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Thread: Your favourite DAC?

  1. #21
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    I'll stick with my Monarchy Audio M22B thanks.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  2. #22
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: fuck off

    Posts: 2,033
    I'm fuckoff.

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    Dacs, serious business.

  3. #23
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: That London ( North)

    Posts: 1,193
    I'm Keith.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oldpinkman View Post
    And my aunt knew someone whose friends sister said a cd player sounded more natural than an orchestra. So that's ok then
    We compared dacs through the same system , sitting together in the same room at the same time, and the DaCapo owner purchased the Meridian of his own free will.
    Perhaps it was good for its time?
    Keith.
    Cessaro Horn Acoutics,David Wright ,Mola-Mola , Weiss MAN301,Dynavector XV1- Manger Loudspeakers Grimm Audio LS1,worlds best sounding loudspeaker.
    Mini DSP digital signal processing.
    www.puriteaudio.co.uk

  4. #24
    Join Date: Jun 2012

    Location: essex

    Posts: 145
    I'm John.

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    Audiolab m-dac for me, combines versatility and sonic characteristics I enjoy closely followed by Musical Fidelity M1, as others have said a little system dependant but nevertheless good value for money and enjoyable.

  5. #25
    Join Date: Mar 2011

    Location: London

    Posts: 289
    I'm Frank.

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    Quote Originally Posted by purite audio View Post
    I sold my Meridian 808 to a DaCapo owner , it sounded extremely opaque compared to the modern dac, far less resolution and rolled off bass and treble.
    Keith.
    The thing about the Da Capos was that the various different filters made them sound very, very different. Do you remember which filter the one you heard had installed Keith? I suspect that it was not a 24 bit or HDCD filter.

    I owned both the Rega and Mdac recently and have to say that I was more than a little underwhelmed by both. They had a touch more micro-detail than my ancient Da Capo, but in every other way the Da Capo blew them away by some considerable margin. If anything, it was they that sounded positively opaque in comparison. The thing that I really couldn't get along with most of all with both of these modern DACs was a certain lack of realism when compared to the Da Capo, the instruments sounded like they were going through some kind of computer sound processor before coming out of the speakers.

    Keith, why don't you pop round sometime and have a listen to my Da Capo (you are only round the corner) and tell me if it sounds as you remember? I don't hear rolled off bass and treble in my system, but then I do use solid state amplification into Monitor Audio speakers . You could always bring a Young DAC round to compare if you'd like, not an absolute necessity of course, just might be rather nice to hear one now I think .

    Regards,

    Frank
    Last edited by mido; 24-06-2013 at 06:08. Reason: added details to invitation to Keith

  6. #26
    Join Date: Nov 2012

    Location: Lampeter, Ceredigion

    Posts: 82
    I'm Richard.

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    Quote Originally Posted by purite audio View Post
    As far as I am aware no single dac unit has ever been upgraded,external power supplies were manufactured by a number of of 'kitchen table' manufacturers, and a few Young units have been fried as a result.
    Keith.
    I'm having my MDAC upgraded by John Westlake in the next few weeks, so I'll be able to report back.

    I had the MF M1 for some weeks on demo, and then was able to compare it with the MDAC. I preferred, and bought, the MDAC.

    - Richard.
    Pioneer N-50; Lakewest MDAC Premium Fusion; Benchmark AHB2; Quad ESL 2805s; 2xAE subwoofers; Isotek GII Sigmas

  7. #27
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: Sunny Portsmouth

    Posts: 9,165
    I'm TheMostHonestPersonYouWillMeet.

    Default Rega Dac & Bushmaster

    A friend has the Rega Dac which I think is a terrific Dac but on balance, just, I prefer my Bushmaster used with the Mark Grant Linear power supply. The Bushmaster sounds very analogue to me

    A dealer warned me off the Audiolab MDac for being too clinical sounding

    Don't know if that helps
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  8. #28
    Join Date: Apr 2013

    Location: Granes - Haut Vallee de l'aude - EU

    Posts: 2,831
    I'm Richard.

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    Frank you make some good points and clearly share my experiences. The dac keith refers to probably had an 18 bit filter in. Or might have been faulty. My response was triggered by my previous post referring to the fact that rather than rely on a memory I had bought a 22bit dacapo at easter and compared it with 2 of the 5 modern dacs. In my wifes classes at school there are kids who know that the moon landings were faked and that I am the numty for believing they really happened. I am comfortable with my beliefs and direct personal experience. I wouldn't want to stop anybody else having theirs.

  9. #29
    Join Date: Apr 2013

    Location: Granes - Haut Vallee de l'aude - EU

    Posts: 2,831
    I'm Richard.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ninanina View Post
    A friend has the Rega Dac which I think is a terrific Dac but on balance, just, I prefer my Bushmaster used with the Mark Grant Linear power supply. The Bushmaster sounds very analogue to me

    A dealer warned me off the Audiolab MDac for being too clinical sounding

    Don't know if that helps
    Theres no substitute for a pair of ears. Which of the more than 10 filter options on mdac was he referring to as clinical?

  10. #30
    Join Date: Apr 2013

    Location: Granes - Haut Vallee de l'aude - EU

    Posts: 2,831
    I'm Richard.

    Default Nothing wrong with Solid state

    Hi Frank

    You mentioned solid state amps - what do you use? And why can't I see that on your profile?

    Just because its difficult (and somewhat "intuitive") designing good bottle amps, and there is a "hand made by Tibetan monks" element to things like transformer winding, and the components are necessarily more expensive, does not de facto mean valves are better. They rarely measure well. Now, this is an old thorn in the side for me, I am hopeful I might now get some progress on (slowly - over the next 10 years probably, but we have made a start). Whilst I haven't yet got my friend to do me a bottle design, he is at least getting the bug at having a go at the long overdue power amp, and my favourite provocative comment "Measurements aren't everything - why do valves sound so good"? has got him thinking. His idea he wants to build is ultra low distortion - again, not something which by itself produces "good sounds". His response to this charge previously was to produce a circuit which allows you to dial in progressive low level even order harmonic distortion. As he points out - interesting, but not hifi by the definition we agreed to work to (recently endorsed by Marco). This is a hifi amp not a guitar amp we are building and "sweet" is potentially another term for "coloured".

    Enough ranting for now - back to the day job

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