@marquis4099 what streamer / server do you have paired with the McIntosh DAC in your pre? I haven’t heard the DAC in your Pre but have read posts by others who own Mac gear and have very positive thing to say about the DAC. I’d get the HiFi Rose 130b which is a streamer only but an outstanding streamer. Buy it from a dealer with a return / trail period. If you feel like you want to upgrade the DAC and streamer you can exchange for one of HiFi Roses DAC / Streaming combos. If you get the 130 you’ll be set up to upgrade your DAC down the road. Have fun, good luck.
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.
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@bunkertoy you’ve got an awesome streamer / server! I confused your set up with someone else’s in this thread who piggybacked off your initial question. Have fun with the DAC search! You have a great system that will highlight the differences. |
@calvinandhobbes @vthokie83 It seems like the performance of the Pontas ii can't be denied. I can get a used one at a reasonable price. Do a comparison and see where I'm at. Cheap experiment that might yield new results.
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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. |
SNS For me (I use the Denafrips Iris DDC with a TXCO temperature controlled crystal oscillator), the combo of the DDC and the use of I2S from it to the Pontus II was definitely a 1 + 1 = 3 situation. The Supra 2.1 HDMI cable is terrific for the $60 it costs, but the Audioquest Vodka 48 8k/10k is extraordinary.....and I am NOT an Audioquest fan; but that particular cable is the best I2S cable I've ever tried |
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