Which R2R DAC UP TO 1K: ORGANIC, FULL-BODIED, DEEP SOUNDSTAGE
Hi all and hello George,
I`m new to Audiogon and as I have seen from earlier discussions some of you seem to be THE absolute R2R enthusiasts for many years. May I ask you for some help regarding this topic as I`m out for a new dac which should be R2R?
I`m coming from a Lector CDP 707, which is sold now as I got over to streaming, but I bloody regret it. The Lector had all I ever wanted, tonally he played on the warm, full-bodied side, organically with a lot of flesh to the bone and authority/slam and I loved the expansive soundstage, not overly wide but very deep. Bass was punchy enough even for EDM which I listen to mainly.
For the moment I`m using my former headamp as a DAC, the Questyle CMA 600i, with a DS chip on board, AKM 4490. I wouldn`t call it a catastrophe, but of course the signature is lightyears away from the Lector.
When looking for a new DAC I saw that Lector Strumenti offers some too, but I`m afraid my budget is too small with up to 1K, so this is not an option.
In respect of the Lector using the PCM 1704K I thought about (ab)using some vintage gear, for examle the Denon DVD 5000 with 4xPCM 1704J on board too (the Denon has a digital input and could be used as a stand alone DAC too), but I was told the analog stage is crappy and so I got away from this.
Still on my mind is the old Naim DAC and the Bifrost 2 or a used HoloSpring but for the moment I got no possibilitys to test them in my system (I`m using a tube packed preamp and as a headamp the Emotiva BasX 100 with the jumpers set as my "heddphone" requires some juice) and sure I`m open to any other ideas.
So, what would be your favourite devices when looking at my desired sound and knowing what (tiny amount) I got to spend?
It should be able to handle 24/96 btw, but my main concern would be an extremely deep and wide soundstage and a darker organic tonality.
Would be really glad for some help and input.
Best regards
Michael
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- 45 posts total
Denafrips, hmmm. Don’t they use the soekris architecture in general? I found their 1421 a bit to thin. Not harsh or cold but not as rich and full-bodied as I wanted. I think Alvin from Vineshine replied a while back that the Denafrips DACs are unrelated to Soekris and use a proprietary R2R architecture. I am thrilled with my Denafrips Terminator, but this is above your price range. From what I understand, the models down the line have a very similar sonic signature, with a little less detail and refinement. My Terminator sounds fairly neutral with a presentation fairly similar to my Schitt Yggdrasil A2, but with a bit more energy in the bass. Very easy to listen to for long periods. Since I have my home office in my listening room, I've enjoyed listening to it for 8 hours or more a day almost every day for the past several months. Previous DACS included Krell Reference 64 (that was a while back), Mark Levinson No 39 (used as both a player and DAC), W4S DAC2, and Yggy. The Yggdrasil is a great DAC with excellent detail and soundstage, but it can start to sound a bit congested on lesser quality recordings. I've found I'm enjoying more of my older classic rock recordings with the Terminator than I did with the Yggy. |
Hello guys, I'm Alvin from Vinshine Audio. I can confirm that the DENAFRIPS DACs are unrelated to Soekris. I guess the confusion may arises due to the fact that i used to use Soekris dam1021 to OEM DAC under Vinshine Audio brand in 2016. I can relate @barrista0611 comment on the Soekris sound characteristic and i strongly agree to it as well, especially when I had a chance to compare the Soekris DAC1541 VS the Ares II. Some comments on the DENAFRIPS Ares II you might find it useful: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/denafrips-dacs.897934/page-29#post-24304385 Cheers, Alvin Chee www.vinshineaudio.com |
- 45 posts total