Thinking about getting a R2R DAC


Dear community,

I currently have a chord qutest DAC. I like it a lot, very full sound, accurate detailed and exciting.  However, whenever I go back to vinyl (with a well-recorded nice pressing) I find the sound so much more satisfying.  There is a warmth, yes, but there is a presence, a 'there-ness' that I just don't get with the digital.  I'm wondering if an R2R DAC would get me closer to that?  my budget would be around the same as the qutest.  I was looking at the MHDT Orchid or the Border Patrol.  Don't get me wrong, I really like the Qutest.  I am thinking of putting it in the upstairs system to pair with the Node2i I have up there.  Any thoughts?  Will analog always just be a different animal than digital?

Currently in the main system I have a Sonore uRendu feeding the Qutest which is going to a LTA MZ2 going to a Pass XA 30.5

thanks!
adam8179

Showing 1 response by antigrunge2

Analogue‘s euphonic virtues are indeed best emulated by R2R Dacs, conversely euphonics tend to go along with reduced resolution. Delta Sigma DACs in my experience depend on very good clocking accuracy: ideally you should compare R2R to Delta Sigma Dacs clocked by a 10m clock. I‘d posit that the resultant trade-offs between euphonics and resolution are not obvious.