Back in the day, is when I bought my Ayre QB9 and the emphasis was in how to make digital sound analogue. The technology has changed significantly since then. I was lucky in that Ayre has updated that DAC to the present. Maybe close to eight years ago I bought the Uptone Audio ISO Regen with linear power supply and found that it made a very noticeable difference. Today on my Ayre QB9 Twenty, the difference is minimal by comparison.
The criteria for choosing a DAC today is so much more complex, i.e. detail, soundstage, noise floor, jitter, etc… This in part is due to the DAC chip but more so, how it’s implemented. And because of this, I’d still recommend trying to visit brick and mortar stores to hear as many DAC’s and transports as possible.
The criteria for choosing a DAC today is so much more complex, i.e. detail, soundstage, noise floor, jitter, etc… This in part is due to the DAC chip but more so, how it’s implemented. And because of this, I’d still recommend trying to visit brick and mortar stores to hear as many DAC’s and transports as possible.