Best DACs under $7,000.00


I'm tentatively beginning the search for a DAC upgrade.  Currently, I have Innuos Zen MK3 as a streamer connected via USB to a Denafrips Iris DDC that is connected via I2S to a Denafrips Pontus II DAC.  The Pontus II is excellent but I feel it's the one point where I could gain incremental improvement toward that illusive natural, layered, analog end-of-the-rainbow.  I simply can't / won't spend above $5,000.00 - $7,000.00 on the DAC. The rest of my system:  top-of-line Prima Luna Evo 400 Integrated Amp and a set of Harbeth speakers.  Right now, I'm looking at Denafrips Terminator II or Holo Audio May DAC.  I've never seen an a/b comparison of these two, but both stand out and have a following.  Of course, the unsettling thing is DACs have evolved so much and are still in a blooming state technologically, making it a given that whatever we have today will probably be surpassed by better for less later, like electric vehicles. But that's the nature of the beast.  Does anyone have alternative suggestions in this current climate?

gregjacob

I preferred a Lampi over any Aqua offering. Tried the Holo May, very good DAC, but the Lampi has more depth, and connects me more emotionally to the music (fwiw)

The only other DAC I heard I wish I had is the Accuphase DC-1000, simply the best digital source I ever heard, but it is 30k…


One thing to consider is feeding clean power to your DAC, keep some money for the smallest Elite Plixir Conditionner, the difference it makes is huge, I tested it in numerous systems and each time the background noise dissipates, more meat in the midrange, smooth treble!

And they'll say the 10K ones "punch" much, much higher or multiples above. : )

 

reviewers have said punches in the 10 K level

Would you please provide links to the reviews wherein reviewers said it punches in the $10k level?

I’ve written about it before, but I’ve compared the T+A DAC 200 against a modded DirectStream DAC, a Lampizator Baltic 3 with $1K in NOS tubes, the Mola Mola Tambaqui, and the $38.5K T+A SDV 3100 HV. While the T+A reference was the clear winner, the DAC 200 was also a clear winner across the remainder of the competition. It has nearly as much body and harmonics of the Lampizator with all of the speed and detail of the Mola Mola while being more fluid and coherent, where the Mola Mola can come off to be more clinical/analytical. Decay and bass definition is much improved in the DAC 200 where in the Mola Mola it can sound dry and processed.