Who Are Your Favorite DAC Designers?

[LL21]

Yes, the TDA1541 was the peak of the early R2R ladder DAC movement before Bitstream took over. Interestingly, Bitstream went on to become DSD and the R2R DAC technology is now very prevalent in high end DACs.

The TDA1541 is an incredible sounding DAC when you implement it well - without the corresponding digital filter of the time. Interestingly, Audio Note's Top of the line DAC (level 6) uses a similar vintage chip the AD1865.

I am no technie, but have enjoyed the Zanden 4-box digital for many many years now with no desire to look elsewhere. The TDA-1541 Double Crown. Non-oversampling and no digital filter. Although its resolution when set up correctly is extremely good, I do not think it is the last word in resolution today...but it is so finely balanced and so free of artifacts, when the rest of the system is right, I can play and forget about anything else but the music.

 

[VPN]

Totaldac (Vincent Brient)

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

Our team at iFi Audio (duh), Lukasz Fikus from Lampizator, Ed Meitner from EMM, and Rob Watts from Chord Electronics.

 

[dcathro]

Our team at iFi Audio (duh), Lukasz Fikus from Lampizator, Ed Meitner from EMM, and Rob Watts from Chord Electronics.

But which of the 3 is your favorite?

 

[Kawero]

Javier from Wadax

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

But which of the 3 is your favorite?

Can't pick really. They all represent very different approaches, and they all have their own place in the audio society.

 

[Gregadd]

This is a far more difficult question than it appears.
So much depends on the format.

 

[Amir]

Daniel Weiss
Ed Meitner
Dan Lavry
Keith Johnson

 

[Digital Buddha]

Lukasz Fikus - Lampizator
Andreas Koch - playback designs
Bruno Putzeys - mola mola , others
Ed Meitner - emm

 

[Gregadd]

Bruno Putzeys, Mola Mola

 

[deusmeitner]

you can only like a dac designer so much.....

the $25K da2v2 dac sounds fantastic.

the $25K TX2 transport is a hidden disaster.
supposedly it has absolute polarity switching function, but users dun get any status indicator on the screen display.
when asked about it, the designer's son said he checked with their engineers and they have already removed the function.
yet, if this was the case, even after 6 months from the day of the enquiry, the feature is still not removed from their website.
and here's the rotten egg: the function was never removed, the transport still respond to remote control command codes to change polarity status, but since the polarity isn't indicated anywhere on the screen display, the user will have no clue when polarity changes has taken place. Worse still, powering down the dac doesn't reset polarity back to its original status.

Hi Jerome, Amadeus here.
TX2 does not have a polarity switch, polarity switch is performed in the DA2 which can be toggled directly from the front panel.

Cheers.

 

[matthias]

Fredrik Lejonklou

Källa | Lejonklou

Emile Bok (Taiko Audio)
Mike Moffat (Schiit Audio)


Matt

 

[jeromelang]

Hi Jerome, Amadeus here.
TX2 does not have a polarity switch, polarity switch is performed in the DA2 which can be toggled directly from the front panel.

Cheers.

Sorry to bust your bubble.

The TX2 does respond to polarity change commands, even if there is no status indicator.
There is clear audible change in imaging outline and dynamic slam factor after each polarity change command from the remote control.
What's more, the polarity status remains even after the transport is powered off (from the rear panel rocker switch).

I've sold off both the TX2/DA2 and TSDX/DAC2X.

 

[davidavdavid]

Not entirely sure I understand the purpose of this thread. No doubt that a fair number of DAC designers are good people, but to what end that have anything to do with the quality of their design, and the ability of most audiophiles to comment on more than the sonic quality and relative output of a DAC.

Sure, they could use back-tracing to determine which DACs they like and do not, and then ascribe the technical specifications and internal components used in the ones they like to determine that one or more particular designers is better than the other(s).

The bigger question in all of this, is how many audiophiles can pop open a bunch of DACs look inside, peer at the layout, components and construction and comment on the relative qualities of each respective DAC designer? And then have those comments borne out the actual listening stage for each of the DACs.I reckon folks' mileages will vary greatly.

What looks good on paper and in the mind's eye, may not sound the best. A fraught tautology at best.

 

[loki1957]

Kang Su Park
Allnic

 

[Scott Naylor]

Nice to see Dan Lavry mentioned. And if/when Fredrik Lejonklou makes a stand alone DAC, he'll find a place on many “best DAC designer“ lists.

 

[Tiny]

I'd like to second Keith Johnson and his HDCD scheme. The UltraAnalog dac from the early nineties is still easily the top 3 most enjoyable dacs along with the Chord Dave and dCS Bartók. To me, anyway. Granted, I haven't heard all the top dacs out there.

 

[matthias]

And if/when Fredrik Lejonklou makes a stand alone DAC, he'll find a place on many “best DAC designer“ lists.

I do not think that he has any plans to make a stand alone DAC

Matt

 

[Puma Cat]

For me, it's (not in any order).
Ed Meitner of EMMLabs
Lukasz Fikus of LampiZator
Andreas Koch of Playback Designs

Bonus nomination: The guys at Lumin. I don't who they are specifically, but the Lumin "team" are as good as the three guys mentoned above.

 

[roadCingKlassik]

Prior to discovering all that is Lampizator, I was fond of Giuseppe Rampino (North Star Design). Especially at their price point.