I agree the good old R2R ladder dacs sound more musical than any of the one bit or bitstream dacs I’ve heard. But it also depends on the implementation. I’ve had two players with 2x PCM 1704k (Krell KAV 300cd and Bow ZZ-8) that both sounded very nice (still own the Bow for its striking industrial design). But they were no match for the Krell KPS20i from 1995, which had 4x PCM 64k (one generation older R2R) in fully balanced digital mode. Over the years this machine has survived many newcomers from respectable brands (Metronome, Esoteric), so for me this is ’old digital that still kicks butt’. Even literally, as the bass slam of this thing has never been surpassed in my experience. I recently had it fully refurbished with a motor and servo revision, new laser, new clock, new caps, etc. I just hope it will run forever.
Old digital that still kicks butt
Not being a believer that time necessarily = progress, I would like to offer the following example of a sonic gem that has transcended time and can totally kick butt in a modern milieu:
1. Marantz CD5000 al la CD48, Philips Cd753, CDS751: what do these players all have in common:? the miraculous TDA1549 chip. As Lucas Ficas alias ’Lampizator‘ has described this chip is a killer and probably the best Philips has produced. If you take the output straight from the chip via high quality output caps the sound quality is still right up there. Add a cathode follower if you you wish for greater solidity and slam at the expense of ultimate clarity.
Add some chassis damping and you have something that plays real music.
1. Marantz CD5000 al la CD48, Philips Cd753, CDS751: what do these players all have in common:? the miraculous TDA1549 chip. As Lucas Ficas alias ’Lampizator‘ has described this chip is a killer and probably the best Philips has produced. If you take the output straight from the chip via high quality output caps the sound quality is still right up there. Add a cathode follower if you you wish for greater solidity and slam at the expense of ultimate clarity.
Add some chassis damping and you have something that plays real music.