The big DAC decision
I discovered the Meridian while doing a generic search for audiophile DACs. The specs and reviews are very impressive, but I can’t say I ever seriously considered it for my system. And you’re right dubulup, the Chord DAVE has extraneous features given my current setup. From what I’ve read, however, it apparently provides an excellent quality analog signal, which is what I and everyone else is hoping to get out of their DAC. This really gets to why I’m here looking for input from all of you. Is there a DAC out there that can provide an analog signal on par with the DAVE without the additional built in amp baggage? |
The Modwright Elyse DAC is good value - http://www.modwright.com/sources/elyse-dac.php |
No, I can’t say I’m seriously considering buying the Meridian. No more than I can seriously consider buying an Aston Martin. It would be nice though, on both fronts. The Chord DAVE might be a possibility though. But, based on the input I’ve been getting, there are good alternatives to look into that may not be quite as expensive with similar performance attributes. |
cleeds1,458 posts07-17-2018 12:20am slvrsrfr+ 1. If you're investing that much money, it's worth even buying a plane ticket If you can't swing a home audition or find a local Dealer & go on a weekend break interstate.I don’t have the option of trying different components on my system.If you're truly contemplating a $23,000 DAC, you need to find a dealer who will accommodate you. |
Thanks Dave and Troy. I genuinely appreciate your and melbguyone’s input. I don’t have the option of trying different components on my system. So the information I obtain from various reviews and forums like this one are all I have to go on before making what I consider to be once in a lifetime purchases. |
There are many superb dacs out there and your headphones are excellent. The easiest way to know is to borrow a great dac and then listen to the improvments it makes in your system if you can hear and appreciate the difference wether or not it is a speaker or headphone setup it doesn't make a difference then it is a valid upgrade. We have heard the Merdian Dac nice piece you can do better for less money. You may want to consider a Lumin X1 the previous reference the S1 has been considered to be one of the best sounding streamer/dacs out there and the new X1 is reported to blow away the S1, at $13k it isn't cheap but for a world class Dac and streamer the price is reasonable the Lumin products are very musical and extremely well designed. We are also not huge PS audio fans in terms of power products, in our tests the Passive conditioners were better. Look at the Isotek Sigmas fantastic performace for the money. We have tested many brands of power conditioners from Audience, Shunyatta, Running Springs, Exact Power, Isotek, Audio Magic, Synergistic and a few others. Best overall Isotek for the money, best performance Audio Magic. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
YW SlvrSrfr, In my case I bought my apartment off the plan, and due to the layout of my apartment It would have been a messy and expensive job to install dedicated 20a lines into my audio room, or a balanced Iso transformer. And due to being a Strata development, I didn’t have the option of installing solar PV into mil-spec batteries, so the Gigawatt was a no brainer. If I was starting out & building a new home, I would probably go all out on solar PV, mil-spec batteries, dedicated 20a lines running into audiophile wpo’s, and overvoltage/surge protection. But the Gigawatt gives you most of those benefits in a single box. |
Thanks for the suggestions melbguyone, I’m extremely happy with my Woo Audio amp though. I really appreciate the clean power suggestion. I have no doubt that it can have an appreciable effect on my system’s performance. It’s been frustrating trying to find a consensus pick for a power supply or “conditioner.” Along with the accolades for any given power component there always seems to be a “but” that gives me pause. Cheers, SlvrSrfr |
The Focal Utopias are good headphones. If I were looking for a high end headphone amp, I would be sorely tempted by the Viva Egoista - http://vivaaudio.com/en/products/egoista/. It uses a compliment of 1 x 6N1P, 1x 6SN7GTB, 2 x 845, 2 x EH5U4GB tubes. so you could have fun tube-rolling to get the sound you want. If I was going solid state, I would look at the Wells Audio Headtrip - http://www.wellsaudio.com/headtrip/ That is a musical sounding amp & is probably the way i’d go if I were setting up a serious headphone rig right now. And it costs a whole lot less than the Egoista to boot. Re: clean power. I respect PS Audio who make some solid products. In my system I use and have been very happy with the Gigawatt PC-3 SE Evo conditioner which has now been upgraded to the ’plus’ model - http://www.gigawatt.eu/produkt/power-line-conditioner-gigawatt-pc-3-se-evo/I wont go over all the detail, suffice to say It is an outstanding product. Personally I would only consider either Gigawatt or Synergistic Research, though Running Springs Audio make some good products also. Short of us using mil-spec batteries or something like an Equitech balanced iso transformer, that is the the best solution I could recommend, and would compliment running dedicated 20a lines into your rooim. |
Lots of very very capable and revealing cans out there - very worthy of fantastic front ends i use a set of Stax in my mobile recording and edit work and benefit greatly with both excellent Wadia and Ayre A to D and D to A converters. there are a ton of great DAcs out there above $3k is, including the MSB mentioned my list would also include ARC, Berkeley, Aesthetix, DCS, Lampizator, etc.... have fun |
I agree with you bigkidz. After all, a sound system can only be as good as its weakest link. As a consequence, from a cost to benefit point of view, you want your individual system components to operate within similar technical specifications. But, at the same time, you really need an optimal analog signal to achieve the best sound your amp and speakers can hope to produce; regardless of whether the source is from a phonograph, tape, or digital file. As an aside, I get the impression that some of the responders to my question have never listened to any of today’s state-of-the-art headphones. I’ll just say you don’t know what you’re missing. |
Sorry I haven't had a chance to compare any more. I spent about six months listening to DAC's in person. Ordered the Mytek after I bought an ARC DAC 8 and could not be happier. :) I will say I have tried it as a preamp, and it's pretty exceptional. I used a Parasound P7 only for the HT connectivity I needed. I'm now in the process of going back to a 2.1 channel setup with the Brooklyn as the pre. Best, E |
Buy a MSB Analog DAC. Recently MSB has discontinued the Analog DAC so you may have to pick up a used one. I have heard, auditioned, and researched many DACs in the last five or six years and I haven’t found one that plays music as “beautifully” as this DAC. Recently MSB released the modular Renderer card/module for the Analog DAC and it’s excellent. It’s a Ethernet module that connects you to web streaming services (ie TIDAL) and you can run ROON too. The Analog DAC is current even though it was initially released six or seven years ago and it can play just about any file format/sampling combination you’ll find. |
I do not listen through headphones so this may be advise that may not help you. IMO the source is critical to hearing what a system can do. The DAC that I build reproduces music that most people have never heard before in that the separation and tone of instruments really comes through like I have never heard before. It does not matter what the other components are, the DAC changes the sound in everyway. Same goes for my phono stage and preamp. I know some of the DACs mentioned above and they cannot reproduce music the same way. Happy Listening. |
There is a heck of a lot of DAC choices between the Oppo 105 and the 23K Meridian Product. And yes, spending 23 K for your current setup, even with premium phones, strikes me as goofy in the extreme. I would sell the Headphone Amp and get a de ent Headphone Amp/DAC combination product. The Brooklyn Erik mentioned is a solid recommendation. As is the Mytek Manhatten that I own. Also Benchmark and several other companies make products that would fit the bill in a variety of price ranges |
