I have both the Manhatten (I) and the Bryston DAC3. I’ve never heard the PS Audio, but based on what you’ve written, I have a feeling that the Manhatten will suit you fine. My Manhatten is fantastically detailed and analytical but still sounds musical. I purchased the Bryston primarily for it’s ability to play SACDs and it’s a bit softer and less detailed than the Manhatten, although still an excellent DAC
detailed vs. warm DAC - which do I prefer?
My first post on GON... I recently purchased a PS Audio DirectStream DAC and when I do an A/B comparison with my old NAD C542 cd player (Burr-Brown Sigma Delta DAC), I prefer the cd player every time. The DSD just sounds too laid-back and muted for my taste with a less-defined soundstage. In all fairness to PS Audio, I've only had the DSD for a couple of weeks so it's nowhere near to being broken in. My question to the group is what, if anything, does this say about my preference in DACs? I live in the sticks, so I don't have the luxury of listening to demos at a dealer or in my own system. If I do seek out a replacement for the DSD, should I consider a more "detailed" or "warm" DAC? I honestly don't know what I prefer. My budget is $7K and I'm considering the mytek manhattan II, bryston, luxman, and exogal. Surely there's a DAC in this price range that will sound better than spinning discs in my old cd player. Or maybe I've grown so accustomed to the digital redbook sound that I haven't learned to appreciate the more analog sounding DSD and it might grow on me after break-in.