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Best DAC to revive digital listening


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8 minutes ago, evil c said:

People could still send different brands for me to trial! ?

Abba were overated! ?

In all seriousness - there is a lot to admire with basically a no frills DAC, that offers some premium options in a nutshell.

Crowd funding perhaps? ?

Yes, different features and audio standards come and go as flavor of the month. Great sound quality on the other hand is something will stop you having to spend again so I believe that's the thing to focus on. Run a separate interface (like the Mutec MC3+USB) that can be replaced and upgraded should the added features be desired. :)

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2 minutes ago, betty boop said:

facebook fundraiser...

 

"I am denied music ... the one joy in life with a system that just spits forth 1's and 0s that are meaningless and leaves me cold....

 

....help me ...evolve to a better system that takes my musical pleasure to another level !  "

 

am sure folks will sign  up to the experiment :D 

 

with the promise you will put the  dac on rotation to pleasure them all :D 

While I self flaggulate with the old digital cable!

I might plagiarize some of that for profit- al ! ?

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pity with this whole lock down thing @evil c as the whole team could come over. BYO dac as only requirement... we'd soon have this in hand. even if left more confused than ever :D

 

but jokes aside. :D I know easy at your expense...but for those wondering ...dac wise what's been catching your eye... as must be playing on mind as next step... am sure ? 

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1 hour ago, Assisi said:

One step at a time.  Appreciate the Lumin for awhile and then contemplate the next step.  Softly softly catches the monkey. Treat as just just work in progress.

 

John

I have been watching this thread from the start Clive.

 

Seriously - John is right on the money here!  Get the Lumin and live with it for a couple of months.

Get a handle on what it can and can't do.  What you like about it, but what could be better.  Have a good place as a datum to work from. 

 

By then  we can start getting around again and you can host a BYO DAC GTG.  Entry by DAC only.

It might cost you a poppyseed carrot cake or the like.

 

Be patient.  If in doubt, just fill in what you need with some quality vinyl time.  Remember - this is not a race, keep the cash stashed for now.  Plenty of time to spend it on something 'special' down the track.  Think of the brownie points with Maggie too...  Just my 2 cents, your call of course.

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+1 Red and John.  The Lumin  (and most very good streamers) will make a huge difference.  IMO more so than changing from one competent DAC to another.  Lumin first then try out a few DACs if necessary.

Edited by andrewyuri
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13 hours ago, Red MacKay said:

I have been watching this thread from the start Clive.

 

Seriously - John is right on the money here!  Get the Lumin and live with it for a couple of months.

Get a handle on what it can and can't do.  What you like about it, but what could be better.  Have a good place as a datum to work from. 

 

By then  we can start getting around again and you can host a BYO DAC GTG.  Entry by DAC only.

It might cost you a poppyseed carrot cake or the like.

 

Be patient.  If in doubt, just fill in what you need with some quality vinyl time.  Remember - this is not a race, keep the cash stashed for now.  Plenty of time to spend it on something 'special' down the track.  Think of the brownie points with Maggie too...  Just my 2 cents, your call of course.

Crikey the way Commandant Dan is going we won't be able to hold GTGs this Year!

I probably couldn't hold out that long, plus I suspect after we have restraints loosened we will be just too busy mingling, (at an acceptable distance), to have any serious DAC shootouts !

Maybe the 2nd or 3rd GTG. ?

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13 minutes ago, todagt said:

Even better when you know you'll be home to receive it ?

That's if I'm obeying the rules! ?

 

Still open minded on DACs, although it could start with the letter A ! ?

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1 hour ago, evil c said:

That's if I'm obeying the rules! ?

 

Still open minded on DACs, although it could start with the letter A ! ?

If you really want that analogue sound for not very much, put out a WTB for an Audio GD Ref 7.1/Master 7. You just can't go wrong with it. Even though I have the Holo Spring, I still miss my Ref 7. I never hoard equipment, but if one pops up I might snap it up. 

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1 hour ago, Cardiiiii said:

If you really want that analogue sound for not very much, put out a WTB for an Audio GD Ref 7.1/Master 7. You just can't go wrong with it. Even though I have the Holo Spring, I still miss my Ref 7. I never hoard equipment, but if one pops up I might snap it up. 

Had an Audio- GD DAC19 DSPa few years ago and it was a solid performer.

It had the same chip I believe,  just not as many from memory. 

(PCM1704UK)

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I also have a Lumin U1, and agree with Redmond and Assisi on the small steps approach. Wait till you've set it up properly, get a feel for how it sounds in your system with your speakers and amp (which should be quite neutral), and then decide how you may want to flavour it with a particular DAC.

 

Another possibility for you to consider as part of the whole equation is an integrated DAC / preamp, simply because of the flexibility and control it can provide.

 

Oh, and don't be afraid to shell out a few bucks for a better quality digital cable (either spdif or USB) depending on the DAC interface. They do make a difference.....

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12 hours ago, Cardiiiii said:

Well...

Sorry been too busy basking in the heavenly flow, of music washing over me! ?

The Lumin U1 Mini streamer really does belong in a very high class of these devices.

 

I honestly had reservations on how much of an improvement could be made with a simple 1s and 0s source, but it comes down time and time again to good PSU and low noise etc. implementation.

 

I am staggered how dynamic and great the imaging is, plus a stronger dollop of kick to the bottom end!

The Chord Qutest DAC, which I had reservations about- has passed with flying colors- obviously a matter of providing the best digital source to extol it's virtues!

 

So very happy to keep the Lumin for the foreseeable future,  

very grateful for all the comments,  suggestions and PMs. ?

Edit: So will the Qutest stay??? - - -?

 

 

Edited by evil c
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I'd put off getting another DAC for a bit and just enjoy what you have there @evil c . When you get a nice improvement like that it's best to enjoy it for a bit before moving on to even better  ;)

 

Do you still want to try my Muji Studio DAC II?

 

Congratulations on a very nice improvement  :D

Edited by MattyW
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25 minutes ago, evil c said:

So very happy to keep the Lumin for the foreseeable future,  

very grateful for all the comments,  suggestions and PMs. ?

Edit: So will the Qutest stay??? - - -?

 

Congrats!..

 

Since you are now into Lumin, you may want to consider the Lumin T2 or higher, or Auralic Vega G2 for the next upgrade.  Power supplies matter for streamers and DAC, as does the connector.  Having a high end streamer DAC with good internal power supply and internal clock makes a difference.  It is one way to simplify...

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