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Cal Audio Alpha 24/96 upgrade?

I have a Cal Audio Alpha Dac, and I am wondering if it is worth having the 24/96 upgrade done. Is it worth the cost, ($450)? Will it make that big of a difference? Or is it money that should be saved for something else? by the way, I am using a Cal Audio Delta CD Transport.

Thanks in advance.
ton1313
sean
6,229 posts
 
If you haven't tried swapping tubes in this unit, i would go that route before spending the money on the 24 / 96 upgrade. Then again, i know others that have done the upgrade and found it WAY better than any tube swap. It's all personal taste and system based. I've got 3 different CAL dac's and they all have different sonic signatures.

If you are hell bent on doing the upgrade, you should probably do it relatively soon. I don't know how much longer CAL will be doing these mods, but i don't see it continuing that far into the future. Sean
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ton1313 OP
272 posts
 
Sean,

What kind of tubes would you recommend to try? I don't know alot about the different ones.

Thanks
camadeco
133 posts
 
Hello Ton1313-
I have done the upgrade AND replaced the stock tubes with others. I have tried NOS Westinghouse, Mullards and Teles. I have decided that my Amperex goldpins sound best. Now to answer your question, in hindsight, I would not have made the investment in the upgrade. Yes, it is an improvement, but the ROI is zero. Given the opportunity, I would sell the CALs and look at a Metronome, Electrocompaniet or Resolution player instead. IMHO, all of these sound better than the CAL.
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