Does a Tube Dac make sense?

@jdoris 

you participate on this forum for a while, you realize there are some usernames who are here just to issue blanket dismissals... i suspect they are now pretty much deaf but can still see and can type

garry has a very good ear and his dacs sound very ’analog’ with their tube output stages - excellent performance for $ and like mhdt and a few others, ideal for those seeking a dose of warmth, body, dimensionality and fullness to the typically ’clean-n-lean’ sound of digital

however, i think garry, like many other small makers, are out of stock presently due to supply chain issues

but if you like a leaner sound, and like lots of features, buttons, menus, filters, sexy displays (not to mention an owner’s manual the size of a small phone book) the rme will certainly please!

great, and i mean *great* sounding digital gear has had tube output stages placed on them for many years

i have had and still have several pieces - they bring tremendous musical enjoyment, and have no problems driving downstream gear, plus there is the added benefit of being able to subtly tailor the sound with different tube makes and types in most cases, which is a lot of fun if one is inclined to partake

like in all excellent gear in this pursuit, it is all subject to the talents of the designer/maker - to use good engineering, coupled with inspiration and creativity in making a piece sound ’right’ to them

so please let your ears decide

well known well respected tube dacs that are near of less than $1000 include:

mhdt (numerous models)
black ice fx tube dac
musical paradise d1 d2
van alstine fet hybrid dac (used)

🛌 🥱 💤

 Bottom line you need a chip based DAC or a $5k R2R DAC. If you go with the Aries II you will be disappointed.

i don’t know exactly which person this comment is directed at, but all good intentions of this poster aside, i cannot fathom how such proclamations can be made without knowing the system and room the dac is going into, or what the tastes of the user are... good system building is all about compatibility and synergy with associated gear and listener preferences

kudos to you @charles1dad

you are a model of patience, classiness, measured response, tolerance

@pauly

corollary...

...life is short... don’t waste time arguing with nameless strangers you couldn't care less about on the internet who have nothing better to do... 👌