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A Newcomer to Digital Looking to Upgrade My Dac, Tubes? Ideas?

Being a relative newcomer to digital downloads and playback, I love the convenience when I am looking for a short music session and don't feel like going through my vinyl. I find the digital quality pretty good, but looking to upgrade my dac to get some additional warmth into my playback, I'm thinking maybe a tube dac, not sure what I should spend but cost wise was thinking of $ 2,000.00 as a budget. Not sure if such a dac exists, or if you have suggestions. I have built up a pretty good collection of both PCM and DSD HD music, mostly copies of what I have on vinyl but the vinyl has seen better days. Currently I am using a TEAC UD-501, tube preamp- (Schiit Mjolnir 2), Amp.- (Adcom 555se), Balanced throughout usually through my PC but I also use my portable through the coax to the dac. Speakers are Wilson Benesch Square 2. Unfortunately I have an L shaped listening room, which seconds as our living room, typical of what you find in a condo, volume levels are generally low to medium, to spare the neighbours, and I split my time between the speakers and headphones.
128x128pooch2
bpoletti
1,529 posts
 
Upgrade DAC?  Tubes?  Ideas?  

Upgrade the acoustics in your room.  It's a lot cheaper than electronics and more aesthetically pleasing.  Use a dozen or more artificial Ficus trees scattered around the room to be used as sound diffusers and absorbers.    
cfarrow's avatar
cfarrow
78 posts
 
Don’t take any advice from jasonbourne52, he thinks everything cheap is better than anything you have to spend more than a couple hundred dollars for.  You could easily find a Audio Note Dac with R2R Dac, tube output and tube regulated power supply.
Good Luck with your search!
rickallen81
65 posts
 
I tried a few Dacs and after being tempted by and MHDT DAC for months and researching way too much, I got an Orchid. It’s great. Adds some tube flavor to digital that just sounds right. Still very clear and with great dynamics and tube rolling helps to dial in the flavor. Highly recommended 
jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 
All you need.
blkwrxwgn
240 posts
 
This might not be the popular opinion but after going thru a few DAC’s I’ve realized that they have the least amount of impact as almost all the things you can do to your system.

Acoustics, cables, different speakers! and amps/preamps all have WAY more impact on the sound than a DAC, unless you are using some cheap built in DAC right now.

What speakers do you have? If they are be all, end all speakers then that’s great but selling your speakers and adding $2k to your budget for new ones is the biggest difference in sound possible. Diminished returns puts DAC’s pretty far down the line of changes to your system if you ask me.
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