DAC recommendations

[GreenNGoldCheesehead]

Looking for DAC recommendations. Currently have D'Agostino progression on order. Have TAD ME1's and using Rose RS150B. Considering Tambaqi, Esoteric N-01-XD- any others I should consider ? Thank you.

 

[Young Skywalker]

What is your budget and what are your priorities? That will assist in making recommendations.

 

[GreenNGoldCheesehead]

$5k to $25k USD. Not sure what u mean by priorities ? The most analog sound is probably most important. That said is there a point of minimal return for the money ? Thx.

 

[ecwl]

I personally think that Rose RS150B has a fairly decent DAC output. If you’re going to pair with D’Agostino, you may want to wait to get your DAC to make sure you don’t go over board on the analog sound.

That said, a tube DAC (e.g. Lampizator) or R2R DACs (e.g. Holo, MSB, TotalDAC, Schiit, etc) tend to give a warmer sound that people consider to be analog. I have a hunch Tambaqui or Esoteric may not be your cup of tea. They’re more somewhere between what I suggested and your Rose. So they may not be analog enough for you. But like I said, it depends on how you find the D’Agostino to begin with. I think system synergy is very important in this situation.

 

[vermaxis]

$5k to $25k USD. Not sure what u mean by priorities ? The most analog sound is probably most important. That said is there a point of minimal return for the money ? Thx.

I went through an extensive DAC shootout over the past year. While we all have different needs so our experiences don’t overlap 100%, I had to jump in since you mentioned “analog” sound which is something I was looking for as well - organic and non-fatiguing.

I ended up with the Playback Designs MPD-8 and highly recommend it. It comes in at the top of your price range.

If you click on my name you can check out my thread as I posted various impressions of the DACs I tried. Feel free to reach out via PM if you’d like to discuss.

 

[GreenNGoldCheesehead]

I went through an extensive DAC shootout over the past year. While we all have different needs so our experiences don’t overlap 100%, I had to jump in since you mentioned “analog” sound which is something I was looking for as well - organic and non-fatiguing.

I ended up with the Playback Designs MPD-8 and highly recommend it. It comes in at the top of your price range.

If you click on my name you can check out my thread as I posted various impressions of the DACs I tried. Feel free to reach out via PM if you’d like to discuss.

That was another one I was considering. Did u listen to the merlot and the edelweiss as well ? Was there a big jump between the edelweiss and the dream dac ? Thx.

 

[gadawg58]

Find a dealer or two who will let you take one or two of your top contenders home to audition. That way you’ll know. I’ve done several auditions lately and I’ve been very up front with the dealers that their product might not win but if they wanted to be considered I needed a home demo. No issues but I live in a large market. Still have another demo or two to go before I decide.

George

 

[vermaxis]

That was another one I was considering. Did u listen to the merlot and the edelweiss as well ? Was there a big jump between the edelweiss and the dream dac ? Thx.

I did not listen to those as the MPD-8 was at the top of my price range and I didn’t want to listen to a lower level/version and play the ‘what if’ game.

I was told by two different people that the difference between the 6 and 8 is just “more of everything”. The 6 is a good foundation and the 8 just expands on detail, soundstage and organic presentation.

 

[Lee]

Definitely have a listen to the dCS Bartok Apex. Terrific dac and you can add a clock later for even better sound.

 

[V-Fi]

I was shocked to hear how great the relatively affordable Schiit Yggdrasil sounds. I've always known it was a solid DAC for the money, but the various evolutionary upgrades over the years have pushed it into another class entirely (imho of course).

I wouldn't hesitate to put it into a system like yours, it is that good. The absolute best? Of course not, but a reliable way of getting very satisfying "analog" sound for a steal of a price.

 

[tdadawa]

If you want to have some fun you could look for a Musical Paradise MP-D2 MK3 Deluxe which is way below your budget but you can spend thousand of dollars on upgrading it with do it yourself tube rolling, capacitor rolling and dac module rolling. Everything is easily replaceable with no soldering. Check out the forum on head-fi.

 

[Ron Resnick]

If you want to have some fun you could look for a Musical Paradise MP-D2 MK3 Deluxe which is way below your budget but you can spend thousand of dollars on upgrading it with do it yourself tube rolling, capacitor rolling and dac module rolling. Everything is easily replaceable with no soldering. Check out the forum on head-fi.

Welcome to WBF, tdadawa!

This looks like an interesting DAC!

 

[Republicoftexas69]

Reach out to Constantine @ https://www.atelier13-usa.com/lessloss-echos-end-dac and Demo the LessLoss Echo's End DAC in your system. I did and never looked back.

 

[Sampajanna]

Lampi Poseidon or used Pacific FTW! Playback Designs is rad too. You can’t go wrong there.

 

[chuck]

Did u listen to the merlot and the edelweiss as well ?

I had the Merlot before moving to the MPD8 about five years ago. The Merlot is a very good DAC if you can find one. The MPD8 is much better of course.

 

[Slingblade]

I'd recommend listening to the Weiss Helios along with all the others mentioned so far, it's an excellent DAC.