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What DAC upgrade made you say “DAMN, that sounds SO MUCH better than my last DAC”?

As the title suggests, what was your overall system and DAC at the point where you bought only a new DAC and said “DAMN, that sounds SO MUCH better than my last DAC”?

I’m a novice and so many people talk about improvements from new equipment as if they were only listening to varying degrees of static until they bought more and more new equipment which added up to them finally being presented with music. It’s like Salome and the seven veils. But when does the last veil get peeled away? 

So what system did you have and what DAC did you swap in that made you say “DAMN!!!!”?

I guess I’m looking for night and day differences, not gradual progressions……


pip_helix
atanarjuat99's avatar
atanarjuat99
51 posts
 
LUMIN T2. I am a relative beginner as well. I started using the stock DAC on the Hegel H390 but wanted something more. That *Damm, that’s good* feeling. Quite a few folks on the Roon forum had mentioned the Lumin T2. I live in a relatively remote area so took a chance and ordered one cold. The T2 takes about 2 weeks to break in but from the moment I first heard it, I was like *DAMM, that is amazing*. Feels like every instrument is being separately unfolded but somehow part of a unified sound.
Just my 2¢. 
Good luck.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,102 posts
 
“I have an Esoteric K-01xd with the best FPGA programmable DAC (64 bit) that I have heard...beats both the best DCS and MSB Tech DACs in my system.”
@gerryah930,

Can you please elaborate on ‘best DCS and MSB’ since they have different tiers of reference. I would like to know which models you’ve tried that were bested by K-01xd? 
pengun
79 posts
 
I was very pleased with my Denafrips Ares II. But when I added a network bridge using a Pi2AES, it took it to another place. Quiet wonderful and the very thing you are looking for. ;)
tweak1
3,561 posts
 
I just watched a YTV review of the Musician Aquarius DAC  - Technically Impressive R-2R Sound

While I am very interested in the Audio GD, this is much smaller, rack friendly


"Only" $2800 and comes in white or black


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5pTPCtNJ6M&t=905s
zlone
443 posts
 
While not quite night and day, the upgrade of my Gungnir to Multibit was an immediate and noticeable improvement.

Zlone, what did you upgrade to?

I owned the original Gungnir and later had them upgrade it to multibit version. That upgrade was significant.




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