affordable dac, detailed but not clinical, any recommendations

Hi,

I agree with Viren that changing from the Chinese 2A3C tubes to the RCA 2A3 tubes will be a big improvement. While the Chinese tubes are among the better new production 2A3 tubes they do have a glassy sounding top end. Another less expensive way to get the sound you are after is to change the rectifier tube in the 2A3 amp from the Russian 5U4c to a RCA 5V4G or Brimar 5V4G. The Russian rectifier is a very good tube and is a good match when used with warm euphonic tubes like ecc83, 6SL7 etc .

I am not sure if your DHT pre can take the 5V4/GZ34/5Z4 type rectifiers , some of the Lyrita DHT preamps use the 6X4 type rectifier. If it can try experimenting with the different rectifiers.

Regards
Rajiv
I second what Rajiv mentions regarding the differences that come with changing the tubes as such. In my Lyrita system, I have made the same changes. Personally, the sq of the Chinese tubes is not to my liking. Perhaps, it is more of a systems synergy aspect. Also, from a demand-supply standpoint, going with Russian tubes as stock makes sense. One can always experiment with tube rolling at a later stage.

On the other point, I highly recommend you looking at the Monarchy DACs. This is only if you want to go down the pre-owned route. I have acquired one a few months ago. It is a mind-boggling DAC. There is a thread on the same under the DAC subsection. I will post my detailed impressions sometime soon.
 
The RCA tubes are much better but the Chinese tubes aren’t bright. I have heard the Lyritas with the Chinese tubes with my Saadhanas. There was no brightness
 
Your source is cds? Which songs sound bright? The Rethms are ruthless. If your source recording is not upto the mark, it’s going to show up. It can’t handle compressed recordings.
Jazz sounds perfect, so does classic rock. It may not play Bjork or basement jaxx to sonic level, but then the could be 2a3 too..

My hunch is it's the source + cables. Will upgrade to rca and report back
 
I have no idea why its sounding bright then. Check if any of the wires from the lowther driver has become loose

i get that warmth in some cd's and not in most. so i am thinking, the system is not forgiving to most recordings. while i agree that the lowthers have a lively, energetic sound with lots of detail, it's mating with the subwoofer unit softens the overall sound signature to a great extent.

as mentioned here...its not bright, i merely described how the lowthers sound to me, lively and energetic. it is by no means a "dull" "warm" speaker. i also mention i get the sound that i seek in some genres versus the others, in that, let me rephrase what i meant - i don't mean a bjork and miles davis would sound the same....i feel the system us too revealing wherein the drop of volume of a CD's mix takes time to adjust to...therefore, i was seeking a source which can influence the chain. i tried swapping with the blue player i had and it does effect the overall sound and there i felt this could be bettered...by that i probably also mean, i need colored sound, the best analogy i can come up with is, my system sounds warm like early morning, 7-8 am, i feel it can be 12 noon

and you are right Prem, when you say it cant play all genres; maybe that's my true problem statement. i cant make an acoustic guitar sound like electric by adding a humbucking pickup to it :)

all said, i feel it is a versatile system, and i feel the source and cables perhaps needs some tuning to make this even better experience. will look at suggestions provided in this thread and report back :) Thanks all.
 
btw, if anyone travels to Indore for business/leisure, please do drop by...would love to host our members !
 
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firstly, not sure if discussion to ensue would be related to dac, but i promise it would converge soon :)

had been in touch with Virenji, was super glad to know he came across this thread and suggested the following changes to come closer to the sound i am expecting -
1. replace stock 2a3 tube to a RCA 2A3 (will be provided by Virenji)
2. replace stock rectifier tube to RCA 5V4G (will be provided by Virenji)
3. this suggestion, as they say in mumbai, "hila diya" :); "make sure all tubes are inserted firmly in their sockets. Especially, the 4P1L tubes - they require a good deal of force to seat properly" - as i was to discover, one of the 4P1L tube in DHT pre was always a bit loose, i felt that was the limit, didn't apply force, now i did and it slid in beautifully forming a firm connection. with this change alone, i sense fluidity has enhanced, relaxed and centered! how did he guess that...

all the upgrades suggested were provided to me at unheard of rates, in today's world a RCA 2A3 cost's quite a sum...plus shipping and what not. and here is a gentleman who sparing his stock ay reasonable prices for folks who own his products...i haven't purchased my 2a3 and dht from virenji and yet, i get a feeling i am getting a service just like any other direct customer...truly humbling to see such level of service offered and ultimately, the convenience of it all :)

i am now looking forward to receiving the RCA's and i can already sense it is going to breath a new life to the system! btw, the lowthers are breaking in too ! it's been almost over an year since i purchased them...good time ahead.
 
firstly, not sure if discussion to ensue would be related to dac, but i promise it would converge soon :)

had been in touch with Virenji, was super glad to know he came across this thread and suggested the following changes to come closer to the sound i am expecting -
1. replace stock 2a3 tube to a RCA 2A3 (will be provided by Virenji)
2. replace stock rectifier tube to RCA 5V4G (will be provided by Virenji)
3. this suggestion, as they say in mumbai, "hila diya" :); "make sure all tubes are inserted firmly in their sockets. Especially, the 4P1L tubes - they require a good deal of force to seat properly" - as i was to discover, one of the 4P1L tube in DHT pre was always a bit loose, i felt that was the limit, didn't apply force, now i did and it slid in beautifully forming a firm connection. with this change alone, i sense fluidity has enhanced, relaxed and centered! how did he guess that...

all the upgrades suggested were provided to me at unheard of rates, in today's world a RCA 2A3 cost's quite a sum...plus shipping and what not. and here is a gentleman who sparing his stock ay reasonable prices for folks who own his products...i haven't purchased my 2a3 and dht from virenji and yet, i get a feeling i am getting a service just like any other direct customer...truly humbling to see such level of service offered and ultimately, the convenience of it all :)

i am now looking forward to receiving the RCA's and i can already sense it is going to breath a new life to the system! btw, the lowthers are breaking in too ! it's been almost over an year since i purchased them...good time ahead.
It is good to hear such experiences. Hats off to Viren-ji.
Loved the "hila diya" suggestion.
Cheers,
Raghu
 
firstly, not sure if discussion to ensue would be related to dac, but i promise it would converge soon :)

had been in touch with Virenji, was super glad to know he came across this thread and suggested the following changes to come closer to the sound i am expecting -
1. replace stock 2a3 tube to a RCA 2A3 (will be provided by Virenji)
2. replace stock rectifier tube to RCA 5V4G (will be provided by Virenji)
3. this suggestion, as they say in mumbai, "hila diya" :); "make sure all tubes are inserted firmly in their sockets. Especially, the 4P1L tubes - they require a good deal of force to seat properly" - as i was to discover, one of the 4P1L tube in DHT pre was always a bit loose, i felt that was the limit, didn't apply force, now i did and it slid in beautifully forming a firm connection. with this change alone, i sense fluidity has enhanced, relaxed and centered! how did he guess that...

all the upgrades suggested were provided to me at unheard of rates, in today's world a RCA 2A3 cost's quite a sum...plus shipping and what not. and here is a gentleman who sparing his stock ay reasonable prices for folks who own his products...i haven't purchased my 2a3 and dht from virenji and yet, i get a feeling i am getting a service just like any other direct customer...truly humbling to see such level of service offered and ultimately, the convenience of it all :)

i am now looking forward to receiving the RCA's and i can already sense it is going to breath a new life to the system! btw, the lowthers are breaking in too ! it's been almost over an year since i purchased them...good time ahead.

Jenson, FWIW here’s my experience. I have the Lyrita DHT Pre. But I had specifically requested a model which I can roll the 5V4G tube in (that’s what I had heard in older DHT pre at another FM, Sandeep Baheti). He therefore made accordingly and supplied with 5C4S. Months later when I rolled to RCA 5V4G (lovingly gifted by Sandeep), I got exactly the difference you are looking for - much more warmth and punch (the 5V4G are bigger than 5C4S). I had to adjust my ICs and connectors to ensure that while I get the additional warmth and power, I don’t miss out on the delicacy of the sound. As a result, I have a sound that I enjoy far more than the previous one. Your amp and preamp may need different tubes to roll, but do consider the RCA options. They could make the difference you seek.

And yes, about the 4P1L tube being loose, I had that experience too with the right one. I had to tighten the wooden plate below the tubes so that the holes were better aligned with the holder of the tube and then could get the tube to fit in tightly. Not ideal, but I put that down to an understandable assembly oversight (or may be it came loose in the transit) - one cannot but admire Virenji’s passion to make these at his place. Grado, Lyrita... we need more of these homely/enthusiast makers to keep the soul in the profession.
 
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Received the RCA's today, installed them a while back, and I am in proverbial tears... How could a tube bring about about such a change is beyond my comprehension, and now I can relate to all the tube rollers!

My test disc, as always is the sacd of Floyd's dsotm, and had heard the same today again prior to swap, post swap, the intro to breathe, the way it played the heartbeat with a bounce...the lovely drenched delay of gilmours strat and his voice, now, with much more space.... This upgrade is one the best ever, thank you Rajiv for the suggestions and the Guardian angel, Virenji for making it happen for me! I am ever grateful.

This system has changed....cant wait to play Chris Isaak and then who knows... Going to be one long night !
 
Critical for Rethm setup
Yes, I do Realize...however considering the experience I have had now, I'll save up for the 45 tubes, and have that as upgrade first, then perhaps invest in cables...unless, someone is selling cables by lyrita :)

I am also looking at dacs as I believe it will add tremendous value to the whole chain... I want to get this one right...
 
Schiit MODI 3. Available at headphone zone India for about 11k. It will be all the DAC YOU NEED :). They are not clinical, but they are very transparent and will reveal all details, without sounding harsh. Another friendly advice would be, to not use any treble happy headphone or speaker with any of the Schiit Audio products, as they tend to accentuate the treble. This is my own opinion, so readers may take it with a pinch of salt. :)
 
Schiit MODI 3. Available at headphone zone India for about 11k. It will be all the DAC YOU NEED :). They are not clinical, but they are very transparent and will reveal all details, without sounding harsh. Another friendly advice would be, to not use any treble happy headphone or speaker with any of the Schiit Audio products, as they tend to accentuate the treble. This is my own opinion, so readers may take it with a pinch of salt. :)
+1. I found my schiit Modi multibit dac a touch bright as well.
 
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