What is the best DAC ever made?

last years i have owned , berkeley alpha, weiss 202, AA tube dac SE, and tried dozen of others dacs.. and now landing with an Diy AudioNote dac 3.1 . it is the first one i can listen hours and hours like my other analog stuff..

I neglected to post that I now have the Weiss Dac202. It is very impressive.

I don't know about the "best DAC ever" but the Tranquility SE pretty much maximizes my needs and especially my wants. Before I tried the Tranquility, I had no idea what a well-engineered and manufactured DAC could accomplish. And I was very skeptical of the claims made for the Tranquility. Now I see why the early adopters were ravers!

I have it setup with a 2010 MacMini (8GB ram) and Pure Music with a 1TB Oyen MiniPro firewire HD to store the files and RSAD Alethias USB from the Mini to the Tranquility SE.

The Tranquility is a consistent pleasure (and often jaw-dropping) for ripped files (AIFF) for streaming audio.

The customer service is amazing. Always interested in making the most of the system you have.

i am still enjoying my Zanden every day, and feel no need to look any further, despite knowing (as with all things), it too will be surpassed.

Dev, you right! AA had stock tubes and cable was just ordinary, but we used the same for Berkeley.
I believe that we can say something about component only in compare with another. Or sometime we say in compare with something we heard before. Like, best I've ever heard. And the question is what you really heard? Yesterday I said Berkeley is the best, Today I'm saying dCS is the best, may be tomorrow I'll find something better and it will be my new reference. This is all about your personal expirience, I believe.

I just put a Weiss Minerva dac into my system yesterday. With no breakin and used only with the Oppo universal player as a transport, I is shockingly good. The sound stage is just so real. Ultimately, I will be using a Mac Powerbook Pro running Amarra software and onto the Minerva by firewire. The Minerva has this input. I heard this system at the RMAF, but no effort had been made to optimize the room for listening. I can hardly wait to get this system set up having already heard this dac.

I have the AA Tube DAC with Long plate Buggle Boy Nos. My speakers are Wp7's which can be on the bright side if not used with proper electronics. While I have not heard the Berkley, the warmth and clarity that I hear from my DAC has not left me wanting. I once tried a very well respected digital cable that was recommended by Teajay. In my system it was too bright. It totally changed the character of the DAC. The point is that AA tube DAC is not at all bright or grainy. It has the advantage of being able to tune it to your system by rolling the tubes.
I am sure they are all good Dacs. The only weakness that I see in the AA is that it will not read files higher than 48. High resolution files cannot be used.

Hi Pubul57, I was looking through my past threads and couldn't locate but I believe it was the Acustic Arts Dac MK4 at that time compared to the ARC cd7 which I had on lone and prefered the AA which as you know has no tubes.

I use to have CAT JL3 Sig. MK11 mono's but don't use tube amps currently, looking at Teajay's system info. he uses solid state, I do use a tube pre though.

Hi Dev, I asked about the CD7, which you liked, and like the TubeDAC uses tubes, and I wonder if why they work so well for you, and for Teajay, stems from that a bit; not sure if your power amp is tubed. I agree about the problem of anyting being designated as "best", like all know, system matching and personal taste is just as much a part of the equation as the inherent qualities of any particular piece of gear.

Hi Murataltuev, thanks for the response. What tubes were being used in the Acustic Arts Tube dac, did you guys experiment with any others and what digital cable were you using along with the connection and of course transport. If you used it with the original tubes you never heard the dacs true qualities. I will keep those pces that you have mentioned on my list to get to compare. Referring to Teajay's responses about AA product I have found in the past to have a similar taste and when I tried different pces found to be on the same page of what my thoughts are. That being said there are so many flavours of sound and the rest of your set-up also greatly depends on the end result so possibly yours and mine just differ which is okay.

Hi Pubul57, if you read my past threads you will see that my answer would be yes to the cd7, it's been a long time now since so you would need to read through to find what my thoughts were. Good to read that you are happy with what you have, that's what it's all about.

Guys who are ranting about the word "best", anyone who has been in this hobby for any length of time knows there is no best in anything so don't get so worked up about when you read a thread referring to such.

Man, what a question and you expect to ever get a definitive answer? Look at the responses and you can see that pretty much if 100 people respond you will get 60-100 different answers. I have been in the hobby for over 25 years now and from what I can see to each his own! Yes, there are some statement products out there that are considered the BEST for a short time but they always get replaced by newer and "better" in no time! Just read some of the audio magazines out there and you will agree! One thing I just know by now is that each opinion is worth a penny and is pretty much useless unless you experience the product by yourself. What "tastes" good to me might be tastless to you.

I usually get this type fo questions by people outside "audiophilia": What is the BEsT speaker out there? What is the BEst company in Audio? What is the Best amplifier? What is the Best cup cake? The best for one is the MOST expensive. TO another is the "best sounding" for HIS or HER own tastes.

Sorry for being in a "philosophical" mood but the question did strike me funny. Please do not get me wrong. I enjoy reading the responses but if you try to make an assessment of what you learn you can go crazy. What amuses me to no end is that people actually TRY to respond to a question like this. They usually talk about their latest acquisition or something they dream about but rarely have any serious experience with. In both cases any response to what is BEST is at best subjective and in many cases very misleading.

Anyway, enjoy the hobby!

Dev, did you have the ARC CD7 prior to the TubeDAC? Did you have a chance to audition the latest versions of the EMM and or Berkeley? I'm sure the Scarlatti is good (I would hope so), but really viable for me. I think all of these are likely to be excellent, none is poor - but I will say that the EMM (CDSA, upgraded version) is very impressive to me.

Hi Dev,

When I say "bright" or "desintegrated", I mean in compare with...
Guy who bring Tube DAC said that this DAC is best he ever heard.
But after comparision in my system and than in his own, he agreed with me. So, this is just good expirience for you to think to try to compare.
As for me, after Emm and Berkeley I'm moving to Scarlatti.
All the rest sound poor in compare!
For my taste.

There is NO such a thing as the best DAC ever made. And there won't be one!!!!

Hi Murataltuev, Thx for the response. My system consist of different pces than Teajays, firstly he has MAG 20 panels and I use MBL 101E speakers and at no time have I ever heard my AA Tube Dac sound as you put it "very bright", "soundstage desintegrated" and lastly "highs irritated"

I'm at lost for words!

This is totally off the wall, something most defiantly was wrong going on in your set-up but most defiantly not the characteristics nor fault of the AA Tube Dac.

Now I can understand your remarks in your prior posting but something else was going on, too bad you did not get to hear the real characteristics.

I cannot speak for the EMM Labs DAC as I now own the CDSA, I also have not owned the AA Tube DAC, but the DAC IV, but after listening to more and more music with the EMM in MY system, I have to agree that the EMM offers much more information, specifically as it relates to the intonation of instruments and voice that communincates more of the performance to me than the AA MKIV did. Maybe this is all hairsplitting since all of this gear provides execellent perfromance, but the EMM is the best I have heard after having previoulsy owned NAIM, ARC and AA. So much of this is personal taste and system context, but the EMM gear is providing performance that I would choose over my previous gear. I hate be too enthusiatic over this stuff, but I think EMM is doing something right that really appeals to me in my system with jazz recordings. I have not even ventured down the road of SACD performance on this machine; which is almsot universally seen as far superior to what Redbook can provide.

Very interesting comparision!
I don't think that it is because of different taste as we was 4 people comparing this DACs.
May be it is system compatibility issue.
In my system AA Tube DAC sounded very bright.
Resolution was very high, but soundstage was desintegrated!
Highs was even irritated.
This two completely different results only means that you need to compare them in your own system.

Murataltuev,making such a statement suggesting these are in another league is very bold.

I'm quite interested in what you heard in your system. Please share some details regarding the sonic differences between them.

See below what Teajay's experience has been

11-13-09: Teajay
If Pubul57, had not beat me to the punch, I was going to add to this thread way I still find the Accustic Arts Tube DAC to be a keeper in my system.

I have spent a considerable amount of time listening/auditioning the following new crop of either DACS or CD players: 1) Berkeley Alpha DAC 2) Weiss Medea DAC 3) PS Audio Perfact Wave combo 4) Meridian 808i2 5) DCS Puccini 5) EMM reference player

All of the above were used for red book, I don't care about SACD or other high rev formats, and I did not find any of them to be better to my ears then the AA Tube DAC. They are all quite good and offer different sonic signatures, my favorite among them was the Weiss and Berkeley, I would put them in the type one sonic category, and was surprized at the performance of the Meridian 808i2, it just was ok, yet John Atkinson of Stereophile thiks its the best on redbook he has ever heard. But then at the end of the sonic day, I did not find any of them surpassing the musicality or over all performance of the AA Tube DAC in my system.

I do know that when a friend auditioned a totally broken in EMM Labs SE in my system in comparsion with the AA Tube DAC, he returned the EMM to the dealer and then purchased the AA Tube DAC. In my system the AA DAC was much more musical/natural, all on redbook CDs, and that's way my friend chose to purchase the AA Tube DAC.

Dev, I know that AA Tube DAC is better than many.
But Berkeley and Emmlabs in another league.
After comparision in my system, we did it in another and result was the same. I strongly recommend you to try one of this DACs.
Tomorrow I'll have a chance to compare them with dCS Scarlatti.

> 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.

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

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

> 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.

Thanks Sam. Bill - give it a rest.

Dacbuyer -- you used the Ayre with USB, but was was your source and method of connection with the other DACs?

Hi Fplanner2010,

I have an AN 4.1X Balanced DAC...it mesmerizes me. It's listed in my system.

Best,
Sam

I can't speak to what Alex is or isn't doing. I currently have his prototype Super-DAC and am breaking it in.

I've read a number of positive things about Audio Note DACs and am still wondering if anyone either has one or has heard one.

Thanks.

Anybody try Audio Note?

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.

The Berkeley is a very fine DAC, no doubt about it, but the best DAC ever made? That's a tough one!

Dev, did you, like Teejay, also have an opportunity to compare the Tube DAC with the DAC MKIV? I´m not sure why, but I do get the idea, that all the DACs discussed are beyond bad, all quite excellent, but we like to find differences; what a hobby is really all about. The new EMM Labs gear has me interested, but of course so much of this gear is actually difficult to audition, but under show conditions at RMAF or something like that.

Murataltuev, curious when you did your comparison between the Berkely and AA Tube DAC what your system set-up consisted of along with what tubes you had in the AA Tube DAC.

I have not directly compared the Berkely as of yet but have put the AA up against many other DAC's costing substantially more and it never sounded "bad" Actually it sounded so good that I currently still use it.

If you could also describe what you did not like.

Playback Designs, either as a stand-along DAC or as part of the MPS-5 disc player.

Dave

I've compared Berkely with AA Tube DAC and Emmlabs DAC2.
AA DAC in compare with Berkeley is just bad.
DAC2 is very close to Berkely, but a bit "digital" in the midrange in compare.
Interesting to compare with DCS Scarlatti.
I think it is the only real competitior for Berkely.

A curious hypothesis-only those who live in "third world" countries can come up with the same dumb ideas that came out of our auto industry. I don't expect that you have ever heard the APL equipment.

People were jealous of Corvair and Edsel owners at the onset.

But then again, Ford and GM never re-located to some third world country and hide out for months on end.

Dr. Livingston I presume?

Perrew- The new and only APL-NWO Super-DAC prototype is now in my system. WOW!! Alex has done it again!! You know what I am hearing, as do other 4.0-SE owners. The rest of you can just be jealous behind your APL-bashing.

To each their own, I suppose, but my faith in Alex is once again rewarded with an amazing piece of gear. I waited quite a while for this and got pretty frustrated, but was the wait worth it?

D E F I N I T E L Y!!!!!!

Bar, I drank it and it taste mighty fine. Businesses evolve over time. If I buy a product and I can have it upgraded over time when new innovations are made I consider that valuable and a good investment.
Im sure you like to drink something as well so lets hear what it is and we can discuss the pros and cons of the best dacs.

We get it. You drank the kool aid. Now let it go. No amount of your denials is going to make the truth about APL disappear.

Bill, Im sorry if you invested with Madoff but if it looks like sharpe 5 you can take it for sure the performance is fake. This player on the other hand is for real, I have it right here.

Bidat.

Oh, and bespoke is certainly not limited to just clothing, while yester-year it may have been used primarily in reference to clothing, it is used for nearly all things custom made and usually of a more high-end nature :)

>>11-12-09: Perrew
Bill:-) google apl hifi and then its the first hit.<<

I did.

It directed me to Bernie Madoff's website.

Irrespective if its hand made suits, hand made watches or hand made electronics, some things in life are worth waiting for.
But to get back on topic the APL NWO-4.0-SE is by a wide margin the best source Ive heard and it has the flexibility to accept Wi-Fi in or computer by wire.

Bill:-) google apl hifi and then its the first hit.

Dodson 218, with latest software. Still up there, IMHO.

Neal Glazer

I know where Bulgaria is located; it is very easy to find on a map....The same cannot be said for APL.

Ouch! (though, it gave me my first chuckle of the day, Bill)

Is he your tailor?

Bar, let me recommend Tom Mahon.

I know where Bulgaria is located; it is very easy to find on a map.

The same cannot be said for APL.

The drama surrounding APL is well publicized; Alex dug his own ditch.

On an unrelated note, bespoke is a term applied to clothing.

Bill, those countries reside in Asia. Bulgaria is in Europe.
Bar, Im not familiar with your experience with APL, but sometimes when you go to a bespoke shop the waiting time can be a little longer. From what I know there are no outstanding orders and the people that actually own the products are very happy with them. I dont know how many owners/designers you get to talk to direct when you phone them. APL can easily be reached by phone if you phone during regular hours.