Standalone DACs under $10k?

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2FlyingYorkies

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I've had my PS Audio DS Junior for a few years now, and it's starting to make me consider upgrading. Functionally, it has days where it just sort of gets confused and needs the FPGA rebooted more than once. And the front display seems to have its own agenda as to when/what it feels like showing. From a sonic standpoint, I think I'm getting tired of the degree of built-in distortion at lower frequencies that comes from the transformer in the output stage. It can feel a bit "tube like" on good days but other times it's just flabby. Listening to the same tracks via the Sabre 9038Pro in my Oppo 205 disc spinner is audibly different, and I'm going to argue that it's different in a good way, at least from the standpoint of accuracy.

So what's everybody using that's still on the market new? I'm looking for a standalone pure DAC, so I do not need streaming or preamp functionality built in. If it's there, fine, but I'm not looking to pay extra to gain those features. Frankly, I haven't done any serious research yet, so I have not made my own list of candidates. I just got to the point of "fed up" tonight, and figured I start by polling this crew as to what's good! :)
 
MSB Discrete
Meitner MA3
Aqua LaScala v3


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Denafrips Terminator seems to be well thought of, not heard one but might be worth a look.
 
The PS Audio is HiFi junk, for the reasons you have discovered. Ayon Audio Stealth is a HiFi bargain at its price point. I've owned the PS Audio Junior and senior DAC's, and the Ayon Stealth. No comparison, the Ayon walks all over the other two.
 
Bryston BDA3 is a steal.

The new Meitner DAC looks very interesting. Haven't heard it though.


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An interesting group of options to start looking at, including a couple I'm not at all familiar with.

I see that several of them are tube based, or at least have tubes in the signal path. Aside from "go listen and decide for yourself if you like it", what's the benefit/feature that this introduces into what should theoretically be a digital signal path? It's not "historically correct", and for me it's not even nostalgic since I've never been a tubes guy. Doesn't mean I can't start, but it just feels odd to me to intentionally put a known distortion source into what should otherwise be a bit-perfect digital device.

Looking at it from the other direction, I also see there are almost no delta-sigma DACs mentioned. Those have proven to measure very well on a bench, and my own ears seem to think that the one in my Oppo isn't bad at all sonically for being part of a movie player. Any particular reason that technology doesn't appear here? I wonder if it's because the base chips are fairly inexpensive, and even audio folks have struggled to find a way to charge higher prices for them? In the $2-4k range there are a number that get good discussion, including units from Matrix Audio and Okto Research, but nothing much above that price point.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not opposed to a strong performing bargain! Just trying to educate myself a little. And of course living out here in the audio wasteland of central Kansas, any kind of in-person audition is likely either a "buy and hope for returns" situation or a lengthy road trip that would break my quarantine a little more aggressively than I want to.
 
I started a thread essentially identical to this one a few months ago; I can’t remember if there were other worthwhile suggestions, but you might want to check there

DAC's $5k - $11k
 
Phishphan said:
Bryston BDA3 is a steal.
Click to expand...

I'll second the Bryston BDA-3. Plus I'm using it with my Oppo UDP-205 so that I can still play back and decode my SACD collection (via HDMI cable). For me, it was a marked upgrade in sound over the Oppo's built in Sabre chipset and reasonably priced at roughly $4k.
 
Scotty said:
Mojo Audio - outstanding - he occasionally gets the Mystique V3 in trade for the Evo
Click to expand...

I love my Mojo Audio. Best DAC I ever owned. I almost upgraded to his EVO last week. I'm just so happy with the Mystique V3 I could not pull the trigger. Don't forget about the server. Its way more important than people want to believe. The server is where the quiet, calm, clean background comes from. The DAC is more the pace, rhythm and timing. The OMG it sound real. Having both makes digital special.
Mojo is 30 day money back guarantee. But you wont send it back.
 
For high-performance DACs under 5k I'll mention my own Ideon Ayazi Mk-2 and the Benchmark DAC-3, IMO excellent contenders.
In my small system, either of these DACs empirically sounded close to my hi-end MSB.
 
Just give it 6 months or a year and another dac(s) will be coming out. Its a never-ending cycle of what's best, best under and best over

How about Lampizator Golden Atlantic with additional DSD512 module, the T+A Dac8 DSD if you mostly plan to upsample all to DSD512, Bricasti M1, the Acqua Formula Dac, Berkeley Ref for PCM (used market), Meitner MA-1 just so many others, Denafrips Terminator, Schiit Yggdrasil, Holo May, Total Dac D1 MK2, etc..
 
Mike said:
MSB Discrete
Meitner MA3
Aqua LaScala v3


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

No T+A Mike?

T+A worth considering and saving a bit of money, especially if you are a fan of how much better DSD can be.
 
Mike said:
I was thinking right around the $10k mark.
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I pretty much knew that, was just busting on ya.

However I would put the T+A as competitive against most anything in the up to $10K range, maybe even higher. If you are talking about DSD and especially if you are going to use HQ Player then you got to go considerably higher in my view :).
 
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