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Thinking about getting a R2R DAC

Dear community,

I currently have a chord qutest DAC. I like it a lot, very full sound, accurate detailed and exciting.  However, whenever I go back to vinyl (with a well-recorded nice pressing) I find the sound so much more satisfying.  There is a warmth, yes, but there is a presence, a 'there-ness' that I just don't get with the digital.  I'm wondering if an R2R DAC would get me closer to that?  my budget would be around the same as the qutest.  I was looking at the MHDT Orchid or the Border Patrol.  Don't get me wrong, I really like the Qutest.  I am thinking of putting it in the upstairs system to pair with the Node2i I have up there.  Any thoughts?  Will analog always just be a different animal than digital?

Currently in the main system I have a Sonore uRendu feeding the Qutest which is going to a LTA MZ2 going to a Pass XA 30.5

thanks!
adam8179
jimmyblues1959
115 posts
 
There's always the Schiit Modi Multibit.  It's a great entry level R2R Dac.  It's cheap
enough at  $249 to let you know if you'll  like the R2R sound without spending much.

And its resale value is great.  😃
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,838 posts
 
I've had limited experience with DAC's -- Audioengine D1, Peachtree DAC-IT, Nodi 2i built in DAC, and my MHDT Orchid R2R DAC. The Orchid came with a very nice tube, but I wanted to mellow out the sound a bit, add some warmth. With some good suggestions from folks here, I changed out the tube and now I have a very warm but not too colored sounding system, even when streaming. For further context, I have both a solid state integrated and an all tube setup. When using the solid state, the Orchid is especially helpful. 
dougeyjones's avatar
dougeyjones
163 posts
 
@fsonicsmith 

I actually know exactly what “bit-perfect” was originally intended to mean, and it has nothing at all to do with what’s being discussed in this thread. 

Bit perfect originally described software that could faithfully play back or pass on a digital signal to an outboard DAC without performing any resampling in the process. This only became necessary when people started using computers seriously as digital front ends and realized that Microsoft’s “DirectSound” resampled everything to 48khz before output. The solution was “KernelStreaming”, then ASIO and eventually WASAPI. 

So, the way it’s been used in this thread, including your post is inaccurate. 
Post removed 
soix
8,822 posts
 
I don't think simply going to an R2R DAC is going to bring you the sonic nirvana you are looking for. 
+1 @dannad — I think you’re much more likely to achieve the sound you’re looking for by going with an R2R DAC with NOS.  Further, going with a tubed DAC will probably be beneficial as well and gives you the ability to further tailor the sound to your liking.  Models from MHDT and AudioMirror among others offer these characteristics and offer a trial period so you can try them in your own system, which is a really nice plus.  Best of luck. 
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