Need DAC Recommendations

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mtl777

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Joined 2007
#1
Hey guys, I need your help. I'm looking for a DAC that is either...

(1) Already very good even without mods; or,
(2) Good and has great modding potential; or,
(3) A combination of (1) and (2). 😉

Bang-for-the-buck is a primary consideration, so nothing over $500 please (unless it's really very good and does not require modding then I can go up to $700). I've heard of DACs from Beresford and Twisted Pear. What do you think of those?

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! 🙂
 
#2
Bump! 🙂

Is the Twisted Pear Buffalo32s the best DIY DAC for the money currently? I'm thinking of buying either that or the Beresford TC-7520. I like the Beresford for being complete and ready to use, but how does it sound compared to the Buffalo32s? If you were to buy for modding, which one would you buy? Also, how do these units (if modded) compare sonically with a high end DAC such as Lavry DA10?

Thanks! 🙂
 
#4
planet10 said:
This new one is vert good value for the dollar ... http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70947

dave
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's awesome! 🙂 The specs for this says "(2) sets of RCA Outputs tailored to your taste - one with transistor and one with single 6N3 (5670) vacuum tube". Does it mean you have the option to hear the output with or without the tube?

I wonder how its sound compares with the Buffalo32s or the Beresford TC-7520?
 
#5
In my books , the DDDAC is still one of the best sounding DACs around. (Click the DDDAC1543 MK2 tab at the top of the web page to get to the pages for the latest version) I've had mine for a few years now and it still gets visitors feelin' it! (My neighbours lean against my door to listen when they wait for the elevator!) None of that stupid up-sampling stuff - it's a very straightforward and simple 'brute force' approach that just sounds great. Upgrades all over the place. You can start with one DAC tower board and slowly add as you like. Two is a big difference over one and then doesn't really change that much from there until you get to five - which was Doede's recommended max. There are a few different interface possibilities - and power supply options are also about as many as you can imagine. As you can tell, I really like it .🙂
 
#7
mtl777 said:
Thanks, that's awesome! 🙂 The specs for this says "(2) sets of RCA Outputs tailored to your taste - one with transistor and one with single 6N3 (5670) vacuum tube". Does it mean you have the option to hear the output with or without the tube?
Click to expand...

Yes. A big R-core trafo in it as well... always nice to have the heavy stuff in place already when it comes to tweaking

dave
 
#11
There are many projects available out there, but the majority of them seems to be NOS DACs based upon old Philips chips.
This maybe because there are not really many commercial NOS DACs available.
Actually these projects are a puzzle to me. I´ve heard nos DACs with both tube and SS output and the performance is IMHO neither smooth nor natural.
Worst of all though is the aliasing problems and as a result of that, the need for brickwall filtering above 1/2 fS. The filter can hardly be made at all without cutting of lower than 20KHz, and on top of that, a lot of phaseshift @ much lower frequencies occurs.
This can IMHO not be overheard at all. Imaging suffers severely and the sound seems some kind of rough, undetailed and grumsy and also often woolly.

So stay by newer projects, eventually some of those with adjustment features.
 
#13
gorko1 said:
Any recommendations ?
Click to expand...

Well I do have some favourites, but my absolute favourite is a project where I´m involved myself, so that would look like an advert.
So if you are going for god solid engineering and a reasonably easy building proces, you could look at Dave´s project here http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122078&highlight=PCBs+sale. The PCM 1794 has actually adjustable digital filters, so that could be an apropriate project, and even so you can make experiments with the choice of op-amps. So this a pretty open project, where you can personalize it in some sense.

If you are a very skilled solderer and you do know about electronic circuits, this project of ours could be a possible solution to your needs http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138230 .
But be aware that the project is not yet completely closed, which could lead to some minor adjustments later on.
What complicates it is the large number of components and the very compact PCB layout.
This project is a lot more closed as all important choises are already taken. You actually just need to assemble it and get it going, it is not a subject to modification at all as Dave´s project could be.

you´ll therefor have to consider both how difficult the projects are, and the upsides and downsides of them, but both of these are at least modern, and they won´t pollute your stereo chain with supersonic signals @ very high levels causing clipping of even well engineered amplifiers.

If your system is very bandwith limited, NOS DAC´s might go anyway, but normally this calls for transformercoupled tube endstages, in other set-ups you shouldn´t introduce problems like that.
 
#15
mtl777 said:
Hi Kurt, would you be able to sell a completed, ready to use unit of your DAC? I'm planning to use it with my PC using coax S/PDIF connection from my M-Audio Delta 1010 sound card. Will it work fine this way?
Click to expand...

Well it will work together with a PC if properly isolated i.e. with a pulsetransformer, which might already be present in you SPDIF output or eventually optically isolated by Toslink, but presumeably with lower quality as a result (Toslink does not have as wide bandwith as RCA.
But I think that would be overkill. It is a no compromise design, build for the most critical hypernerds. But if you want one anyway you can have one, either as the completed PCB´s or as a complete DAC with enclosure, and set-up for the mains required.
Give me a hint if it is any interest to you, because I´ve only got one enclosure left over, and from there on it can only be done in series of 5.
 
#16
Kurt von Kubik said:
Well it will work together with a PC if properly isolated i.e. with a pulsetransformer, which might already be present in you SPDIF output or eventually optically isolated by Toslink, but presumeably with lower quality as a result (Toslink does not have as wide bandwith as RCA.
But I think that would be overkill. It is a no compromise design, build for the most critical hypernerds. But if you want one anyway you can have one, either as the completed PCB´s or as a complete DAC with enclosure, and set-up for the mains required.
Give me a hint if it is any interest to you, because I´ve only got one enclosure left over, and from there on it can only be done in series of 5.
Click to expand...

How much would a complete DAC with enclosure cost in USD? And how much for shipping from Denmark to US?
 
#17
planet10 said:
This new one is very good value for the dollar ... http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70947

dave
Click to expand...

For budget reasons, and due to time constraints (have no time to build from parts as I'm in a hurry to get my home recording studio going), I finally decided to pull the trigger and ordered the TubeDAC-09. I hope it goes well! 🙂

Dave, Ian Grant said you had one for a week. I'm curious to know what your impressions were. Care to share how you think it compares with other DACs that you've heard in the past? I'm particularly interested in comparisons with the Beresford TC-7520 or 7510 or even the Benchmark DAC1 -- hope you've heard one of those. Thanks! :happy1:
 
#18
It was actually longer than that. We were quite pleased with it, especially now that we know the price point. We will be getting another for more thorough evaluation (& dissection). We just know there is room for greening...

We haven't compared it to big buck ones (unless you include that part of the Linn CD12), but it was in the same league as the DAC in Chris' Jolida (which got choosen over that same CD12), out did Chris' CityPulse >$500. It was neck & neck with the Edirol FireWire ADC/DAC we got primarily for doing measures.

One of our buddies has a Benchmark, and another has his only Brick, so at some point in time...

dave

dave
 
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