Recommend a dac that contributes to system for tight bass


I am not a bass fiend just would like a dac that has pleasing tight moderately deep bass.  I have pass labs monoblocks so amp not an issue....don't really want tube dac....

I know room and acoustics and system synergy play crucial role but have found some dacs excel at transparency like chord and other sound a bit flat like oppo....marantz is slightly warm exc prat but bass is bit light....

Thanks in advance.....


128x128karmapolice
well its not just the dac but the implementation of the dac in the product....some dac have tubes....some dac have beefier power supply....some dac upsample....

different dacs have different dac chips...

btw I own Harbeth 40.2 speakers and while I think Mr. Shaw is brilliant in many ways he also doesnt believe in the value of speaker stands and has other eccentric views....

I adore nelson pass whose pass labs makes my 260.8 monoblocks but his company party line is that power cables make little difference.....

so people have their views but to many people the speaker stand and cabling do matter quite a bit.....

whipsaw funny you mention you have the pontus as I was considering the newer pontus 2 but am wary since it seems so many people flip their other models (ares and terminator)
I’m using a Denafrips Pontus; it’s my first stand-alone DAC. I am certainly happy with the sound it produces, and do believe that it in some respects it seems to produce a slightly different sound than my previous Electrocompaniet CD player, but as a non-engineer, I am interested in learning how DACs might technically be able to do so.

We know how speakers can change/color sound, and how tube amps create distortion that some find pleasing, etc. But taking a digital stream and converting it to analogue? What might be done to alter the bass, treble, soundstage, etc.?

There are people like Alan Shaw, designer of Harbeth speakers, who know a hell of lot more than I do about the science of audio, who claim that there should essentially be no difference in the sound of DACs.
I mentioned that the bass is great for vinyl....I used the same linestage amplfiier and speaker for both vinyl and digital so how can it be my system?

there is a reason that chord hugo 2 and tt2 are often recommended with warm headphones........

dont see anyone recommending chord hugo 2 or tt2 for sennheiser which are anything but warm...

so I aint dreaming this...

but I am glad if some of you are very happy with the bass from the chord qutest and hugo 2....maybe I am too picky or prefer vinyl to digital (the bass for vinyl is just much deeper).....or perhaps  some of you only listen to digital nowadays?
I'm not a member of the Science! police, but would anyone care to explain how different DACs might possibly be able change the qualities of bass response?

I mean, surely it would have to be something else in the chain, no? 


I am glad that the bass with the chord is strong in your system but you are the unicorn as most of the feedback I see online of chord tt2 and dave do not mention the strong powerful bass ....in fact the chord tt2 and chord dave seems to be praised most for  sounding fast transparent and open and to some criticized as sounding thin ......

I get excellent bass through vinyl so its not my system per se....

in any even I specifically asked for ideas other than chord so we can agree to disagree about the bass in chord products


@karmapolice

I tried the chord qutest and the chord tt2 and the chord hugo 2 at different times in different systems and while they have an excellent midrange there bass has been on the softer side for my taste


then i would suggest there is something else going wrong in your system in terms of its ability to play bass notes strongly and properly - the chord dacs have very powerful tuneful strong bass response, among the very best of over 25 dacs i have tried
I tried the chord qutest and the chord tt2 and the chord hugo 2 at different times in different systems and while they have an excellent midrange there bass has been on the softer side for my taste