How do you listen nowadays?

[nandac]

I used to listen to CDs some years back. Then I heard about DACs on this forum. Converted a lot of CDs to FLAC and have been listening through DACs for like 10 years now.

But now I notice that many companies do not make DACs?

Has technology changed? Are there new ways to listen?

I am not the experimental flexible sort. If I find something I am comfortable with I kinda stick to it - not a very good way to live life as I have begun to realize of late (probably missed a lot of exciting things in life due to this attitude).

Appreciate the feedback on new technologies in the audio world.

 

[ajuvignesh]

Chinese DACs are very popular and cheap these days. As far as I know, technology hasn’t changed much.
Now that streaming is popular, you may buy a streamer, connect it to a DAC and play the music you like. There are million songs available at a cheap monthly subscription.
LP is also making a comeback

 

[nandac]

is chord 2qute still a relevant dac considering everchanging technology?

 

[Yeraditya]

Lots of good DACs across different price points to check.

 

[iaudio]

I used to listen to CDs some years back. Then I heard about DACs on this forum. Converted a lot of CDs to FLAC and have been listening through DACs for like 10 years now.

But now I notice that many companies do not make DACs?

Has technology changed? Are there new ways to listen?

I am not the experimental flexible sort. If I find something I am comfortable with I kinda stick to it - not a very good way to live life as I have begun to realize of late (probably missed a lot of exciting things in life due to this attitude).

Appreciate the feedback on new technologies in the audio world.

A good DAC will continue to be relevant. However, with more and more High resolution content becoming available on streaming platforms, the preference would be for a music streamer combined with a high res capable DAC.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

is chord 2qute still a relevant dac considering everchanging technology?

The Chord2qute was superseded by the qutest. So I guess it might be time for a replacement, says the guy running a decade old dac . But the good news is, good sounding, state of the art dac's, do not cost a limb these days. There are a lot of new players in the market, especially from china. And a lot of new implementations too. Take your pic, and with reasonable research to back it, you wont be disappointed.

 

[panditji]

is chord 2qute still a relevant dac considering everchanging technology?

Hardly any difference between the 2Qute and the Qutest.. You aren't missing much.. Maybe wait for the Qutest upgrade and you might get some improvement over the 2Qute..

 

[nandac]

How about mojo 2 - is that an upgrade over 2qute?

And what other options? in the under $1000 range. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[nandac]

Lots of good DACs across different price points to check.

like? examples would be better.

 

[nandac]

A good DAC will continue to be relevant. However, with more and more High resolution content becoming available on streaming platforms, the preference would be for a music streamer combined with a high res capable DAC.

but music streamer requires a lan connection? in my past experience i found unrelability of lan connection/connection drops - to be a big issue. I find usb more convenient due to this.

 

[nandac]

The Chord2qute was superseded by the qutest. So I guess it might be time for a replacement, says the guy running a decade old dac . But the good news is, good sounding, state of the art dac's, do not cost a limb these days. There are a lot of new players in the market, especially from china. And a lot of new implementations too. Take your pic, and with reasonable research to back it, you wont be disappointed.

I would appreciate some specific examples please? who are the leading contenders in the $1000 dac market - mytek, denafripps, auralic, chord, ... ?

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

I would appreciate some specific examples please? who are the leading contenders in the $1000 dac market - mytek, denafripps, auralic, chord, ... ?

Iam not familiar with whats out there at the moment. But Denafrips, Gustard and SMSL, as well as Topping have well regarded dacs in that range.

 

[Yeraditya]

I used to listen to CDs some years back. Then I heard about DACs on this forum. Converted a lot of CDs to FLAC and have been listening through DACs for like 10 years now.

But now I notice that many companies do not make DACs?

Has technology changed? Are there new ways to listen?

I am not the experimental flexible sort. If I find something I am comfortable with I kinda stick to it - not a very good way to live life as I have begun to realize of late (probably missed a lot of exciting things in life due to this attitude).

Appreciate the feedback on new technologies in the audio world.

DACs are very much in use even now. A good external DAC is very useful and relavent to good systems even now.

I think mostly DACs are still Delta Sigma/R2R and some FPGA on top of it. But improvements are largely in the chipset, power supply, jitter, Sampling. Also streaming DACs will ensure you will not have to bother with IC cables, Reclocking.

Overall the quality of entry DACs has indeed come a long way. Do enjoy the research along the way

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

Apple TV(and phone) > Volumio on Raspberry pi -> chord mojo -> power amp -> Speakers.

 

[chander]

I would appreciate some specific examples please? who are the leading contenders in the $1000 dac market - mytek, denafripps, auralic, chord, ... ?

Current Rs.1,00,000/- (just rounding off the $1,000 ) brands that are making headlines -
- Gustard, Denafrips, SMSL, Topping- From the Chinese Camp
- Schiit, Chord from the European Camp
- Around $1,000 on sale many times - RME ADI 2 DAC FS.

Plenty of models from SMSL & Topping - which are considered "very resolving" by various people in well under $1,000/- (not my opinion).
Some Gustard & Denafrips Around the Rs.1,00,000/- mark & above that are considered very good, great deals on used.
Schiit & Chord (not on my top list for various reasons - including reasons other than audio) are very well received too.
RME ADI 2 DAC FS is pretty much very well received/reviewed by all, pretty much.

These are the brands I have heard that I can think of under/around $1000 range.

TO - "How do you listen nowadays?"

Macbook Air M1/Wiim Pro -> RME ADI 2 DAC FS -> Genelec 7040 Sub -> Genelec G3 speakers (Near Field Setup)
Source - Spotify for Music 99% of time.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

Stand-alone DACs are still made. But the trend is towards integrating them into either a streamer (upstream) or the amplifier (downstream).

Chinese DACs have exposed the costly western counterparts by providing comparable quality at fraction of the price. I imagine it’d be increasingly difficult to justify DACs as standalone product in years to come at the price point ($500 odd) that major companies expect as minimum for any of their electronic products.

All-in-one wireless speakers (streamer + DAC + Amp + multi-driver speakers) are also getting more mainstream.

 

[heliumflight]

I listen to amp cum dac Cyrus6 dac

 

[Phew]

As always

 

[manek]

How about mojo 2 - is that an upgrade over 2qute?

And what other options? in the under $1000 range. Appreciate the feedback.

I use the mojo 2 and could not be happier for my Iphone + Apple music/Foobar(flac and wav)+ headphone rig.

Thinking of using an ipad(with external usb storage) + mojo2 + amp as my final rig. Minimalist yet functional the way I want it.

 

[mbhangui]

80 % - Flac/DSD on a hard disk played by mpd on a raspberry pi using MPD through a I2S DAC or through MPD using allo revolution DAC connected to allo usbridge
10 % - MPD running on a mac mini playing on a Xonar Essence one Dac and maybe occasionally Apple Music
3 % - LPs
4 % - spotify (most convenient, anytime, anywhere and any bloody damn device (probably even my toaster will play it) and it remembers the song position when you last left off, unlike Apple Music)
2 % - Cassettes using my Yamaha Deck. My Nakamich is out of order and is waiting for a rubber belt.
0.6 % - bathroom singing to my own voice
0.4 % - apple music using an ancient Airport Express (I have macbooks, ATV, but they just don't cut it for me)