As time goes by the new DACs are definitely better.
Apart from radically different designs they are all pretty well using the same chips.
I started with an Apogee some years back and even at one point questioned what the beneficial difference was.
Then I got into the Bel Canto's DACs.
The difference was like turning the lights on.
We then went into tubes and compared Ayon's SC1 to the Bel Canto VB models.
Yes the Ayon is better but marginally.
The latest buzz was the Lampizator and yes we ordered a level 5.
The wait time was so absurd we eventually cancelled.
I was happy we did as their build quality continued to haunt me throughout the waiting.
Needless to say we did not listen to the Lampi.
However after attending CES and THE this year I was presented with the holy grail.
Out of the 100 some odd exhibitors I visited one that continued to stay with me was Bluelight Audio.
Both their Evolution line and Playback Designs were a revelation for me
I couldn't get over the clarity of the source and inquired as to what chip they were using. Playback's president explained it was a proprietary system and not the same old chips.(Burr Brown or Sabre)
The system automatically recognizes any source (such as a PC, IPod, Discman, etc.) and uses new technology they have developed called PDFAS (Playback Designs Frequency Arrival System) to completely eliminate all jitter.
Apart from radically different designs they are all pretty well using the same chips.
I started with an Apogee some years back and even at one point questioned what the beneficial difference was.
Then I got into the Bel Canto's DACs.
The difference was like turning the lights on.
We then went into tubes and compared Ayon's SC1 to the Bel Canto VB models.
Yes the Ayon is better but marginally.
The latest buzz was the Lampizator and yes we ordered a level 5.
The wait time was so absurd we eventually cancelled.
I was happy we did as their build quality continued to haunt me throughout the waiting.
Needless to say we did not listen to the Lampi.
However after attending CES and THE this year I was presented with the holy grail.
Out of the 100 some odd exhibitors I visited one that continued to stay with me was Bluelight Audio.
Both their Evolution line and Playback Designs were a revelation for me
I couldn't get over the clarity of the source and inquired as to what chip they were using. Playback's president explained it was a proprietary system and not the same old chips.(Burr Brown or Sabre)
The system automatically recognizes any source (such as a PC, IPod, Discman, etc.) and uses new technology they have developed called PDFAS (Playback Designs Frequency Arrival System) to completely eliminate all jitter.