+1 for rockna wavedream signature. you can see my post history here and on whatsbest to read my impressions of it. it's not cheap by any means but i also think it has the quality and tone to partner really nicely with the rest of your system. |
Try looking for Lampizator DAC..they're amazing.. |
Listened to the t+a hv 3100 , the standalone dac with preamplifier. Compared it with my ayre qx-5 ( my love ) .
the t+a sounded better with more control on bass , cleaner mid and highs and a tighter overall sound . I paired it with a wolf streamer thru Roon.
wound up trading in my beloved ayre and lumin u1 and getting the wolf streamer and t+a hv 3100 dac ... |
I have alll tube gear and surprised the audio mirror trubadour lll SE was not mentioned? Have had one for 6 months tube based $2500. Here is link: http:audiomirror.com
Love mine in tube system!
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At your level of gear EmmLabs DA2 V2 should also be considered.I'm aware it's very expensive though.
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@bigkidz
agree with you 100%.
i love the sound of ayre gear .
i have heard most of the other brands and have not liked them like I do ayre .
i love their clear , 3D soundstage ,resolution with delicate vocals and clean bass .
so I am glad I get to hear the t+a in my home in my system and compare it head to head with my fav qx-5 and then decide .
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If I listened to reviews, I would be an unhappy guy. I have to hear something in my system with my own ears before I buy something. For example, I recently read a review regarding a particular resistor. It was the best of the best. Now I cannot hear them in my system before I purchase so I took the plunge against my better judgement as I have heard the material of the resistor before and was not impressed but this was something new. Well I received them and last night soldered them in. Within seconds I knew that sound, I was not impressed. Unfortunately they cannot be returned and they are very expensive. I will never to that ever again. I knew in my mind what they would sound like from experience and that is exactly what happened.
Also, you need to understand what makes something sound good or to your liking. I see recommendations above but you don't know exactly why they feel one component sounds better to them that the other that they compared it to. I am lucky to be in NYC area. Plenty of audio nuts and clubs to hear things and to borrow. Since we build our own components and repair components I also get to hear a wide range of things. BUT some people prefer something that I don't like as much versus something else simply because of their musical taste. Some like a warmer sound, some prefer a large sound stage, some like more 3D, some like resolution. So that is the first question when someone says I like this better than that. Second, what music do they prefer, classical, classic rock, vocals, piano, horns, etc. What speakers are they using?
For example, last night I had a few guys over to hear our new amp designs. Pure Class A versus tube hybrid. Some preferred the Class A as it was fast, deep in the bass and had more of a jump factor. The tube hybrid had more of an easy sound, big sound stage, more 3D, with killer vocals. One of the guys who preferred the Class A had to leave early and then I remembered that I set the transistor bias in the hybrid very low so it would sound warmer and more musical. Took out the volt meter, raised the bias and and then pure magic. Bass went deeper, vocals came out more and floated in the air, etc. So once you know what makes something sound the way it sounds, you can then understand how it changes your sound.
So my advise is always hear something in your system and let your ears be the judge. I have heard most of the recommendations above. A few of them are not to my liking.
Happy Listening. |
Get a $2000 Benchmark DAC3 and a friend over. Have him switch DACs without you knowing which is which. Better yet have a friend of a friend and have him switch without either of you knowing then you can decide with your ears not your eyes if $30,000 is worth the price of a DAC. |
Don't buy a DAC that isn't easily upgradable, especially expensive DACs. As the technology improves, older DACs that cant be upgraded won't have any value on the used equipment market like other components.
J.Chip
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Aqua Formula xHD is another good option indeed.
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Is it worth the 30k plus price tag ? If you're going to listen to it in your system you'll find out... Check out the Aqua Formula xHD. |
+1 rockna wavedream dac.
Paired with a rockna server wavedream NET its truly special! Its great on its own, but the "stack" is far superior. After having the NET for a while now, I'm surprised its not popular as a killer server/streamer itself, leaving rockna dac a side. You also get a CD memory player which is isolated from the server as a bonus. Like a 2 in one device! I have no CDs to spin, all my listening is mainly qobuz/tidal via roon, but maybe you do CD.
I have the signature balanced version of the dac, I think i won't be buying any other dac any time soon, or ever probably. If you can audition, why not. Just do it out of curiosity at least ) one of the finest, RELATIVELY affordable R2R dacs.
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@audioman58 will try the mojo audio dac before deciding .
@ozzy i tried the lumin x1 , my lumin u1 with the ayre qx-5 was much superior . smoother highs, wider and deeper soundstage , much more mid presence .
@lukaske did not like esoteric tone , had their CD player before I switched to ayre c-5, Ayre I feel IMO is a much better sounding gear than esoteric. have not heard metronome .
t+A dac seems to knock every other dacs incl dcs, based purely on specs and reviews .
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Love my Schiit Yggdrasil... |
Best dac’s ( for me) and very”natural” are: Ear dac, Metronome Technologie C6(+),Esoteric. Chord Is okay and MSB Discrete is to clinical. |
Well I just ordered a Lumin X1 and hope to receive it next week.
But, most of the others that have been mentioned on this post were in consideration.
ozzy |
Check this out , before spending your money on A inferior product do your home work . Digital guru Ben At Mojo Audio
just check them out .i bought their dac and I have had lampizator,
ps,audio luxman, Schiit and a bunch of others ,this 20 bit R2R dacs or Multibit are far more musical , no longer made are these hand laser trimmed resistors in these , and a Ton of great features ,power supplies are grossly overlooked, Mojo gives you 45 days to Audition if it don’t meet your musical standard you get a full refund. I know of No one Else willing to offer this ,and it is fully modular as technology advances and uses Descreet opamps
I know nobody else ,as well as very good transformers Lundahl
being the best if you can afford them .and just got a great review
on their new Evo dac . Just check it out . It is exceptional nothing I have heard is this musical and gets bettter as you can aftord
width several performances benchmarks. |
Appreciate all your input. Dcs is “digital done right” if there is one lol. I am sure Totaldac is amazing ,
briscati I have heard and I preferred the ayre in my system, more magic with ayre .
esoteric I haven’t heard .
i would like to know about t+a dac . Their hv line standalone dac or the mp version . That’s what I am going to listen in my system next week and was hoping for what to expect . Is it worth the 30k plus price tag ?
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I've heard most DACs up to 100k and and the ones that stand out for me are the Totaldac by a wide margin.You have a 3 weeks free trial in case you don't like it.Prices start at 2,5k up to 32k.
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@newtoncr As I said, my opinion was worth what you paid for it. Good luck. I am following to see what you ultimately end up with.
I am thinking one of the major differences is the balance of your system vs. mine. I preface this by saying I love Ayre Amps and Preamps and the equipment you have was in one of the best sounding systems I have ever heard.
My system is entirely tube based (Art Audio Conductor and Quartets) which definitely adds warmth compared to the Ayre gear so my system likely does more to offset the somewhat clinical nature of the Chord where the Ayre gear doesn't.
Incidentally, the system I referenced above had Wilson Alexxs as the speakers and an Esoteric DAC. Don’t know the exact model but it delivered jawdropping sound. Might be worth taking a look at Esoteric.
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+1 for dCS.
It’s the only DAC I’ve heard that makes me want to change my Naim nDAC/Pardo TXPS. Unfortunately not in my budget at the moment.
I agree with you re the Chord DACs. Very clean and detailed, but it somehow misses the music. IMO, obviously.
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DCS Bartok. Truly outstanding. Read the reviews and comparisons. The road would end for a very long time. IMO |
@newtoncr curious if you ever heard/tried any Bricasti dac? Very musical IMO.
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Hi verdantaudio ,
I had the chord Dave dac before I switched to the ayre.
i had got the chord because everyone raved about their dacs. I started with the qutest , didn’t like it and then got the Dave with m scaler . Found the sound to be very clinical . Tried the ayre qx-5 and the sound was much more to my liking . The best dac I have listened to so far with the filters and the diamond output stage . Better than chord, mytek, emm labs, ps audio( all I have listened to in my system) .
i am really curious about the t+a cause the built, design and sound seems to be a diff class. |
I have not hear the t + a units. Reviews are amazing and only you can be the judge it is a step up from your Ayre unit.
I would tell you that IMO (worth what you paid for it) that Chord has a better sounding DAC than Ayre. The TT2 with an M-Scaler would definitely be a step up and the Chord Dave with or without an M-Scaler would be a big step up. Chord is not chip based and is an FPGA DAC that is a combo of software and hardware based.
Rockna is the other brand I would look at. The balanced Wavedream would be brilliant in your system. Read the 6Moons review. This is an R2R DAC.
Don't get me wrong. These are much more than the t + a solutions but as you know, the better something is, often it gets pricey fast. Do some research and I think you will be intrigued by both. I am a dealer who would happily take your Ayre against either the Chord or Rockna gear. PM me if you have any interest.
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