A mid-budget DAC that doesn't colour sound?

[Kannan]

@chander the 1st step should be to decide if you want to take the R2R or SD route. If you want to play in-between both, get auditions.
Decide on what all inputs you need and will streaming be a necessary option plus support for hi-res playback and stuff like MQA.
Even more important is to decide if you want a pure DAC or one with a dedicated preamp built-in. (For me preamp was vital as it takes out of equation one more device and anothern pair of cables).

This will help shortlist.
If certain above featurws are not needed, you can look at a little older flagship DAC for price advantage

Happy hunting.

 

[sidvee]

AKM has started their production and are back in business !!!!

Hope, Kannan likes this three letters and soon Devices will see AKM chips in them.

AKM develops advanced VELVET SOUND 32-bit, 2-ch premium audio D/A converters AK4493S and AK4490R | Archives 2022 | News | About AKM | Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM)

Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation (AKM) has redesigned the AK4490 D/A converter (DAC) and its higher-end counterpart, AK4493, as new products under the VELVET SOUND brand.

www.akm.com

Great news indeed. Looking forward to these. I don't prefer ESS either.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[chander]

@chander the 1st step should be to decide if you want to take the R2R or SD route. If you want to play in-between both, get auditions.
Decide on what all inputs you need and will streaming be a necessary option plus support for hi-res playback and stuff like MQA.
Even more important is to decide if you want a pure DAC or one with a dedicated preamp built-in. (For me preamp was vital as it takes out of equation one more device and anothern pair of cables).

This will help shortlist.
If certain above featurws are not needed, you can look at a little older flagship DAC for price advantage

Happy hunting.

Thanks a ton @Kannan , for putting it the way you did.

I am unable to decide basis architecture, the more I read the more I feel, it is just another hole. Measurements I can't understand so that sadly or luckily can't be the criteria for me. As far as the formats are concerned MQA is NOT AT ALL a priority and the rest almost everything and more is supported by the shortlist above.

BTW - https://samplerateconverter.com/educational/r2r-ladder-dac-vs-sigma-delta#:~:text=about NOS DAC >-,Conclusions,any kind of PCM DAC.

This is where I have spent last few hours and it is ever more confusing.

EDIT - Preamp is important for the reasons you mentioned and also because I will have none.

Thanks!

 

[Bloom@83]

@chander the 1st step should be to decide if you want to take the R2R or SD route. If you want to play in-between both, get auditions.
Decide on what all inputs you need and will streaming be a necessary option plus support for hi-res playback and stuff like MQA.
Even more important is to decide if you want a pure DAC or one with a dedicated preamp built-in. (For me preamp was vital as it takes out of equation one more device and anothern pair of cables).

This will help shortlist.
If certain above featurws are not needed, you can look at a little older flagship DAC for price advantage

Happy hunting.

@Kannan : DAC with preamp doesn’t sound as exciting as a pure DAC , in my limited experience….

Also , I’m yet to hear any step-up / increased SQ with high resolution files over standard 16/44.1. Perhaps that needs a very expensive DAC + Streamer ? I’ve heard the Ares II with high res as well as standard 16/44.1 and I could not find any difference ( a MacBook was source) …. The difference was very apparent , however , when different masterings of the same album was compared.

 

[Kannan]

@Kannan : DAC with preamp doesn’t sound as exciting as a pure DAC , in my limited experience

True that, but it took me quite sometime to hit on one that did both well. The Teac UD301 which I have been using since 2015 ticked all boxes including pricing. It uses two muses chips for pre. It adds very little gain to the DAC output and is quite nuetral.
As I dont need analogue inputs, it has stuck with me this long. Has all standard digital inputs and supports Teac HD player.

 

[DB1989]

@Kannan : DAC with preamp doesn’t sound as exciting as a pure DAC , in my limited experience….

Can you specify the reason for this? Is it because the dynamics get crushed/compressed?

 

[vinothkumar]

Hi guys,

As the bug to try something new has bit me again (not for discontent - but rather for 'why not'); I have booked myself a Apollon Audio amp; that I should have by May if nothing changes as far as COVID is concerned and AL6000a is on the way out. Now considering I want to keep BlueSound Node 2i as my source/preamp (till I can collect enough to buy the HiFi Rose Streamers ) I am looking for a DAC to neutralise the DAC in the NODE 2i. Balanced output will be a plus as Apollon has Balanced In.

The requirements are -
1 - Budget upto 1L - Hard Stop - would prefer something cheaper.
2 - Should be a neutral/un-colored sounding or should be able to clean up what comes out of the Node 2i. I am fine with Neutral-ish sounding things, do not like bright sound at all and not a big fan of very warm sound. So something that is closer to neutral.

***I have been out of the desktop DAC game for a while - so absolutely unaware of what is great today.

Please help!

In Case if you are going for denafrips (blind purchase) based on the recommendations in this thread, i have totally different opinion on all the models of denafrips. Strictly listen to the denafrips once in your system.

 

[chander]

In Case if you are going for denafrips (blind purchase) based on the recommendations in this thread, i have totally different opinion on all the models of denafrips. Strictly listen to the denafrips once in your system.

Please elaborate - will definitely help everyone looking .

 

[Donivlapog]

Will I stand benefitted with a DAC considering I only have optical and coaxial inputs in my AVR or it needs to have an inbuilt decoder for DAC to work to its best self?

 

[raghupb]

<snip>

EDIT - Preamp is important for the reasons you mentioned and also because I will have none.

Thanks!

If so, you should keep Topping DACs on your shortlist.
Not sure of their long term ownership, though.

The model I heard, E50, is a very nicely featured DAC/Pre and dirt cheap for what it can do.
It also has balanced out via TRS. Rigging up a TRS-XLR should be a simple job.
The good part is that both RCA and TRS can be used simultaneously (if feeding 2 chains).
And filters, remote (big plus).

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[vinothkumar]

Please elaborate - will definitely help everyone looking .

Please elaborate - will definitely help everyone looking .

While all the line up of denafrips including their flagship DACs and DDCs measure well, sounds transparent, and ultra clean with their DDCs, they overall lack emotional connect, are uninvolving, not musical compared to some of the other rivals for the cost. The major flaw with the denafrips is that the audible level of micro and macro sound is at the same level, it does not differentiate micro and macro information in the track, all sound the same volume level and upfront which many get bored sooner. I personally feel denafrips is overrated by the youtube folks, given the new price of the ares ii, I will go for the alternatives.

Disclaimer: No offense to those who own them, just shared my experience with testing most of their products with various setups. Hence, asked the OP to listen to them once in his setup.

 

[Kannan]

overall lack emotional connect, are uninvolving, not musical compared

R2R Dacs are supposidly raved for this aspect and the SDs are termed dry qnd analytical sounding, though I dont subscribe to it

 

[jls001]

Denafrips Ares II

Interesting opinion here.

 

[Kannan]

Interesting opinion here.

That is the real essense of audio journey. Getting unnerved while buying audio components that are bordering on the budget, that you do not have the liberty to listen to. The reviews can be poles apart....the only thing constant is the measurement, which often does not translate into the sound you may like.
After being hit a few times by impulse buying based on reviews, I have a few times traveled hundreds of miles to listen to something that were on the edge of budget and have returned empty handed but without emptying my purse.