Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Charlie Hansen also agrees. He disliked DSD personally.  He also knew how to filter properly.  George it's absolute statements like your's that turn many off. 

Many of us listen to all designs and products and we use our ears.  There are great designs on both sides.  The way you post, you are saying that any R2R design sounds better than any DAC that is D/S.  Teh only absolute in the discussion is that you are plain wrong.  No one is dismissing the R2R being able to sound world class.  

How about speakers George?  Are you going to tell us a certain crossover design being better than another?  Again, totally subjective.  

As Charles and nearly anyone else who has any audio sense will say, it's all about implementation.  If you disagree with that, then you lose any credibility with most folks I would think.  Your constant R2R gets old.  Very dismissive of even a designer like Steve who most of use feel makes one of the best DAC's available.  I've owned and loved his DAC that was R2R and have been told by many I trust that his new DS DAC is a lot better.  One designer, builds one of each and implants them both in an outstanding manor.  He chose DS for his top design.  I realize you will dismiss him by staying on your R2R platform, but that's not cool as he's ever said that R2R can't make a great DAC.  

Can't wait for Matt to get back from his vacation and get back to auditioning, lol.  Once I'm out of the hospital and get a couple more weeks or rest, I'll be heading down to his place (if my ride comes through, lol).  I can't wait to hear his system and what he thinks of the Shun Mook Footers he finally got in before he left.  

Hey you @ctsooner ,  get out of that hospital.  Get some rest and get well.  Deb is taking the same Rx infusion.  Time will tell.   Best to you always my Vandersteen aficionado!  David

  
That fine for you, but sorry it's what I've heard with many A/B's in my own system and with others. To me PCM done with DS is akin to amplification being done with Class-D

I'm with fuzzbutt17 (Benjamin from Mojo Audio) and yet to hear different, to me the best pcm conversion is not done with DS.
   
You have to ask yourself why are there so are many (expensive) discrete and "chip versions (egSchiit)" R2R lader dac's now being made that are made in Europe, GB, China, US ect,  just to do PCM with, and not even able to do DSD, crazy marketing if it had nothing to better to give.
 
Why go to that bother and expense with a "so called" dying Redbook format. When these guys can get say the top line ESS Sabre dac chip for a fraction of the price, with digital domain volume control and all sorts of other goodies, and be able to do DSD.

Cheers George

@audioengr

+1 Yes it is the filtering that creates the dead effect. Still one of the most problematic issues with any DAC. Marantz house sound is dark and dead. I have heard plenty of great sounding SACD but Marantz is not to my taste.

@georgehifi

DS or R-2R can both sound fantastic if done well. DS currently has the edge in performance especially the hybrid designs that have 6 bits in depth. Old DS with only one bit depth suffered from high amounts of noise but was besutifully linear. R-2R has much less noise but suffers from linearity issues. The hybrid designs that are in the all the modern ESS chips are a great blend of the positives from both - they are highly linear and low noise too.

Modern DS chips are basically akin to a 6 bit R-2R - they function just like R-2R with their output level a function of the number of selected individual DS that are summed up to make up the output - exactly like a ladder DAC.

Noise is what drives the need for heavy filtering....