Another DAC Question/Recommendation

I'm looking to upgrade my digital front end.


I would need USB and prefer at least two digital connections.
Need pcm up to 24/192. DSD would be nice, but not a necessity.
Current (Main) digital front end: Computer with Asus Xonar 24/192 sound card, Oppo BDP-103.

I'm currently looking at the Marantz HD DAC 1.

Can anyone recommend a dac for $1000 or under that would be an upgrade from what I already have?

Thanks.

 

Rega DAC R, i have the Rega Apollo R and this together and it sounds great
Does not do dsd though

 

I recently got an Audio-gd R2R 11 and have been pretty blown away with it. I highly recommend it.

 

I have the gustard x20 pro , i know its chinese but man is it well built!
And sounds amazing, loads of details without letting go of the organic feel .
Great piece. They have the version of it for a little more .

 

Both under $1000 but only have 1 USB input.
Liberty DAC Also supports MQA ...
MHDT Labs Stockholm 2 : A Review (NOS DAC with tube buffer stage)

I may end up getting the Mhdt Pagoda at $1250 which uses the legendary PCM1704...

 

Here are a couple to consider. I have the PS Audio NuWave DSD dac and love it! I can't speak to the Musical Fidelity MX dac but it does everything you mentioned as well.
PS Audio NuWave DSD DAC
Musical Fidelity MX-DAC Upsampling DSD DAC

 

I would also look into the Teac NT-505 as it checks a lot of boxes and has a lot of cool features IMO. I believe it is due out around the end of June.

 

Topping Dx7.

 

Not sure which Asus Xonar you have, but the U7 is excellent, arguably 'better' than the aforementioned Rega DAC-R in terms of its fidelity. What are you looking for in terms of upgrade? Is something wrong with the equipment that you currently have or is it simply a matter of needing more inputs / different functionality?

 

Schiit Gungnir.

With the multi-bit feature it runs around $1289.

The Gen5 USB feature is now included and really is great. It cleans up the USB input.

I love mine.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. My head is swimming.

The sound card is an Essence ST 24/192 PCIe.

You bring up a good point, which is why I posted the question.

I'm happy with the sound of what I have, the extra inputs would be nice, but not necessary.
I guess I'm trying to figure out if upgrading to a dac would make things better?
Also, at the same time if the answer is yes, where is the point of diminishing returns in my price range.

Of the suggestions, so far, that PS Audio looks very sweet. But the Audio-gd R2R 11 looks sweet also and it's a third the price.

Would any of these improve what I have? If yes, would the PS Audio be twice as good as the Audio-gd R2R?

I know this is all subjective to so many variables, that's why I thought I would get some input from everyone that has been through it.

It definitely doesn't help that there are as many choices for dac's as there are CD's.

 

OP asked for recommendations UNDER $1,000. The Gungnir Delta Sigma version can be had for $849, then upgraded to the Multibit version at a later date.

 

Get one you can return - Schiit has a nominal fee.

I've never heard a sound card that can match a $1,000 modern DAC - pay attention to galvanic isolation on the USB interface as per the post above.

 

I’ve read many reliability issues with the lower cost Audio-gd R2R, and sometimes “specialty “ stores complain about high end makes too, so you go figure!

I went crazy too as I was searching for DACs, but in the end I decided to trust the choice that my tube amp speciality store made, a Mhdt NOS Pagoda DAC with tube buffer, but $250 above your budget. And aside from the tons of available DACs, first decision is NOS or not, that is a question! I went with NOS because it sounds cool, just like NOS in F&F

PS: I chose NOS just for once to be against the mainstream, as my recent choice of tubeamp vs a solid state amp... and that particular DAC uses the mythical PCM1704

 

Price in it's self does not always predict the quality or improvement you can get. In the case of the PS Audio NuWave DAC, you really are getting a great DAC, it is not NOS or is it multi bit. I have a PS Audio Link DAC III, it sounds great, but it is a 10 year old design. Just because a DAC is 2x the price, does not mean 2 times the quality or improvement, and sometimes the more expensive DAC sounds worse. Does NOS or multi bit DAC's sound better, only you can decide that. Does DSD sound better than PCM, again you should decide that for yourself. I enjoy DSD and SACD sourced music very much, but it does not always sound better than high resolution PCM. For example, if you have a well mastered CD, like something our host Steve has done, and compare it to an average mastering high res of the same music, the CD can out shine a high resolution remaster. I will take a well mastered source played on average gear over a high priced gear playing lesser a quality mastering.

 

I think you should make a list of which features you need / would like, read some DAC reviews and shortlist the ones that look good and meet your requirements, then start looking at specs and comparing additional features that you might not currently need but would be handy for the future. The Marantz DAC in your first post looks like a pretty safe bet, and can be used as a pre-amp directly into your power amp (thus reducing distortion). The Audiolab M-DAC also offers this functionality and has balanced outputs. Most ordinary DACs will perform more or less the same, with some having a slightly lower noise floor and others having better THD values. If I were looking for a new DAC now, I'd spend no more than £1,000 and would expect very high dynamic range, very low distortion, USB/optical/coax inputs, balanced output, pre-amp functionality. Most good hifi DACs will do nearly all of that for £500. Of course, you can also buy perfectly fine DACs for much less money, but they might not have all the functionality you need or meet your aesthetic requirements.

 

I would take a look at the new Topping D50.... looks like it out performance most current DAC's regardless of price

Review and Measurements of Topping D50 DAC

 

I agree 100%.
That's why I asked if their was a price point in diminishing returns in my price range. I'm sure there are probably some giant killers out there.
I'll show my ignorance here but, What is NOS?

Thanks for this.

 

Ignorance is bliss... Non Over Sampling. Did you read my humorous post above Another DAC Question/Recommendation. I only learned about it when I saw that Mhdt Pagoda NOS DAC with tube buffer stage...

 

Yes I did, but I didn't get it until you explained what NOS meant .

Thanks.
I thought it meant new old stock.

 

Just google and read, but after hours, days and weeks of reading, one just have to make a choice and go from there !

 

You don't get a NOS DAC because the measurements are excellent. You get a NOS DAC because it sounds good and you like that sound. NOS DACs also tend to pair well with tube amps. NOS DACs can also pair well with solid state amps, but do tend to be more of a choice for people with tube amps. It's a synergy thing. They just work well together.

As a comparison, Sabre based DACs will measure very well and tend to get paired with solid state gear. Sabre DACs (depending on implementation and filters used) can do an interesting spatializing style of sound that can present a soundstage that sounds bigger and deeper than typical for a DAC. That can work well with a SS amp. But tends to not work well with tube amps. Good tube amps have their own style of spatialization. The tube style of spatialization is different than the Sabre style of spatialization. The two styles do not mix well together. You end up with two different styles of spatialization fighting against each other instead of working in harmony. Very poor synergy. I don't find my Sabre based DACs to work well at all with my tube amps that have the tube style of spatialization going on. If a DAC has a sound that doesn't work well with a tube amp then that is an indication that there is something wrong with the sound style of that DAC. Good DAC sound should work well with both tube amps and solid state amps. NOS DACs can work well with both types of amps. For some reason Sabre DACs don't. Yet the Sabre DACs measure well.

 

Agreed on the PS Audio NuWave DSD Dac, I have one as well and love it.

 

Well put Ham.

And yes I like NOS DACs.

 

Interesting. My LM502 CA DAC uses a Sabre chip and sounds excellent in tube mode. Though in SS mode, it sounds no better than my $120 Topping DAC.