Looking for a tube DAC.

Mobile Fidelity Tri-Vista

The Hermes are pretty old-school, kinda yesterday's news.

I have a TriVista, but I also have a DAC that beat it, pretty-much hands down. The K&K Audio RAKK DAC. (plus it's a third the price of the Trivista). Check them out @ www.kandkaudio.com.

-Ed

Might want to take a look at the Audio Aero Prima DAC.

Audio Note.

The Hermes II is an excellent DAC especially when teamed with Telefunken Falcon tubes. Better though is the Chord DAC 64. No tubes but high end is not rolled off like a tube DAC. It also has buffers to tweak the sound to your liking. Runs hot!
I find the best place for tubes in a system is the preamp but that is another debate.

I'll echo the thumbs up on the Hermes II. I've got Siemens CCA's in mine and it sounds great.

You should check out the Audio Logic. There have been quite a few threads on this outstanding dac.

For a more "tube" and beautiful sound, the pricier Audio Notes, the Audio Aero and older Audio Logics are good choices; the newer versions of the Audio Logic are my choice, but you lose a little bass warmth in them compared with the older versions, so I wouldn't call them "tubey"-sounding, if that's what you're looking for.

I second the Audio Note recommendation.

Another vote for the Audio Aero Prima DAC here! Sounds great, nicely balanced throughout the audible range, great bass and treble extension. All this is thru a Denon DVD2200 used as transport.

Trivista21 DAC is Perfection for $10,000... nah it's just $2400!! Just 5 hours and it blew me to the moon...

It is very very dynamic!! I use glass toslink and it's perfection!! oh well nothing is perfect...

It donesn't sound soft at all!!

Happy Happy listening...

I found the TriVista rolled off in comparison to the RAKK DAC or the internal dac in the S9000ES. using coaxial RCA (not that it matters) for digital sig. transfer.

still, not a bad DAC, but the RAKK seemed better to me.

-Ed

HI Bruce 1.
It's MUSICAL FIDELITY .
To make matters worst MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LAB is out of bussiness for a good number of years now.For Tubed DAC I use AUDIO RESEARCH DAC3(Four 6922)
Cheers.
George

George: You're right about Musical Fidelity, but MFSL is actually back in business, albeit on a limited scale.

1 vote for the Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista

I have had MF products in the past and it made my ears bleed alittle. I'm looking to go to the warming side. I have audio physic virgo III's and they are alittle on the forward side.

Rcprince,I am happy to hear that MFSL is back.Didn't know that.Thanks .

Yioryos,
You are of course correct-- it is Musical Fidelity, not Mobile Fidelity. That's what happens when you press "Submit as is" instead of reviewing it first!! And I own one so I feel doubly stupid! No doubt it is bettered by some of the other tubed DAC's mentioned here, but it is still a contender. I use mine for both CD/SACD playback and as a DAC for Apple's Airport Express to play iTune playlists.