Dear all,
I am looking for a good DAC to replace my Audiolab M-dac (the old one).
Source: Bluesound n130 ---Chord coax----> Old dac: Audiolab M-dac --- Chord clear RCA ----> Amplifier: Yamaha a-s 1200 ----> Speakers: B&W 606s2.
I listen to instruments (cello, piano, violin, etc) and watch movies most of the time.
I consider focused imaging as the priority and then the separation and sound stage. I do not like forward vocals. As my amplifier is single-ended, a DAC that is good at the single-end output would be really appreciated.
Indeed, I have been searching around according to my budget (<2000) and landed at:
Qutest (good single end) --- relatively poor dynamic, forward vocal, and poor bass? Can be improved using a good power supply?
Matrix Sabre pro ---- close to Qutest, not sure about single-end output.
R2R---- I never listened to R2R, so it is difficult...
I can only order Dac online, most likely without a home-try-return policy. Your comments are most welcome.
Thanks,
T.
B&W's are great, Yamaha for anything not so much. Try an Emotiva AMP and you won't believe the difference. They are in a different class.Dear all,
I am looking for a good DAC to replace my Audiolab M-dac (the old one).
Source: Bluesound n130 ---Chord coax----> Old dac: Audiolab M-dac --- Chord clear RCA ----> Amplifier: Yamaha a-s 1200 ----> Speakers: B&W 606s2.
I listen to instruments (cello, piano, violin, etc) and watch movies most of the time.
I consider focused imaging as the priority and then the separation and sound stage. I do not like forward vocals. As my amplifier is single-ended, a DAC that is good at the single-end output would be really appreciated.
Indeed, I have been searching around according to my budget (<2000) and landed at:
Qutest (good single end) --- relatively poor dynamic, forward vocal, and poor bass? Can be improved using a good power supply?
Matrix Sabre pro ---- close to Qutest, not sure about single-end output.
R2R---- I never listened to R2R, so it is difficult...
I can only order Dac online, most likely without a home-try-return policy. Your comments are most welcome.
Thanks,
T.
To be honest I think you are being disrespectful to OP. Perhaps it is not your intention.B&W's are great, Yamaha for anything not so much. Try an Emotiva AMP and you won't believe the difference. They are in a different class.
Didn't AKM factory burn down, and that the cause of chip shortages across the world, so it might be a long wait.I have been through so many receivers and separates and the old Onkyo PRC-5530 with a great TI Burr brown DAC and clean amplifier produces the best quality sound I have ever heard. The new receivers with the AKM 768's sound ok for movies but can't match the PRC-5530 for movies but especially music. If you have never heard an Onkyo PRC5530 with a clean amp you really won't understand what you're missing therefor anything else sounds good but not great, not powerful, not engaging with the kind of separation you get in extremely high end systems. I could never get a Mcintosh, Rotel, or other expensive systems to sound nearly as good and I tweaked every setting. Denon and Pioneer, Marantz, all of those brands are garbage when it comes to the qualities mentioned above, they are just not engaging and never have been, commodity stuff not on the edge of anything special. Even the newer Onkyo's are not up to the test so I'm sticking with my PRC5530 until it dies, it supports Dobly Atmos and 4K passthrough so I'm good for awhile. My next receiver may have to be either an Audiocontrol with Sabre DAC's or Emotiva that does many things around an AKM DAC that should produce good sound but if it doesn't I have 30 days to return it.
Certainly did, 100% loss.Didn't AKM factory burn down, and that the cause of chip shortages across the world, so it might be a long wait.
I strongly recommend the Q Acoustics Concept 300's if your budget allows and you can audition them. They might be just what you're looking for.
In the end, I got an Etude and a Dave (from Chord)
Thanks, Ugg10, I did not get a chance to try it at the local store. I found Kef r3 and dynaudio evoke 20 are a bit better than the others. So compared to r3 and evoke 20, how does the sonetto 2 and lumina 2 sound?
Cheers
T.
I've heard KEF R series
Yes I find my R5 very smooth, with the right front end at least, as they also have enough resolution to punish too. The Dave DAC has both resolution and smoothness, having heard the pairing as I said itās very good and frankly canāt go wrong with itās sound signature - but it doesnāt redress the massive delta in speaker to DAC price mind!Many KEF speakers have quite a good smooth off axis response which tends to make then much more forgiving of the room in which they are placed. For anyone in a position to have to buy without auditioning, then they can often be a good safe bet for this reason and may indeed sound better in a non ideal room than something much more expensive.
The Dave DAC has both resolution and smoothness, having heard the pairing as I said itās very good and frankly canāt go wrong with itās sound signature - but it doesnāt redress the massive delta in speaker to DAC price mind!