What is the best DAC ever made?

> Drubin: you used the Ayre with USB, but was was your source and method of connection with the other DACs?

USB to Ayre and to Scarlatti when using upsampler, otherwise optical out from Mac Mini.

Who knows what the best DAC is? No one can try every one of them. But I have tried recently in my system, the Ayre QB-9, Levinson, DCS Scarlatti and the Berkeley, and the Berkeley is my favourite. The preference is large in all cases except the DCS.

> Drubin: You preferred optical out to the Berkeley over USB to the other two?

Yes, very much so.

Recent coverage of USB DACs might have left the impression that the new approaches to doing USB well are automatically superior to older means of connection. I do urge using your ears, and your system, to come to a conclusion on that topic yourself. It certainly isn't my experience.