What's the best Tube DAC you have heard?

How much are Zandens on the used market these days?

And which hi rez DACs today might be candidates to dethrone the Zanden?

I've seen them come and go on here, the pre-Signature models (mark 1,2,3,4) I think go for under 5k, and the Signature model seems to go anywhere above 7k (i think).

As for a HiRez DAC, I'm not sure, I have an RME (Pro Audio) Firewire DAC that sounds good for now. It seems the high end world is trying to catch up to the HiRez formats. Not sure exactly what's out there.

I often think maybe going back to a Zanden, they really are that good. The gentleman who purchased my old Zanden was talking about all these other DACs he had been comparing, and then when he received the Zanden, he was floored as well.

With the Zanden, you get it all with no compromise, only you are limited to Redbook CD format - 16 bits. Does not sound digital AT ALL. Period. At the time, SACD never crossed my mind.

Maybe one day there will be a HiRez contender, just waiting patiently.

One more point I have to make, once in a while a high end expensive component hits the market and raises the bar for the competition, the Zanden DAC was one of them IMHO. There are other tube DACs out there for sure, some of them probably very very good, I have not heard them all, but the Zanden is truly a special piece to experience. If you got the $$$, it's a joy to listen too and own.

That was the first component that pushed me into the upper range of audio.

Be wary of those kinds of components, they will cost you more than the price of admission, because then you find weaker links in your system, and you will want to keep going. :)

Hi Gerald,

Dev's 6-6-11 suggestion merits consideration. I've only owned a sole DAC...Audio Note 4.1X Balanced -- it's NOS, i.e., non-oversampling.

Best,
Sam

Hi James1969,

i still own my Zanden DAC, having listen carefully to DCS Scarlatti full stack, Emm Labs CDSA, DCS Elgar Plus stack, Wadia 7, ARC CD3,5,7,8, Krell 505 and Meridian 808.2.

I do not disagree the DCS Scarlatti generates a level of clean signal like i have not heard before...remarkable. The Wadia 7 is excellent. 808.2 is suprising but perhaps it felt a little less 'punchy' dynamic to me...not sure why though Dealer agreed.

In the end, despite Zanden showing its age relative to DCS in terms of quiet noise floor, detail...i still have nothing that makes me set it and forget and listen to music. i am keeping it. now, i am just waiting for the second hand transport to get to a level where i can trade some of my other equipment for it!!!

Then i will sit on this for 5 years and enjoy my cds and wait til hi-res has matured a bit more. dont wish to rush in given that there is still very little stock of hi-res available compared to 16/44.1

oh and upgrading tubes inside to Amperex 7308 (and power supply tubes to mullards) was a huge improvement.