R2R Ladder DACs or All in One Streamer Solutions


I am soon to own a Pass INT 25 integrated amp. I also own an Oppo 205. 

I am now searching for a separate DAC to replace/improve the DAC in the Oppo.
Budget $2k. Used preferred.

I like the R2R ladder sound and want a tube inside for a little balance with the Solid State gear.
My current source is the Oppo 205.

I am also shopping for a Streamer/Ripper/Storage device. Roon friendly and DSD capable.
Budget also $2k. Used Preferred.

It seems that the few offerings of these all in one solutions all contain a DAC.
My thought is that the DAC included will not be any better than the Oppo so it is of little use.

Has anyone been down this road lately? 

Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!
chorus
Correct, RedBook, 16/44, 24/96, or DXD, done with R2R Multibit and done right is "Bit Perfect", where DS (Delta Sigma, 1-Bit, Bit-Stream, Single Bit), is just a facsimile. But it does do DSD, but then there a few discrete R2R Multibit dacs out now that can also do DSD now.


They absolutely are not bit-perfect. They have non-linearities, settling time issues, flicker noise, etc.  They are just simpler to understand than sigma-delta. At the end of the day, all that matters is that the analog waveform that comes out looks like the one that went in.  Getting hung up on data converter architecture is silly unless you specifically want the artifacts that come with that technology.



To me the best Delta Sigma dac chip I’ve heard doing RedBook, was one that used a Delta Sigma Burr Brown dac chip in a YBA Dac and Shanling CD , but it was a Hybrid, having the first 4 bits as multibit but the rest taken over with Delta Sigma, that was the Burr Brown PCM1794 or 94 or 98?

It seems to me that TI (Texas Instruments/Burr Brown) with their later dacs "are coming about face" to R2R again and doing these 4 bit Hybrids, instead of their full Delta Sigma PCM1738 etc, as to do full R2R (eg PCM1702/1704etc) is going back to very high costs again because of the manufacturing of them eg: laser trimming all those R2R resistors.) Where doing 4 bit is not too expensive but gives increased sound quality.

The PCM1738 is a segmented DAC (TI Advanced Segment DAC) as has been probably almost every single IC based sigma delta converter for audio in the last 20 years. Using a multi-bit modulator allows for much better practical implementations of SD audio DACs.



Ok, do not know now? Was kind of liking my tubed MHDT Orchid. Maybe I should like? Maybe I should not? My ears are still deciding, for 4 months now. So far it is one of my favorites. My ears will decide. Enjoy!
Interesting piece of info posted by @decooney..."Formed in 2002: Music Heaven Development Team (MHDT)". Wondered what that acronym was. 
I can be passionate about technical details, but please understand I absolutely think personal preference (our ears) are the most important. It does not matter what I think or link, it matters what you like. However, I think it is important not to get caught up in the flavor of the month and let the "masses", or perhaps it is the "crowd" decide what currently you should "like".  That is why I point out that it was not too long ago that DACs based on the 1541 were not considered good, but suddenly they are again. Which is not to say you don't love your DAC, because you obviously do.  If I had to guess, it has little to do with the 1541, and a lot to do with the overall design, warts and all. Warts are good in audio.  We are working very hard to add warts to recorded music these days. People like warts.


jbmac7594 posts11-08-2020 8:52pmOk, do not know now? Was kind of liking my tubed MHDT Orchid. Maybe I should like? Maybe I should not? My ears are still deciding, for 4 months now. So far it is one of my favorites. My ears will decide. Enjoy!

The PCM1738 is a segmented DAC
Musical Fidelity used the PCM1738 Delta Sigma dac in 2002 in their A3/24 this was the start of the "new wave" because it was way to expensive to produce R2R chips with the multitude of laser trimmed resistors in them like in the TDA1541 and PCM1702 and 04 and more.
We A/B’d the that MF A3/24 which was mine against R2R dacs, even no name ones from China, which used the TDA1541 and PCM1702/4, and on RedBook CD using the same transport, the R2R chip’ed dacs reined supreme.
And today the "Discrete R2R" like my MSB, my friends Total are even better again than those old "chip based" R2R d/a converters.

Cheers George