@calvinj I finally gotten around to this thread. I have enjoyed the many post that have focused on your original question, which to me did not seem structured to a price point. The best DAC that i have heard is the one I currently have in my system, an Audio Mirror Tubadour III. It provides a smooth, detailed, harmonically rich presentation at a price point commensurate to my system.
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@mesch I did this so that many people would read it and depending on what price point you can afford they would all get suggestions. My system is pretty much on the higher end. So I typically go towards certain ones because of where my system is at but I will soon do a smaller back up system. So lower price points will be in that one but I still want good performance. |
to properly judge a dac, you need to also consider the server feeding it. and the quality of the A/C power grid, and even the power supplies of the dac and the server. it all matters when you are chasing ultimate performance. the best dac i have heard is my Wadax Reference dac. that includes the Wadax Reference server. 30 months ago they arrived and i compared it directly in my system to my 4 year reference, the MSB Select II + the Taiko Extreme server. here. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/wadax-reference-dac-and-server-arrive.34173/ 2 months ago i added the Wadax Reference server power supply which boosted the performance further. and a month ago i auditioned 3 Wadax Akasa DC power supply cables (1 between the server and separate power supply, and 2 between the two dac power supplies and the dac) which took things to another level beyond. very spendy. i very reluctantly returned the demo Akasa cables to my dealer, and i ordered the cables two weeks ago and should recieve them mid May. Wadax calls adding these cables "Level 4". here is an interview with Javier from Wadax about ’Level 4’ and other Wadax details. comments on the Akasa DC cables and "Level 4" starts at 11:39 time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Q0Z1aamWaQE the performance of the Wadax is remarkable, and the only thing i can compare it to is my vinyl and tape performance which is at a high level.....not any other dac or server. i do listen to 70% digital and look forward to "Level 3 Wadax.......soon to be level 4" every day. |
@mikelavigne im actually feeding mines for a stripped down mini cpu that took all non audio functions out streaming from audiarvana. Just want the server to get out of the way. I use our Infigo power cords that just get out of the way and let the music flow. I tried top of line Melco. Tried a couple other things. This sounds best. |
