My Dac problem

[Ali Tait]

Have you considered a diy design? That way,you could have exactly what you want.

[Reid Malenfant]

I haven’t heard either of the Dacs you mention.
Do they really sound any better than a more modern good quality Dac?

Tbh i really don't know The DCS stuff i mentioned i actually haven't ever heard myself knowingly.

I also couldn't comment on whether the Monarchy Audio DAC is even up to the same standard as a modern £2000 bit of kit as again i haven't exactly been keen on replacing it so i haven't auditioned any others

There are a few DACs that i'd entertain that should be an improvement & none are really that modern. The DCS Purcell upscaler & Delius DAC should certainly out perform what i have here. I'd also entertain either a Krell SPX64 or the Reference DAC, anything else i really wouldn't be sure about at all & would need to get a good listen to.

Unfortunately none of the above are likely to be very useful to you...

[Welder]

Ali Tait
I have had a look at a number of kits available.
There are a couple of problems with kits for me.
Ideally I want to audition any piece of equipment I buy. This is a bit more difficult when considering a kit.
I have built various kits in the past, including a NOS Dac kit and my current headphone amplifier and ideally would like to avoid having to do much more than a bit of modding with regard to Dacs and amps.
When I built the above kits and other mainly valve based kits in the past I had access to decent test equipment and professional advice in the event of making a mistake or finding a problem I couldn’t solve with a few fairly basic tools.
The tools I do have are speaker building related which is the kind of audio DIY I am most at home with.
As for building a Dac from scratch, I don’t have the necessary knowledge or the right equipment to build anything that is likely to compare well to a well designed and commercially manufactured product. It’s not so much the building skills, it’s getting the right topology that I would find virtually impossible. Many of the small Dac manufacturers have a similar problem and take an established design know to work well and make improvements using different components and fairly minor topology changes. Not only is this time consuming but also rather hit and miss

Reid Malenfant

“Unfortunately none of the above are likely to be very useful to you...”
Far from it.
I didn’t know anything about the DCS Purcell and Delius. I can see why you think it may be an improvement on your current Dac (you very very polite and didn’t mention my current Dac in your hypothetical comparison ) Thanks, for both the delicate approach and the Dac information
It certainly looks to be a very serious piece of equipment in performance and build quality from what I’ve managed to discover. Unfortunately way outside my budget, even second hand I would imagine
Any room for one more in your dream cupboard?

[Ali Tait]

Well I've heard a DIY Buffalo dac built by a friend,with both the ivy output stage and a valve output stage of his own design,and the valve output was the best digital I've ever heard.

[Welder]

I’m finally going to get to listen to a Wyred4Sound Dac2.
I’m really hoping this does the business and all I need to do for the foreseeable future is listen to the music……..and maybe mod a bit

Having dragged my speakers etc over to my mates a while ago who has a listening room properly set up and made out of bricks an stuff it dawned on me that I’m really flogging a dead horse trying to squeeze much more out of my kit while I live where I do.
My next major upgrade after my final Dac choice would need to be a listening room and that isn’t very likely

[michaelhigh]

I’m finally going to get to listen to a Wyred4Sound Dac2.
I’m really hoping this does the business and all I need to do for the foreseeable future is listen to the music……..and maybe mod a bit

Having dragged my speakers etc over to my mates a while ago who has a listening room properly set up and made out of bricks an stuff it dawned on me that I’m really flogging a dead horse trying to squeeze much more out of my kit while I live where I do.
My next major upgrade after my final Dac choice would need to be a listening room and that isn’t very likely

Mod the roon, John, it couldn't be that hard. Your journey has lead you almost all the way to a perfectly-thought-out and implemented setup. Somehow or other find the way to improve your room and make all your sweat equity/legwork/research/networking totally worth the obvious hassle. I'm ready to see you report back here in a month or so (however long it takes) that your room rocks and every bit of effort you've seen to has paid off in spades. Good Luck.