How many of you agree with spending money on a good quality DAC

[tirthankar]

+1 to the suggestion of the M2tech Young. In fact, that is the name that first popped to my head when I read your first post.

If you are open to used, there are a host of great dacs at Audiogon.

 

[john_k_antony]

I dont think AP sells the low end DAC anymore. Its not listed in their website anymore. The only one is the high end Thiyaga DAC.

-John.

 

[john_k_antony]

+1 to the suggestion of the M2tech Young. In fact, that is the name that first popped to my head when I read your first post.

If you are open to used, there are a host of great dacs at Audiogon.

Just looked at WhatHifi and they say Audiolab M-DAC at half the price beats M2Tech Young. Is that any true?

-John.

 

[sivakuru]

I was given a quote of 72k for the M2Tech young.

 

[corElement]

I find the DAC Burr Brown on the xonar stx sufficient for all my needs. I did however change the op amps to one which has a thicker midrange.

 

[john_k_antony]

I was given a quote of 72k for the M2Tech young.

May I know where did u get the quote? Also is there any place in India where I can audition it?

-John.

 

[john_k_antony]

Just got a reply from Wyred 4 Sound regarding upgrading the caps in DAC1 to the one that is used in DAC2 for $150. It used to be a $50 upgrade before. This upgrade will make the DAC1 power supply unit same as DAC2. The only difference now is the 24/192 USB, Remote control, superior volume controls and some other feature that I will never use.

This forum is great.... I have got more options to look at... and at the same time more confused

-John.

 

[jai1611]

I think M2Tech prices In India have gone up in the last few months. The price for the Evo has gone up 50% between March and now

 

[john_k_antony]

Opps... thats bad!

 

[malvai]

just go for the w4s dec dude... its super value for the price and immensely upgradable for future tech too!

 

[sivakuru]

May I know where did u get the quote? Also is there any place in India where I can audition it?

-John.

John:

I got the details from the below thread:
http://www.hifivision.com/cd-players/7482-m2tech-hiface-usb-spdif-converter-2.html

 

[nowwhat?]

John, a DAC is a good idea. However, most don't have a great USB input.

This is true, most DACs have USB as an afterthought. If you have a computer with only USB, you need to put in a S/PDIF card or go with an external HiFace interface.

If it is only USB that you are looking for, then might I suggest the JKDAC32? It doesn't look like much, but this DAC has no upsampling, uses a Burr Brown chip and goes all the way up to 384 KHz resolution. The sound quality is supposed to be similar to vinyl. Please see reviews especially the 6moons one as well as a comparison of DACS in the sub GBP 1,000 price range. The JKDAC32 has done well against the M2Tech Young and in fact John Kenny's JKSPDIF is preferred over the M2Tech Hiface Evo.

For something that will tick all the right boxes, the Audiolab M-DAC has done extremely well. It even has a preamp that the JKDAC32 does not and the OLED display should guarantee a good WAF. The M-DAC has done better than the Rega in some of the reviews I have read.

If I am not mistaken, the Peachtree DAC is in Class A as per the Stereophile review.

I have not heard any of the above and would be interested in participating in joint hearings, etc. if anyone is in Bangalore.

 

[2chFreak]

i will treat reviews with jus' a pinch of salt & 2 hoots to 'em

fact lies when you listen to 'em in your system

its suddenly altogether different

either its good or complete rubbish !!!

 

[john_k_antony]

i will treat reviews with jus' a pinch of salt & 2 hoots to 'em

fact lies when you listen to 'em in your system

its suddenly altogether different

either its good or complete rubbish !!!

The problem is its very difficult to arrange for a good audition for DACs in Bangalore or I dont know any place that offers a good comparison between various DACs.

-John.

 

[john_k_antony]

This is true, most DACs have USB as an afterthought. If you have a computer with only USB, you need to put in a S/PDIF card or go with an external HiFace interface.

If it is only USB that you are looking for, then might I suggest the JKDAC32? It doesn't look like much, but this DAC has no upsampling, uses a Burr Brown chip and goes all the way up to 384 KHz resolution. The sound quality is supposed to be similar to vinyl. Please see reviews especially the 6moons one as well as a comparison of DACS in the sub GBP 1,000 price range. The JKDAC32 has done well against the M2Tech Young and in fact John Kenny's JKSPDIF is preferred over the M2Tech Hiface Evo.

For something that will tick all the right boxes, the Audiolab M-DAC has done extremely well. It even has a preamp that the JKDAC32 does not and the OLED display should guarantee a good WAF. The M-DAC has done better than the Rega in some of the reviews I have read.

If I am not mistaken, the Peachtree DAC is in Class A as per the Stereophile review.

I have not heard any of the above and would be interested in participating in joint hearings, etc. if anyone is in Bangalore.

My primary use case will be to use the DAC with Oppo-93. USB usage will be rare and occasional. So I am not too keen on the USB side of the DAC.

-John.

 

[2chFreak]

one thing though .. W4S dacs are made by guys with tons of experience in this sort of work

if you like that one, go for their ver 2. Its a good & solid investment. Cullen & Team knows what they're doing. And they leave room for improvement so you wont get stuck.

 

[john_k_antony]

Thanks for the recommendation. I got amazing reviews from malavi as well. The only reason I am shying away from DAC2 is that I dont need the USB connectivity for very high resolution files. So if I opt for DAC1 with the same sonic performance as DAC2, I just need to upgrade the caps and that will cost me $150. So the total cost will be $1150. I think I can save on that $350. I talked to W4S guys and they said they can build the custom DAC1 with caps from DAC2 easily. I think I am sold on W4S as most of the reviewers said its a "dark" sounding DAC and I like my music warm, more vinyl like.

-John.

 

[sarge_in]

The W4S DAC2 is excellent - very low noise floor, but with all the dynamics. Superb value!

Do consider what you are getting for another $350 - the DAC2 can drive the amp directly without needing a preamp or receiver. From what I have read, preamp may help depending on the quality, but the DAC2 by itself is veryy close. If you already have one, no issues of course. It also has a HT bypass feature that can be used to consolidate your music and HT systems if required, now or later. I use that all the time and am absolutely thrilled with it!

 

[2chFreak]

its a "dark" sounding DAC and I like my music warm, more vinyl like.

-John.

I like my music this way too & when it comes to dac, and I've my eyes set on

Zodiac Gold 384 kHz DAC | Antelope Audio

with this PSU : Voltikus PSU | Antelope Audio

yes, the cost shoots to approx. Euro 3,595

but you get reference standards for that price.

 

[2chFreak]

Thanks for the recommendation. I got amazing reviews from malavi as well. The only reason I am shying away from DAC2 is that I dont need the USB connectivity for very high resolution files. So if I opt for DAC1 with the same sonic performance as DAC2, I just need to upgrade the caps and that will cost me $150. So the total cost will be $1150. I think I can save on that $350. I talked to W4S guys and they said they can build the custom DAC1 with caps from DAC2 easily. I think I am sold on W4S as most of the reviewers said its a "dark" sounding DAC and I like my music warm, more vinyl like.

-John.

W4S folks are very accommodating types & its a pleasure to deal with them.

Plz do customize to your requirements but collectively, individual small upgrades are usually more expensive from a standard model they have ready for sale.

One FM spoke of not getting the preamp function from the dac. I wouldn't use it anyway. dacs are not inherently supposed to drive power amps but are still to be treated as a front-end source component. The duties of a full-fledged analog preamp cannot suddenly disappear.