View Full Version : After much deliberation, the next DAC is...
... the Burson HA-160D. Well, 90% sure anyway.
The 6 Moons review (http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/burson5/5.html) is, well, stunning.
The warmth should compliment the Dynaudio's, and apparently the HD650s are a very good match (either going for those or the AKG 701s. In a perfect world it would be the LCD-2s. Currently have HD595s).
Funny how the budget always increases isn't it? I blame forums like this! ;¬)
Close contenders:
- A silent Caiman
- Rega DAC + headphone amp (very tempted by this still)
- Audio GD NFB-2 + C2.1
- Nick (Lurcher) Custom
Nick's build is very interesting, going from Ali's comments on other threads, but, I am really - really - suffering with 'standard' sound. It's incredible how more fatiguing it is without the Caiman. Coagulated, heavy and muddy. Literally hurts my head after a while. Pfft!
Looks good, nice to see someone trying something different.
Whats the UK price?
Looks good, nice to see someone trying something different.
Whats the UK price?
£805 with delivery (Angel Audio). Quite reasonable considering it's touted to perform on par with, and sometimes better than, £2.5K DACs. 6 Moons mention it's surprisingly close to the Lektor Prime (€10K).
Purchase depends on the return policy :¬)
Also waiting for a review of the DAC performance of the Apogee Duet 2.
I use a 160D with K702 and am delighted with them. Having tried various head amps including Audio GD, Beresford 7510 and a heavily pimped NVA unit, the Burson is out there on it's own. If you have a properly run-in set of 701/2 you'll enjoy bass and LF so clean, controlled and articulate...like viewing the sea bed from a glass bottom boat for the first time. A fantastic head and pre amp, made me realise I prefer class a to tube. The dac isn't asynch as touted in one of the reviews, but very good all the same.
alfie2902
27-05-2011, 19:08
Add to your list M2Tech Young Dac http://www.m2tech.biz/young.asp you would need a headamp aswell though.
Ask Keith@Purite for a home trial of the "Young" it's a very fine Dac!
Yoga
have you decided yet?
as a headphone enthusiast i am interested in the burson and rega.
Yoga
have you decided yet?
as a headphone enthusiast i am interested in the burson and rega.
Not yet :)
Still very drawn to the Rega, which I'd pair with the Matrix M-Stage to start with. The trouble is finding a synergistic headphone amp/preamp however, perhaps the Rega, MStage and LCD combo will be too warm.
I've decided to invest in the LCD-2s now, and quite a few members on HeadFi have stated how good the 160D + LCD-2 combo is.
Thanks for the recommendation alfie, heard good things about the Young also.
alfie2902
05-06-2011, 19:46
Not yet :)
Still very drawn to the Rega, which I'd pair with the Matrix M-Stage to start with. The trouble is finding a synergistic headphone amp/preamp however, perhaps the Rega, MStage and LCD combo will be too warm.
I've decided to invest in the LCD-2s now, and quite a few members on HeadFi have stated how good the 160D + LCD-2 combo is.
Thanks for the recommendation alfie, heard good things about the Young also.
Hi Ross,
Not really sure what your budget is but if you can stretch to the Young you should IMO!
Give Keith@Purite a ring, he's great to deal with & encouraged me to try a few Dac's against the Young I'd got on home trial from him! I had a few here & at the price the Arcam rDac impressed me & even more so the Rega Dac & of the more expensive Dac's the Naim was very nice sounding also, but the Young beat them all, it just sounds very natural!
The Young is replacing some very nice CDP's & Dac's. I know of a couple of people that have replaced Weiss Dac's with the Young! Another uses the Young instead of the Dac in a nice CEC CDP which replaced £6K of Esoteric X-03se!! I heard a Nagra CDP a couple of weeks ago which may well of been better, but didn't get the chance ot compare them really! The Nagra is £12K though!
Here's a long thread that's worth a read http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?49431-Young-Dac-M2Tech.
& a review here http://www.digitalaudioblog.com/
There's probably better Dac's, but for the money it's exceptional! If your into DIY then the Buffalo Dac might offer better SPPV otherwise not much touches the Young at the price & a good way beyond!
Do yourself a favour & get a dem unit!
Ross,
make sure you can try the amp and DAC before or be able to send it back !
I dived in the LCD-2s on raves on Headfi and don't regret it !
( best headphones I've heard and so close to listening to a good pair of speakers without all the room acoustic problems ...)
I went also for the Violectric v200 without listening, which is great.
But those phones have a sound which you can tweak if you know them by the choice of amp and DAC.
I've compared the Audeze later with a Grace 901 and they sounded very different of course.
All I can say is those phones are so good you will want to have the right amp and DAC to really suit your taste !
"Funny how the budget always increases isn't it? I blame forums like this! ;¬)"
totally agree ! I entered here with a Caiman ... now look where I'm at ;-)
kind regards
Chris
Thanks for the info Alfie.
It concerns me that every single owner in the thread avoided mentioning the personal cost of the unit. When asked, the answer is a unanimous 'PM Keith'. You've just said the same thing too :¬)
It gives the impression that you PM Keith and 'get a great deal', which is kept private. Not the way I like to do things with items costing hundreds of pounds, as there is no frame of reference.
Transparency = trust :cool:
Ross,
make sure you can try the amp and DAC before or be able to send it back !
I dived in the LCD-2s on raves on Headfi and don't regret it !
( best headphones I've heard and so close to listening to a good pair of speakers without all the room acoustic problems ...)
I went also for the Violectric v200 without listening, which is great.
But those phones have a sound which you can tweak if you know them by the choice of amp and DAC.
I've compared the Audeze later with a Grace 901 and they sounded very different of course.
All I can say is those phones are so good you will want to have the right amp and DAC to really suit your taste !
"Funny how the budget always increases isn't it? I blame forums like this! ;¬)"
totally agree ! I entered here with a Caiman ... now look where I'm at ;-)
kind regards
Chris
Nice system. Which DAC did you go for?
I had my eye on the V200, but it lacks preamp capabilities (also feeding studio monitors).
Many people on HeadFi have complimented the synergy between the LCD-2s and Burson 160D, which is why it's top of the list at the moment (along with 3-in-1 capabilities).
Ross,
two more things :
1.Don't let the wife close to the Audeze, she will re-discover listening to music and will hold on to them !
2. I see you've got Sen HD. You'll might want something clear and a bit on the bright side with the LCD-2 to match it which are more neutral ...
chris
Nice system. Which DAC did you go for?
I had my eye on the V200, but it lacks preamp capabilities (also feeding studio monitors).
.
To start, I decided on the opto 24/96 option DAC. So I can still find THE DAC later on :-)
It has an internal dipswitch for converting the unbalanced input as an output.
It's line level so no gain control from the V200.
I'm all day between a Bryston STT4 and some PMC TB2s ...
Had a Caiman then a gatored one for the studio but took it home.
Have you ordered the Audeze yet ???
Ross,
two more things :
1.Don't let the wife close to the Audeze, she will re-discover listening to music and will hold on to them !
2. I see you've got Sen HD. You'll might want something clear and a bit on the bright side with the LCD-2 to match it which are more neutral ...
chris
Thanks Chris. A question for you above you post also :¬)
To start, I decided on the opto 24/96 option DAC. So I can still find THE DAC later on :-)
It has an internal dipswitch for converting the unbalanced input as an output.
It's line level so no gain control from the V200.
I'm all day between a Bryston STT4 and some PMC TB2s ...
Had a Caiman then a gatored one for the studio but took it home.
Have you ordered the Audeze yet ???
Not yet, going to have a trial loan period first (handy!). Waiting for the Burson 160D stock before proceeding.
Thanks for the info Alfie.
It concerns me that every single owner in the thread avoided mentioning the personal cost of the unit. When asked, the answer is a unanimous 'PM Keith'. You've just said the same thing too :¬)
It gives the impression that you PM Keith and 'get a great deal', which is kept private. Not the way I like to do things with items costing hundreds of pounds, as there is no frame of reference.
Transparency = trust :cool:
Read between the lines a bit. There is obviously an official RRP, and it would appear that Keith is offering the DAC for less than this. Thus you can understand why it is not being advertised at the cost that Keith has been offering it for, you can also understand why people aren't explicitly mentioning the cost as they have been given a deal below RRP.
I wish more dealers did this!
Read between the lines a bit. There is obviously an official RRP, and it would appear that Keith is offering the DAC for less than this. Thus you can understand why it is not being advertised at the cost that Keith has been offering it for, you can also understand why people aren't explicitly mentioning the cost as they have been given a deal below RRP.
I wish more dealers did this!
Of course, and it's always welcome :¬)
Unfortunately it's not always the case when the RRP is not set in stone and there is a limited import channel. Many a business (in any market) have made large profits from that arrangement, which is why an RRP on the website is helpful (hence the comment on transparency).
Edit: I'll be contacting Keith regarding the possibility of a home loan :¬)
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