No Lampizator mentioned yet. Great and rare blend of warmth and resolution. Go vol control straight to amp. Or pre to add more warmth, if that’s your thing. But imo the DACs really shine straight to amp.
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Hey, guys, thanks for all your input. Well, I didn't know just how high some DACs could go, and I do mean price-wise. Below I have tried to list all the DACs that have been mentioned along with some reference information about each, including some specs, price (if I could find it), and a web site. Now, do all of these DACs sound "warm-ish?" :^) All of them? ----- LampizatOr DAC 7-day audition policy Power amplifier with built in DAC. USB input only, analog XLR balanced inputs (bypassing the DAC), no SE inputs, no SPDIF, fully balanced topology, Pentode outsput stage balanced push pull without phase splitter, Pentodes in ultralinear mode, EL84, 10 WPC. Big 5 chassis. 5000 Euros (does not include VAT) - from Poland LampizatOr AMBER II DAC a price range real people can afford. Amber DAC Black, blue eye ring One USB with PCM32 bit / 384 kHz DSD64 -128 Auto-sensing PCM/DSD 1 Toslink/SPDIF input up to 192/24 bit Premium Capacitors 3 years warranty https://www.lampizator.com/dsd-dac-1/ Price: 1800 Euros ----- Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC $599 D/A Conversion IC: Analog Devices AD5547CRUZ Digital Filter: proprietary Schiit bitperfect closed-form digital filter Analog Stage: precision I/V converter and output buffer based on AD8512 Inputs: Coaxial SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB Input Capability: up to 24/192 for all inputs, including 24/176.4 Input Receiver, SPDIF: AK4113, USB: C-Media CM6631A with electromagnetic and electrostatic isolation Output: RCA (single-ended) Output Impedance: 75 ohms Power supply: 5 stages of regulation, including separate supplies for critical digital and analog sections. Upgradability: Separate, modular USB Input Card and DAC/Analog Card are snap-in replaceable. Power Consumption: 12W Size: 9 x 6.75 x 2.25” Weight: 5 lbs ----- TeddyDAC-VC 92kHz Digital to Analog Converter with volume control. Inputs: 2xCoax, optical, USB optional Sample Rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz,96kHz,192kHz Output Level: 2V (Fixed), 0-6V (Variable) Dimensions: 25x17x6.2cm Weight: 2.2Kg $1250 https://www.teddypardo.com/dacs/teddydac-vc.html ----- Wyred 4 Sound DAC - 2v2 ESS Sabre 9028PRO chip $2,300 ESS Sabre 9028PRO 32 bit DAC chip support up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM and up to DSD256 VFD display, sample rate, vol control, and config viewing Remote control Defeatable 32 bit volume control HT Bypass inputs (selectable via DC trigger) 2x Coax inputs 2x Toslink inputs 1x AES/EBU input 1x Balanced I2S input via HDMI cable 8.5"W x 4.125"H x 13.5"D 14 lbs. Covered by a 5 YEAR WARRANTY https://www.wyred4sound.com/products/digital-converters/dac-2v2-series ----- Rega DAC $995 Selectable Digital Filters non-oversampling size: half-width, full-depth usb noise elimination usb dac 24-bit Wolfson wm8742 chip coax , digital, and usb inputs 8.8 lbs. https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/rega-dac ----- Aesthetix Pandora DAC £ 6,541.67 (? best I could find ?) Card-based DAC with three digital input slots. AES/EBU, RCA Coax, Toslink standard on digital input 1 slot. AES/EBU and RCA Coax SPDIF capable of 192KHz / 24 bit. USB standard on digital input 2 slot. USB capable of (96KHz, 24bit) and (192KHz, 24bit). 2nd USB input optional. DAC section based on Burr-Brown PCM1792A. Analog section feat. 4 vac tubes (2x 12AX7, 2x 6DJ8/6922). Remote control of all functions. Stainless steel faraday cages isolate digital, analog and ps sections. Three transformers: digital circuits, analog circuits, & control functions. All aluminum chassis construction. RS232 control. 12v trigger. Available in black or silver faceplate. Unit Weight: 35 Lbs Dimensions: 18" width x 4 3/8" height x 18" depth http://www.aesthetix.net/digital.php ----- MSB Analog DAC -- discontinued http://www.msbtechnology.com/dacs/ generally, very pricey items on website ----- ARC DAC -- ??? -- Couldn't find this one... Did you mean Audio Research Reference DAC? (discontinued) ----- Conrad Johnson DAC I searched the CJ site, but could find no current products described as a DAC. The DA2b shows up on searches, but it is not on the site (AFAIK). ----- Border Patrol DAC Available with async USB input, SPDIF input or switchable USB + SPDIF. No over-sampling (NOS), No digital filtering R2R DAC chip with no output buffering. Copper metal chassis. "The USB version of the DAC features a SPDIF(COAX) output which enables it to function as a high quality USB to SPDIF(COAX) converter." Plays files up to 24/96kHz via USB or SPDIF(COAX) Tube/solid state hybrid choke input filter power supply "To our knowledge, BorderPatrol is the only company applying tube rectification and choke input filtering to digital circuits." Dimensions: W x D x H: 9 x 7x 3in (226 x 173 x 78mm) Weight: 6.6lb/3kg Prices USB or SPDIF(COAX) only: S = $995 SE=$1350 USB + SPDIF(COAX) (switchable): S = $1495 SE=$1850 http://www.borderpatrol.net/DAC.htm ----- Luxman DA-06 DAC (Entry level DAC, 2 more in series) Price: $6K in 2013?? Now?? Supported Media 2 channel SACD, CD Digital Input USB x 1, Coaxial x 2, Optical x 2, Balanced (AES/EBU) x 1 Digital Output Coaxial x 1, Optical x 1 Analog Output Unbalanced x 1, Balanced x 1 Dimensions 440 (W) x 92 (H) x 400 (D) mm Weight 11.0kg http://www.luxman.com/product/detail.php?id=11 ----- Esoteric D-07 DAC $4500 https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/esoteric-d-07x-dual-mono-dac Jacks: XLR (2ch) ×1 RCA (2ch) ×1 Headphones ×1 Balanced digital input: XLR (5 .0 Vp-p/110 O) ×1 Coaxial connector: RCA (0 .5 Vp-p/75 O)×2 Optical digital connector: OPTICAL (–24 .0 to –14 .5 dBm peak) ×1 USB port B connector: ×1 Input sampling frequencies: 32, 44 .1, 48, 88 .2, 96, 176 .4, 192 (kHz) Note: The XLR input (only) supports DSD input in ES-LINK (single) format Dimensions (WHD): 17 1/2" x4 1/4" x 14 1/8" Weight: 22 .93 lbs. ----- Ayre CODEX DAC Price: $1795 in 2015, now??? https://www.ayre.com/products/digital/codex/#DESCRIPTION USB and Optical (Toslink) inputs Headphone outputs Two 3.5mm mini-phone jacks One ¼” phone jack 3.5mm mini-phone jacks configurable to balanced mode Asynchronous transfer mode for USB input DSD or PCM input over USB Minimum phase digital filter Single-pass 16x oversampling Ayre’s exclusive Diamond output circuit Linear analog AyreLock power supply zero-feedback and fully-balanced discrete circuitry Equilock circuitry for active gain devices Dimensions: 2.25"W x 9"D x 5.25"H (5.5 cm x 23 cm x 13.7 cm) Weight 3 pounds (1.4 kg) ----- Metrum DAC Website showing 8 DAC models, from $465 to $6400 https://metrumacoustics.com/product-category/digital-to-analog-conversion/ ----- Audio Research DAC 9 No list of specs on the website that I could see, but I'm sure they're in the manual which can be downloaded. Website seemed focused on presentation, not details. http://audioresearch.com/en-us/products/sources-digital/dac-9 No mention of price that I could find, but looks VERY expensive, IMO. I'd say, at least $15,000 (my guess). ---- I think that's about it so far... :'> |
The CJ ($2k)is out of production as is the MSB Analog ($7-10k) the Ayre QB-9 can be found ...$2k even less for non dsd pandora w CD is a Romulus pandora new is about $6k sig $8k ish the Lami you got right, I stole mine lightly used for $1,400 w Tube power supply ARC would be DAC3-DAC8 with used prices all over map... the Ayre Codex delivers a lot of value |
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