A DAC that can make digital sound analog?

Overdrive transistor output sounds like a clean, fast tube.  My last DAC had tube output.  This is better.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

I am an analog fanatic. Most of my source listening is from vinyl and, over the years, I have owned many CDPs and several standalone DACs. Recently, I traded in a high end DAC for a PS Audio Gain Cell DAC to use as both a DAC and a multisource preamp. I have to say it is a major upgrade for digital playback, both from my PS Audio Transport with the I2S interface, and even more importantly, with USB streaming/file playback from my MacBook Pro. Until now, never has digital sounded so warm, natural and analog-sourced in my system. This is a very fine, high value DAC/preamp! I can’t say enough about the quality and value of PS Audio’s products. I am not affiliated with the company, though I wish I were!

I've never been a vinyl guy but I'll throw in another vote for PS Audio. I recently got the DirectStream Junior and it sounds incredible. I stream hi rez from Tidal and FLAC CD rips from my computer and I've never heard anything sound even close to this good in my system. They offer a 30-day in home trial if you want to give any of their products a shot. The funny thing is I find the DAC so good I'm thinking of selling it because the rest of my gear isn't anywhere near the same level and I am worried about getting to much upgrade-itis in order to match the DAC!

I have always been a vinyl guy, and also had CD players and then DAC's that did the digital chores.  IME digital kept staying clearly inferior due to something just not right in the highs - - until I started using R2R DAC's.  I first built an Audio Note Kits 4.1 LE DAC, and it just had musical soul like my string of CD players had not.  Then I got on the Lampizator train, and have not looked back.  I found the Big 7 to be very competitive with my vinyl rig.  I would strongly suggest looking for a deal on a good used Lampi for something that can pair successfully with a vinyl loving system and audio nut.

I bit hard on the vinyl bug for about three years. Had an analog rig that was about 7k all in, and 600+ LPs which were curated in such a way that they are the very best pressings of the music I wanted. Several Mofi One Steps, AP 45 RPMs, original Floyd, Zep, etc... Taking any "vinyl noise" out of the picture, the sound quality - not as a function of stark accuracy, but rather, how into the music I could get. How emotional it felt, how it moved me. It was amazing!

Then I got an Yggdrasil (with updated analog out board) and a very nice CD transport, and some CDs. I get that exact same window into the music, but the media is far less fussy, there's no real setup to deal with, and I can pop in the disc and just hit play, same ritual as vinyl except no sides to flip. 

I will be keeping my vinyl stuff, I just don't use it nearly as much, now.