Needing DAC Advice

@oddiofyl - yeah it is. ESS chip.

Denafrips Terminator. Why? Because you want R2R DAC and not ESS.

The DAC is not the weak link…. You are quick to spend $3 k plus on a DAC when you already have a good one. Demo a really good preamp in home and you will see what I’m talking about. 

TMR has some great preamps that you can build a great system around for the same money you are willing to spend on a DAC.  
 

The orchid dac is also tube I think , same with audio mirror dac.

OP audio mirror dac  has amazing reviews, Vlad the company owner has discount during holiday. He price $3500 maybe he can still sell it with this price.You don’t see them used. Owners are happy.

@yage I won't be changing my speakers. I like the sound of the SL3's. They've been rebuilt and they agree favorably with my Pass amps.

@big_greg I looked hard at Jays transport before buying the Urd. I convinced myself I wouldn't like the top loader but I'm re-thinking that. Also thought about the Pro-ject CD Box Rs2T but I don't have the real estate to accommodate the lid.

@soix the LTA Aero is now on my radar.

@sls883 I  tried the transport/dac with my primaluna before I got the Freya. it just can't drive the electrostatics very well. Just not enough horsepower to make those speakers work. My 105 into the primaluna driving L100's in my studio (near field) on the other hand, is very enjoyable.

@yyzsantabarbara If I crank the system pretty hard, say +90db, it sounds pretty darn good - doesn't seem to get louder just more open, more detail, and fuller. At wife-safe volumes it's rather meh. Interesting insight on the Mjolnir.

@fthompson251 I thought about picking up an Ares at one point  just to see if this was the direction I wanted to go.

@oddiofyl I don't think the Freya is the weak link here. From all measures and reviews, in passive mode it really is only volume control and input selector. 

I spent the afternoon reading @mitch2 excellent 6 dac test thread. I was already leaning toward Mojo Audio from my own research but a few other possibilities came out of that very thorough and insightful read. I think I listen for the same things as mitch2.

For reference, I run balanced interconnects, Signal cable silver resolution dac to pre to amps. I have some Cardas and Mogami on the way to try. 

Get a really good active preamp. It’s the heart of a good system. I don’t think a DAC will exploit the rest of your system like a nice preamp. I’m talking a preamp that not a lateral move , far from it, something used that you otherwise could not afford

Your  DAC is no slouch, I have the Lab 12 , it’s a great DAC but the amp and preamp is more influential on the sound quality in my experience.

Another Denafrips fan here (R2R). I have the Pontus 12th Anniversary and it's the best DAC I have tried. Only compared it to less expensive Benchmark, Schiit and a few others.

An R2R selection that you may like would be the Denafrips Venus 15th. Audioman58 sells them for well under $4000. If you stretch your budget to about $5400 you can get the Terminator 15th which is an outstanding DAC and build around it. It will tell you what is going on in your digital world yet is smooth, airy, huge soundstage and exceedingly well layered and transparent presentation. Either one would qualify as musically engaging. My Opinion.

@yyzsantabarbara Singularity? Lol

I wonder what Schiit had in mind…gotta love their sense of humor!

Beware though…the DAC will either cause you to go into your final state and fall into a black hole, or, the DAC will become so intelligent that it will eventually create a second version of itself. If by that time you don’t fall thru a black hole you may end up with two DACs for the price of one. However they will be more intelligent than you and may give you some serious schiit on a daily basis.

I would stay away!

I have the DAC3B and it is hot on top, but it is better than average for DACs in that price range, and I will always keep it around.

The Freya+ was a weak link in my system, and I only liked it with the uber neutral Benchmark AHB2 amp.

I now own the Schitt Mjolnir v3 which I use as a preamp. The headphone amp in it does not match my headphones. I like this preamp a lot more than the Freya+. Reading the threads on SBAF and Head-fi I think the Mjolnir v3 is getting a lot of love. It is a Class A device and runs very hot, It only has 2 inputs and no remote.

Saying all of that the Mjolnir is my 3rd best preamp. They Benchmark LA4/HPA4 and the Holo Audio Serene are preferred by a wide margin. These preamps do not impart much sound to the system so have some good sources and amp.

I now have the Yggi+ OG (not available) and I think is an incredible DAC. I also have the Yggi+ LIM and it is rolled off and works for a bright system. The opposite of the Benchmark DAC3B.

Later this year Schitt is coming out with a new DAC tech they are calling Singularity. I am going to convert my LIM DAC to this new tech. I was thinking of converting my Yggi+ to the MIB, but research has led me to wait for Singularity.

BTW - there is a great device called the GeerFab Audio - GeerFab this device will play your SACD’s using the DSD layer. If you Schitt URD has HDMI output, you can hookup the DAC3B via the D.BOB and get great DSD sound. I use a $200 OPPO as the transport to get the DSD layer. The DAC3B supoorts DSD better than the Yggi’s.

How does the transport and dac sound through your Primaluna if you still have it?  I'm guessing some of your issue stems from your preamp. 

Are you using decent cables?  I've used some that seemed to suck the life out of the music. 

I haven't heard the LTA dac that @soix mentioned, but from what I've read, it sounds like something you'd like. I use one of their preamps. 

You should consider the new LTA Aero DAC as it will add a bit of that tube goodness/flesh on the bones you seem to be looking for without going too far or sacrificing much upper octave air/detail.  For an additional $149 I’d consider the Ray Tube Select tube upgrade as they’re relatively cheap and Michael Lavorgna preferred them to the stock GE tubes.  They offer a 14-day trial, which is really nice.  Here’s a review from member Terry London in case you haven’t seen it already.  Best of luck. 

https://www.stereotimes.com/post/linear-tube-audio-aero-dac-by-terry-london/

Try this

I think you're on the right track of sending the CD output to a high quality DAC.  Consider Jay's Audio CD + DAC.  Very musical and engaging.

My current DAC is the Rockna Wavedream Signature, which you should be able to find for around $5K if you're open to pre-owned.  It has a lot of inputs and could take the USB or SPDIF signal from the Schiit piece.  The Rockna is very lively and dynamic and will provide excellent detail.

I also have the Wavedream NET server, which has a nice CD transport.  It only does Redbook CDs though.  I have a small collection of SACDs and wanted to be able to enjoy those.  

I still have an Oppo 203 that I rarely use.  I purchased an HDMI to i2s converter and used the HDMI out on the Oppo to connect to the Rockna DAC. The Rockna has 2 i2s inputs, and I can use the Oppo as a transport into the Rockna DAC.  That combination was a huge improvement on the DAC in the Oppo.  

As far as R2R versus other types of DACs, at the end of the day it all depends on the implementation.  Having said that, I like the idea of FPGA which allows upgrades over time.  I have a MHDT Labs Orchid, which is a very "analog" sounding DAC and easy to listen to, but I don't think it would provide the type of listening experience you're looking for.

I used to own Benchmark DAC 3 HGC and it is a matter of fact type of presentation - a bit cold and sterile. 
I bought a Bricasti M3 and sold the DAC 3 after comparing and confirming the M3 is much better. 
In addition I tried PS Audio DSD MkI (musical and engaging but noisy), Chord Hugo TT2 (pretty good but not as engaging…soundstage is deep but kind of between speakers), Bryston BDA-3 (good dac was a bit too warm for me).

I stream but I tried the M3 with Audiolab 6000CDT transport and was blown away by the sound quality which prompted me to get a very good and not very cheap streamer to match CD.

Hope this helps…

Have you considered changing your listening position? Looks like tonality is greatly affected by distance to the speaker according to Stereophile (https://www.stereophile.com/content/martinlogan-sl3-loudspeaker-measurements-part-2)

You can see that not only does the midrange dramatically shelve up at the closer mike position, but that the speaker acquires more presence-region energy at the farther position. What is true for the microphone will also be true for the listener. In small rooms, the balance of the SL3 will depend very much on how far away the listener sits.

Personally, I would take that budget and spend it on speakers. My preference is to make sure the electronics are as transparent as possible and find speakers that match my sonic taste.

zlone

I've read others posts who've mentioned the buffered stage was the preferred output on the Freya. I guess I need to try it. I've conspicuously avoided playing around with the preamp, just because it goes against my grain - graduate of the straight wire with gain school. 

Budget is relative but let’s say $5k, new or used. As far as what I’m looking for in sound…rounder, richer, fuller? I have no shortage of detail now (and I like detail). But there’s a lack of character, for lack of a better term. Bass and mid bass is excellent, highs are great but the nuance around the midrange tones that form the character is lacking I think. The information technically is there, you hear it, but the presentation is…sterile maybe? 

I don't stream  ...  I'm vehemently opposed to paying a provider who profits by paying artists virtually nothing for their content. When I can, I buy physical media directly from the artists I want to hear. 

+ 1000

I have a Holoaudio May L2 DAC and like it. I don't have a whole lot to compare it to, but have never found it lacking liveliness. I purchased it based on YouTuber Goldenear's review, who infamously busted MQA. Also use a Pass power amp (XA25).

What’s your budget, and are you looking for new or used?  Besides being more musical, what specific sound characteristics are most important to you?  More info = better recommendations here. 

I used to own the Freya+ and always found the passive stage a bit lifeless. While I liked to the tube stage, I did not use it often and generally used the buffered stage. I am not suggesting that is the solution, but it may help a bit. As for a DAC, I used to run a Gungnir MB and that was a good sound. I have recently upgraded to a Merason Reuss and it is the definition of musical. The Benchmark gear measures well, but has a tendency to be analytical. I am not sure of your budget, but read through mitch2’s excellent Six DAC comparison thread. Even if those DAC’s are not in your budget it will give you some ideas.