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*DAC

I am down to the last piece of the puzzle. I am very happy with the sound of my system at this point, so I’m not sure if the DAC needs to be improved on. What I am looking for is to hear those background subtleties in the music a little more pronounced. The strum of a guitar, the stroke of the piano keys, the clicks, ticks & tingles that accompany the music. I do here that now, I just wondered if there is a way to elaborate on those background sounds (details) a bit more.

Is it the DAC that will make this happen? If it is, they say my Gustard R26 is as good as a $5K DAC, how far over that $5K do you think I have to go?

Thank you for your help and suggestions and the best to you all over the holiday season and beyond!

PS: I listen mostly to Jazz

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curiousjim's avatar
curiousjim
4,203 posts
 

@paul70 

Only had the R26 for a day and a half. But the Pontus ll has a wider soundstage, sometimes it was even outside of the speakers. The Pontus ll gave me better, cleaner bass. The upper range seemed a tad cleaner and maybe a bit brighter.

All of this was on my system. YRMV.

paul70's avatar
paul70
11 posts
 

@curiousjim I had the R26 for a month. In my system, it highlighted certain upper frequencies, creating a very unnatural presentation. Needless to say, it did not synergize well with my system. And yes, it had been burnt in prior to coming to me. Much like the OP, I am "DAC-curious" but cautious because of my R26 experience. It did not improve upon the performance of my Marantz CD player.

gdnrbob
4,411 posts
 

@gdnrbob "In my not very scientific opinion, you have to spend around $10K to get the detail you are looking for" UGH, that's depressing, I better start saving up then.

Once again, much depends upon how resolving your system is. 

Also, your cables will make a noticeable difference to sound reproduction. Add to this using 'dejittering' devices like the Wayversa.

Bob

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