I made a list of 10-15 I was considering along with likely second hand prices, but I’ve deleted it and can’t remember some of them now.
One extra one (but it goes for a bit more than £2k) is the PS Audio Directstream (I think that’s the model). There’s also the Schitt Yggrdrassil (sic).
The RDE one also get lots of praise.
I think if I were spending two grand I’d want it to measure vaguely well…
I don’t want to harp on about measurements as if it’s the only thing, but with digital audio it’s really important. A lot of boutique high end stuff has clear flaws in design and/or construction, and it’s just wrong, not a thing that is there for subjective preference. So you may prefer NOS DACs, say, over the (better-measuring) oversampling ones, and that’s a valid subjective choice, but if there is PSU noise measurable on the output then it’s not fit for purpose. Especially at several grand.
You are Keith and I claim my prize.
And Serge.
Yes, but I can just about, and I mean just, tolerate Serge. Only over the web though, not in the same room.
Enthusiastic about music, helpful and a measurist, which is only a 33% crossover with Keith.
Why? He is a decent bloke who happens to have different views on that lifechanging and all encompassing notion of hifi…
Only unless you want to be absolutely certain that you are listening to digital. Neither sound like music to my ears.
I’ve not heard the Shiit. I have had both the PS A Directstream and Directstream Jr here on demo, both with bridge thingo. Neither stayed as I found them really harsh (and that was using my pipe and slippers Rank Concept Monos. They would strip paint through the Pass Labs kit).
I had an AN DAC here (either a DAC 2 or 3 I can’t really recall) and a mad Lampizator thing. Both were pretty good. My Aesthetix sounds a bit better and will do a much wider range of resolutions than the AN. I quite like the Bryston DAC but really think that a valve output stage is important in chosing a DAC to suit me.
YMMV.
It was a joke. I hardly know him. Thinking about it I think he’s actually better in person than over the web (like most of us).
That’s all down to your midi system. With decent amplification they’d sound great.
Nope. Not. A. Chance.
Exactly! But you forgot to mention the strangely artificial bass…
You must have faulty ears, you need golden ears like Jim’s.
Hearing damaged by the feckin’ shite DACs I demoed. It is not Jim’s ears that are golden…
Perhaps the moral of the story is to have valves somewhere in the system.
I had the Yggdrassil on demo. I couldn’t distinguish between it and my Modwright.
I am a bad.
Have you considered getting a higher fidelity system?
Many, many times.
Prime AA: not good enough to be inadequate.
80’s Jap-Crap 