or FPGA, I wouldn't know until I'd listened to all R2R dacs.

sns
3,644 posts
 

So how many dac suggestions do we have here on this thread alone? Anyone shopping for a dac should be confused.

 

My overall take on dacs, this based on countless reviews, opinions and my own listening, is that digital as it pertains to A to D and D to A conversion has finally become a mature technology and industry. Not that difficult to achieve relatively high levels of resolution, transparency in  dacs, presentation is where the greatest differences will be found. And I'm not saying there are NOT meaningful differences in the realm of resolving, transparency, only that even at lower price levels dacs may provide all the resolution many systems are capable of. 

 

Streaming setups is where the real action is, innovation coming fast and furious. One can't even begin to know what their dac capable of without first attending to the entire streaming chain.

sns
3,644 posts
 

I'd suggest anyone with I2S capable dac to procure a ddc or I2S capable streamer with OXCO clock, slave/sync this clock to dac. You will get greater resolution/transparency and possibly even more important a much more analog like presentation vs any present input being used. Greater resolution/transparency due to I2S being the native signal path within dacs, dac no longer has to convert other schemes to I2S, also doesn't have to extract data from clock. More analog like presentation due to superior OXCO clocking. Over the many years I've been streaming have tried various clocking schemes, this via usb,with more precise clocking heard direct correlation to a less digital presentation, the long known effects of jitter became manifest. Move on to I2S via Denafrips Gaia with it's OXCO clock, immediately and easily heard presentation that flows much like my pretty nice vinyl setup, far superior to clocking improvements via usb.

 

 

Bottom line, for this decades long, somewhat jaded audiophile, the conversion to I2S rates in the very top tier of upgrades, very meaningful.

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