What the Best Dac have you heard or owned. How could you tell it was that good.

I forgot to say about the "capitalist pecking order" that if you want to understand it you must study Bernard Mandeville not Adam smith or Marx...

It is not me who said it it is Hayek who called Mandeville , "our master to us all" ...With 8 Nobel in economy  among his students and disciples i bet he know something...( But not so much more than Mandeville the true genius )

Keep your "pecking order" but study Mandeville if you want to understand the ass of the next rooster above you in the "pecking order" .... 😊

Sorry it is stronger than me, i am retired and my job was to coach students readings...

Take it well for my book advice i was very good at my job...A not very high job in the "pecking order"... But I miss it ...

Having owned a variety of top-tier DACs including MSB, Playback Design Merlot, Dreams Series, Aqua Acoustics, Lampizator models, Berkley, and custom-built tube R2R DACs from a Russian contact, I've also sampled and borrowed units from friends. Among them, the DCS stood out as one I struggled to enjoy. While the performance of others ranged from good to lacking, the Playback Design Dream Series shone as an exceptional DAC for solid-state setups. Yet, in my opinion, the pinnacle of audio excellence is achieved by Aries Cerat DACs, particularly the Ithaka and Kassandra LE Series, offering one of the most musical and captivating presentations I've ever encountered.

For those on a tighter budget, starting with the Helene or Kassandra Ref is a solid choice. While the Lampizator Horizon stands as a strong contender for an excellent DAC, the Aries Cerat Ithaka or Kassandra LE reign supreme in my listening experience. Budget considerations will undoubtedly influence buyers’ decisions. Personally, I lean towards Aries Cerat proves to be more user-friendly and manageable in comparison.

+1 phantom_av.  I find the Aeries Cerat Hele’ne captivating.  It’s not just the wonderful sound and large soundstage but the Hele’ne has rhythm and pace like analog.  I have not heard a lot of DACs in my home; but when I put the Hele’ne in my system I knew it was a keeper.

@tomic601 

A boat is just a tool for chasing fish

Agree 100%, grew up a couple of miles from Seal Beach, CA and spent every available minute fishing and surfing off Seal Beach and Huntington Beach piers.  Now freshwater.

@carlsbad2 

@jetter Not sure why you disagree with me and then provide your own evidence why it is in the ditch.

Not intentional, my bad phrasing.  Incidentally, I spent latter years working for largest power company in VT.  We built VYNPC, now long decommissioned. 

@mahgister 

Sorry it is stronger than me, i am retired and my job was to coach students readings...

Take it well for my book advice i was very good at my job...A not very high job in the "pecking order"... But I miss it ...

Honestly, I'm sure you have had a huge, positive impact on people's lives in their formulative years and beyond and are very proud of it as you should be.  I am stunned at your memory.  

@calvinj 

I am one who thinks having manufacturers, dealers and retailers post here is a positive thing with the caveat that they clearly identify as such.  I was just surprised that you were one as I had admittedly skimmed over a lot of your posts and never quite noticed. 

@kairosman 

Let's not agree to disagree.