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Thread: What's Your Dac?

  1. #21
    Join Date: Jul 2013

    Location: Kingsbury, NW London

    Posts: 1,232
    I'm Clive.

    Default

    Chord Qutest is my DAC choice. Great DAC, really smooth and detailed, love it to bits.
    I know, I know, boring, it’s not expensive (relatively) and it does what it says on the box.
    SOURCE:OPPO UDP-205 BluRay, SkyQ, Technics SL1210M5G/HexMat Eclipse/MN Bearing/Origin Live Gravity One puck/Isonoes with Boots/Jelco TK-850S Tonearm/Hana Umami Blue, PS Audio Stellar Phonostage. I also have an AT-OC9XSH as a spare cartridge.
    AMPLIFIER: Bryston BR-20 Pre/DAC/Streamer & Bryston 4B3 Power Amplifier
    SPEAKERS: Spendor D7 on Iso-Acoustics Gaia III’s
    HEADPHONES: OPPO PM-1 with Atlas Zeno cable, B&W Pi7 S2 and B&W C5 v2.
    CABLES: Analogue: Speaker Atlas Mavros Grun. Interconnect - Atlas Mavros XLR x3, MCRU Silver Tonearm cable
    Digital:Audioquest Carbon Ethernet x 4, Audioquest Carbon digital, English Electric 8Switch, Chord Optichord, Atlas Optical.
    Mains: PS Audio Perfectwave AC-05 x 5, Isol-8 Powerline Extreme with Quantum Science yellow fuse on input cable, Sounds Fantastic 6way Mains Blocks.
    STORAGE: Synology DS216J NAS with 2 x 3Tb WD Red hard-drives. Samsung 500Gb SSD.
    TV LG55B7 OLED

  2. #22
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    great stuff, keep em coming. fantastic diversity so far with no one the same
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  3. #23
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Added this purifier from ifi to my vena2 usb.. Has a nice effect and has improved it a good bit.. Good buy.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  4. #24
    Join Date: Jan 2017

    Location: Guernsey

    Posts: 119
    I'm Richard.

    Default

    I wanted a half width unit to fit my rack. I use a Border Patrol NOS. Like it a lot, cost was around £1k from the manufacturer in the U.S. (an ex-Brit).
    Analogue: Linn LP12/Keel/Karmen/Karousel/Tranquility/Radikal/Trampolin 2/Collaro mat/Ekos SE/Audio Technica ART-1000 into Gold Note PH-10/PSU-10

    Digital: Cyrus CD XT Signature into Border Patrol SE DAC

    Amplification: Modwright LS36.5 pre into Modwright KW150SE

    Speakers: Boenicke W8

    Interconnects: Reference Fidelity Saturn and Oriton Orange Symphony

    Speaker Cabling: Townshend Isolda

    Headphones HD600

    Mains: Various MCRU kits/Russ Andrews Power Cords/X Block

    RCM: Velvet Vortex Ultrasonic

  5. #25
    Join Date: Feb 2011

    Location: Troon

    Posts: 2,476
    I'm tony.

    Default

    The best ive heard is the Dac built into my TQ Claymore, its usb only but marries up with my Innous zen very well.

    For streaming i use a seg/dorado/cca into the tqc...as a bang for buck streaming solution its excellent vfm.

  6. #26
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: Leek, Staffordshire

    Posts: 287
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    Up to a few months ago was using an M2Tech Young.

    Thought I'd try something different and went for an ex-demo Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro (https://matrix-digi.com/en/products/318.html) and paired this with a Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 2 (https://matrix-digi.com/en/products/314.html). Bit of a pattern emerging here
    Dave

    Currently listening to:

    Wilmslow Audio Gemini speakers with external crossovers | DCB1 -> Neurochrome 86 Monos | Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 2 -> Denafrips Pontus II | Roon Server/ HQPlayer | Spotfire interconnects / speaker cable

  7. #27
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Emmings View Post
    Up to a few months ago was using an M2Tech Young.

    Thought I'd try something different and went for an ex-demo Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro (https://matrix-digi.com/en/products/318.html) and paired this with a Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 2 (https://matrix-digi.com/en/products/314.html). Bit of a pattern emerging here
    the sabre in my vena is the ES9018K2M which does 127db.. that one seems to up it to 134db
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  8. #28
    Join Date: Dec 2017

    Location: Lincolnshire

    Posts: 342
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital is what I have and a powersupply from ebay... Seems ok to me...

  9. #29
    Join Date: Oct 2008

    Location: Glasgowshire

    Posts: 9,656
    I'm Gary.

    Default

    Ran an M2Tech Young for a few years after moving from a Rega and various Beresfords.
    Both great dacs, the modded Young bettered the Naim dac to my ears when I did a direct comparison.
    Both It and the Beresford responded well to modding and improving the power supply.

    Currently enjoying my PS Audio Directstream dac.
    Free firmware upgrades of its FPGA, like a better dac for free every year or so.
    Has the Bridge II network streamer card, so acts as a Roon endpoint, does Spotify connect, Tidal and Qobuz.

    Very unique technology wise in the way it goes about things.
    It sounds different...just music playing in the room.
    Responds really well to good cables too, particularly balanced into its matching preamp.

    I2s into it from the Oppo sounds terrific, great for both music n movies.
    Better sounding than Ethernet directly into the Directstream in fact.
    Happy with my modded Oppo as transport for all things digital, until PS Audio release their Octave Server.

    2nd System I use the Logitech Trnsporter playing my Roon library, great dac in that an AKM AK4396 multi-bit Sigma-Delta chipset. Proper attention paid to galvanic isolation, quality of power supply all that good stuff.
    Way better than a Touch, ran both for a few years.
    Sounds great.


    Never got on with Sabre Dacs, found them edgy and unenjoyable, one of the JKenny ones I heard I think?


    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    the sabre in my vena is the ES9018K2M which does 127db.. that one seems to up it to 134db
    Last edited by Gazjam; 26-03-2019 at 22:15.
    AC POWER
    Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
    AMPS
    Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
    SPEAKERS
    Wharfedale Evo 4.4
    DAC
    PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
    TURNTABLE
    Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
    PHONOSTAGE
    Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
    DIGITAL
    OPPO 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac) - Roon Endpoint, HDMI input used for all things Streaming/ PS5 /AppleTV ... also good for movies apparently?
    MUSIC PLAYBACK
    Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
    Ipad Roon Remote.
    Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Dac via Oppo HDMI input/i2s output to Dac.
    SPEAKER CABLES
    Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On
    "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - yup, even with biwire it sounds better - and it does)
    INTERCONNECTS
    All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables

  10. #30
    Join Date: Oct 2011

    Location: Bacup

    Posts: 502
    I'm Andrew.

    Default

    Yulong Sabre DA8 DAC. Before that a Rega DAC, Cambridge Audio Dacmagic isodac, the flat one where the transport sits on top, I’m still using the transport. I also have QED DAC in the attic somewhere too. The Yulong is the best so far combining detail with listenability.

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