2. digital
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Higher End DACs

I am looking for a DAC (potentially streamer&DAC) to be paired in a mcintosh system (c1100/611). Its my first foray into digital streaming and I have no need for a CD player.

I see a lot of love for Esoteric, however, most seems to be around their transports? Are they not as renowned for pure digital streaming and/or standalone DACs? I see DCS (for instance) often referenced for standalone DACs - how does Esoteric compare?
ufguy73

Showing 3 responses by cvman

cvman
34 posts
 
Its a bit more coin, but the Emm Labs DA2 v2 gets a lot of review accolades for being one of the most analog sounding DACs in the market. 
cvman
34 posts
 
ufguy73 raises and interesting question. How much difference rides on the FPGA program or DAC itself vs the quality of components (power supply, circuit design, etc) by manufacturer. PS Audio is a good example of continued refinement just based on software code. I personally think its still the combination of the sum parts of both system and components. 
cvman
34 posts
 
Given the cost of the MSB or dCS for their D/A performance, You can't overlook the Emm DA2 as another potential candidate given its value of ~$13k in the after market relative to reviews.  
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