Border Patrol SE-I. Amazing analogue sounding and musically involving dac.
Which DACs are known to be sweet/rich/relaxed?
Problem
System is nicely transparant and detailed, but tends to get bright and harsh with certain (rock) recordings and at higher volume levels.
Objective
Nudge the system towards a sweeter, richer, more relaxed presentation.
Proposed solution / first step
Upgrade to a (tube based) DAC, budget $25-40k.
Current chain
- ROON Nucleus
- Mola Mola Tambaqui
- Gryphon Essence pre amp
- Gryphon Essence monoblocks
- Focal Stella Utopia EVO
- Full loom of Triode Wire Labs cables
- Dedicated power line straight into Puritan PSM156 mains filter
- System resides in the living room with some diffusors but no absorption other than sofas, chairs, and some rugs.
On my radar
Lampizator Pacific (or Golden Gate 2 since I heard it's more "tube-like")
Aries Cerat Kassandra 2 Ref or Sig
— What other DACs should I consider?
— Do you think upgrading to another (tube based) DAC will achieve that sweeter, richer, more relaxed presentation?
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- 198 posts total
My experience with bright speakers as i own Thiel CS 3.7 is change your Gryphon amps for tube amps. I have tried just about everything you could possibly imagine over the past few years and nothing worked to tame the speakers until i tried a Jadis amp in my system. I've owned Gryphon and it's not a good match with bright speakers. The only other solution is get rid of your Focals and find smooth speakers. Hope that helps.
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@robert1976 on the lower end of your 25-40k budget try the Playback Designs MPD-8 DAC, direct into your amps. No need for any preamp and it’s among the most ‘un-digital’ smoothest, real music converters available. They have a long break in cycle, so make sure if you do get a chance to try one, it’s got plenty of runtime. |
- 198 posts total