I am using a mini pc. crappy dongle DAC and have KRELL KST-100 amp and Kef 107/2 speakers.. I am looking to get a proper DAC, I have been checking youtube reviews for a while but none quite meet the requirements.
I don't care about Bluetooth, Wifi or ethernet streaming, I2S, HDMI ARC, I just want a DAC that supports MQA out of the PC via USB.
I like warmth, depth, airy sound, 3d sound stage, darkness in back, layers. Besides spending thousands on R2R DACs....I am not going that far. I also use TIDAL so I want MQA support....
I nearly just bought a SMSL D400PRO then watching iiWr reviews cancelled and bought D70 Pro Octo but then realized no MQA support, cancelled that too...he talked about it having large 3d stage, etc... but no MQA.
I was going to spend up to 1200~CAD if on amazon (AFFIRM monthly payments + return policy + free shipping). However if it's 500CAD great too.
From reviews, it seems ES chips are a no no--too digital/artificial and sharp/painful to listen to.
I do listen to jazz, guitar, but I also do listen to EDM/dance electro music. I like classic stage, opera, music too and even some old rock and jazz, soul, blues, whiskey blues, 50s, 60s and 80s pop.
So what do you guys run?
I don't care about Bluetooth, Wifi or ethernet streaming, I2S, HDMI ARC, I just want a DAC that supports MQA out of the PC via USB.
I like warmth, depth, airy sound, 3d sound stage, darkness in back, layers. Besides spending thousands on R2R DACs....I am not going that far. I also use TIDAL so I want MQA support....
I nearly just bought a SMSL D400PRO then watching iiWr reviews cancelled and bought D70 Pro Octo but then realized no MQA support, cancelled that too...he talked about it having large 3d stage, etc... but no MQA.
I was going to spend up to 1200~CAD if on amazon (AFFIRM monthly payments + return policy + free shipping). However if it's 500CAD great too.
From reviews, it seems ES chips are a no no--too digital/artificial and sharp/painful to listen to.
I do listen to jazz, guitar, but I also do listen to EDM/dance electro music. I like classic stage, opera, music too and even some old rock and jazz, soul, blues, whiskey blues, 50s, 60s and 80s pop.
So what do you guys run?
Last edited:
The new ESS chips are reputed to sound a lot better than the old ones. New, meaning the ones with the Hyperstream 4 modulator.
That said, don't know why anyone would consider MQA essential.
I use a diy dac far better most commercial dacs under $10,000. Well recorded CDs can sound more real than the best hi-res most people have ever heard.
OTOH, adding MQA won't fix the problems with cheap dacs, so why insist on it?
That said, don't know why anyone would consider MQA essential.
I use a diy dac far better most commercial dacs under $10,000. Well recorded CDs can sound more real than the best hi-res most people have ever heard.
OTOH, adding MQA won't fix the problems with cheap dacs, so why insist on it?
Multibit DACs, NOS with a steep analog reconstruction filter.
I recently tried an ES9039-based DAC as in the past few months this new chip has received a fair amount of praise here. Well, it had a very low noisefloor, very black background, lower than my multibit DACs. But when the music got busy it seemed to lose the plot. It went back.
Holo May DAC is good.
I built, moded, and demoed a lot of stuff.
This DAC (May) is simply an unbelievable product worth every cent. Have a close look, and check its internal construction... listen to it if you cab get a chance... compare it with other DACs.
... something really amazing about this DAC... its USB card interface has 11 separate voltage regulators ... that is, just that little PCB on its own!
Also, do not waste time on DIY DACs... you'll get close to an insane amount of money worth in hardware that will never ever approach what May can do. Not to mention the two-box approach and a beautiful, professional design (visually pleasing) with very tight tolerances. It is the only DAC that will support true NOS, PCM up to 1.536MHz and DSD up to DSD1024. Paired with HQPlayer Pro and capable processor... you could experiment with all sorts of stuff.
... unless, of course, you want to do DIY... because you want to learn. That is a different story...
Also, your amplifier will blend very nicely with May; good synergy.
I built, moded, and demoed a lot of stuff.
This DAC (May) is simply an unbelievable product worth every cent. Have a close look, and check its internal construction... listen to it if you cab get a chance... compare it with other DACs.
... something really amazing about this DAC... its USB card interface has 11 separate voltage regulators ... that is, just that little PCB on its own!
Also, do not waste time on DIY DACs... you'll get close to an insane amount of money worth in hardware that will never ever approach what May can do. Not to mention the two-box approach and a beautiful, professional design (visually pleasing) with very tight tolerances. It is the only DAC that will support true NOS, PCM up to 1.536MHz and DSD up to DSD1024. Paired with HQPlayer Pro and capable processor... you could experiment with all sorts of stuff.
... unless, of course, you want to do DIY... because you want to learn. That is a different story...
Also, your amplifier will blend very nicely with May; good synergy.
D
Deleted member 544066
Yeah, i have the Spring 3, and its a fantastic dac. But for the OP's price range, the Holo Cyan 2 is basically a junior version of the May, not as many features, no volume control, no internal oversampling, but has the core dna of the May/Spring 3. $1200 for discrete R2R, high quality components and build.
Holo Cyan 2
I would skip MQA and just go with Tidal FLAC. 😉
I have the Topping D70 Pro. It is excellent. I had another 32 bit USB DAC on my AV system. Night and day difference. Not subtle at all. MQA was not a consideration for me.
Last edited:
Yeah well, unfortunately I do want MQA, so alot of the options you guys are suggesting and I can tell you are all anti-MQA, doesn't work for me. I need an option that supports MQA as all my music is TIDAL, and while many of you collect CDs, I like to listen to old and new music and TIDAL hi-fi platform is easily accessible.
You could use Roon for MQA. Which would be my advise if you don't want to let go of it. Then, any solid r2r dac you can build yourself will outperform most if not all delta sigma within that budget.
It is a platform that integrates both streaming services (including Tidal) and local files, and serves it to whatever devices tou have connected, via pc, phone, tablet.. They have MQA partnership, so it handles it within it's ecosystem, and you can use non MQA supported hardware. And there is a free trial, so you can give it a whirl. To me, this is the best solution to what you require.
Nope, it is there basically for non MQA devices too. Read up on their FAQ.
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/roon-x-mqa
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/roon-x-mqa
Err, yes. It makes it pretty clear it will not decode to 192k. Roon will only do the first unfold to a core stream. For the full effect you need a decoder.
Last edited:
You mean for the full bitrate as full effect. Yes. But as said, it supports non mqa dacs. Will it sound better like that with a proper r2r dac, or with cheap delta sigma dac that supports hardware mqa, remains to be seen (my bet is on the r2r dac 😉 ).
More the point, if one is MQA minded it would unwise to rely on others for the critical first unfold. Should roon decide to drop MQA support you're up the creek without a paddle. Far better to be self contained.