@jerryg123 no thanks, I’m done with R2R. Pretty case work though.
Neutral Dac?
I’m curious to see people’s opinions on what they believe is the most uncolored dac? Every dac I’ve tried seems to be a flavor that deviates from neutrality in some way (smooths things over, too bright, too soft on transients, lacks bass etc...). Is there a dac that people believe gets all the fundamentals correct with leaving very little sonic footprint? What is the cost threshold needed to achieve it? I’m surprised at my own findings recently but really curious if anyone else has been searching for a fundamentally uncolored dac and what they’ve found.
I realize the most obvious answer is "the dac with impeccable measurements" but I have also found some of them to sound unnatural (dry/bright).
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@routlaw sounds even better. To many obstacles in the path of the DAC's you tried. I am glad you found a DAC that works for you, to bad you wondered in the digital desert for so long. Echo’s End is the perfect DAC when you want music to flow just as it does in nature. You don’t get harshness or masking by digital “same-ness.” What you do get is an easy-to-use, fully automatic digital-to-analogue converter whose sole purpose is to provide the best possible audio quality. You won’t find external buttons, nor lights, nor animated display screens. Echo’s End is fully automatic. Just connect a digital source such as USB, S/PDIF, or AES/EBU, and Echo’s End will automatically find the signal and convert it to beautiful analog sound. At the outputs you have directly converted analog signal, with absolutely no components in the signal path. No chips, no op-amp buffers, no caps, no transformers, nor any tubes. The sound quality is fantastic. We’ve incorporated on-board Firewall modules, a special technology for conditioning power developed and manufactured exclusively by LessLoss. This raises the sonic performance to unbelievable levels. All parts in the Echo’s End, both mechanical and electrical, are fixed directly to wood, and point-to-point soldering allows for the smoothest possible signal flow, ensuring the most liquid audio reproduction imaginable. |
@jerryg123 please understand I have not heard or personally experienced the Topping or Gustard DAC's mentioned earlier, just relaying what so many other reviewers have stated about those products being very neutral which is what the OP ask for. Not sure its a digital desert, but true I have owned many many digital components through the years and some from the most venerable companies in HiFi. Its also worth noting a great many of these once highly revered digital audio companies promising the holy grail no longer exist. Lot of road kill through the years with many esoteric and boutique companies. The days for me spending dozens of thousands of dollars to experiment are long over as well. The ad quote above is all too familiar. Regardless enjoy. Time to get back to the OP's opening question, neutral DAC's. |
Crane Song Solaris Quantum for $2K from Sweetwater. It is the sound of analog which is diff from neutrality which you asked about but you will be totally pulled into the sound. The Nagra HD DAC is neutral based on comparing with master tape but at a quantum leap in price compared to the Crane Song. Your likely reaction is that the Nagra is more laid back than the Crane Song. To make an analogy to which prolly one 0.001 % of readers can relate it's like the diff between 468 and 456 tape. 468 is neutral to the point where upon first comparison you find it dull compared to 456. But upon long term listening you find it is more relaxed which is why a lot of pros go for 468. Especially for recording classical. * difficult to get Crane Song. I guess it's three guys working out of a garage. Sweetwater is yr best bet for getting yr hands on some actual bird. |
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