R to r dacs


I was completely taken by the sq of the Aqua hi fi la scala dac during a demo.  Even with a discount the price is out of budget and would have to add a streamer as well
I have been following multiple impressions of direct to consumer units such as Denefrips pontus, audio gd 7 and Holo May.  Anyone with experience with the Aqua hi fi and the subsequent dacs?
TIA

tennisdoc56

Showing 3 responses by cal3713

@tennisdoc56  No, it just indicates that they're using a (now obsolete) R2R chip.  Phillips (e.g.,  TDA1541) and Analog Devices (e.g., AD1865n-k) are two of the common ones used in the best gear.  Other manufacturers, such as Aqua Hifi, Holo Audio, TotalDAC, and MSB build their own R2R resistor ladders, but I personally do not believe that this approach guarantees better performance over a chip-based solution.
Holo May would be another to consider.  And maybe a little too pedestrian for you @ $2500, but I love my Audio Mirror T3-SE.  Used Mojo Audio or the SW1X DAC III are also really well reviewed.
If you're feeling flush, the Aries Cerat Kassandra DACs are also R2R and use the Analog Devices 1865 chips, just an easy ~$100,000 for their top of the line model:  http://analoguefellowship.com/2020/03/02/aries-cerat-kassandra-2-limited-edition-the-ultimate-dac/