T and A D 200 Dac

I think you mean T+A 

https://www.ta-hifi.de/en/audiosystems/series-200/dac-200-d-a-converter/

Lots of ways to refer to it and evidently not many have heard it yet: 

@mpomerantz Mike, the model is T+A DAC 200, and as a dealer, I own one and have compared it to a lot of other DACs. I do post about it pretty often on these forums. It’s my favorite unit south of $15K and has a true preamp stage built in, in case you hadn’t yet settled on a preamp (you and I talked extensively on preamp options a while back). Nonetheless, even if you do have a preamp already, the DAC 200 is still worth it as a standalone DAC. It is my best selling unit, and of the total I’ve sold, only two customers are using it direct to amp as the others already had preamps. 
 

I would equate the preamp stage itself as having the performance of a $3K preamp. It’s very good. The DAC itself is fantastic, with a wider, deeper and more holographic stage than many at its price point. It is more on the organic side of neutral vs the analytical/cold side (where the Tambaqui and Holo May land). You typically can hear more with less fatigue. 

You already have my contact info, so feel free to call or email if you want to chat about it. 

Looks like DAC with volume control in in fashion these days. Wish they made pure DACs. Why would one spend on the preamp section if you already owned one and like it.

I have a friend in the U.K. with very discerning taste who has it and raves about it

@milpai The preamp stage and volume control in the unit are of very high quality, and it can also be disabled to set the unit up as a standalone line level DAC. These features, are additive and do not take away from the fact that for $7,125, the DAC 200's DAC section is well worth it. the preamp stage can accommodate one set of analog inputs for a turntable or such, so the unit is designed with minimalism in mind. 

But even if it didnt have the preamp stage and volume control, I would still highly recommend it. I have compared the volume controls of other DAC, for example the Mola Mola Tambaqui and PS Audio DirectStream, and they are noisy, fatiguing, and brittle sounding compared to the DAC 200. Yes, more and more DACs are employing volume controls, but few aside from the DAC 200 do it right (at least in the up to $15K price range). 

I own the DAC 200 and the matching AMP 200, purchased from @blisshifi. I agree with @blisshifi's assessment, it's a fantastic dac in it's own right and handles preamp functions extremely well. Deep, wide, holographic soundstage and excellent instrument separation. It has a ton of configurable options and a headphone input. For someone looking for a minimalist high end system, the T+A 200 series is hard to beat. 

I downsized from an Allnic L-1500 pre, ARC REF150, and Exogal comet dac to the dac/amp 200 combo and did not take a step back at all sound wise. In fact it's flat out better in most respects, and I would attribute most of that to the DAC 200. I do miss some of the tube magic of the previous system, but do not miss the heat, biasing, and replacement costs associated with tube equipment. Plus I don't have to worry about leaving the system running all day long working form home. 

@blisshifi ,

Thanks for letting me know. While that may be true, one is indirectly paying for something they do not want. If it was a pure DAC, the prices would be more favorable and without the additional circuit. This DAC is on my watch list for future.