Blue Circle Audio is no more... but you can still find this "Blue Circle BC507 NB DAC" used in places extremely musical and dynamic....very analogue sounding 2.2 Farads of capacitance! Blacker than black background.....creating clear micro detail with ease! R2R Ladder dac 17 lbs. If you can find one out there for sale grab it!
Everything I've read so far makes me think I would really like the Pontus II. Seems like a good balance of resolution with warmth and musicality.
Sure, so you happen to have a particular budget and amazingly the best DAC is right on point! LOL. You have any entry level DAC and it is a good one AND you like it. Isn't that ok? If you don't like Chord, which I'm guessing you don't since the DAVE is their flagship (and you seem to be dismissing it as broken), then how can you live with their little entry level? For the record, you can't hear what a better DAC would sound like in your own system without upgrading to a significantly higher price point. I'd recommend hi-end mains cable and conditioner first. You'll be surprised. And then you'll ask yourself what the better systems on the forum must sound like.
I just put on my DACMagic again today. I have to say, I do love this DAC. It's got that British sound kick and bass bump that I really love.
If you are after "analog" sounding DAC, from personal ownership experience I can suggest a Sparkler Audio CDP. They are custom-built for you in Japan, and sport the venerable Philips 1543 non-oversampling DAC chip. Charney Audio in NJ is one dealer, VKMusic.ca in Vancouver another (who I bought from). As to stand-alone DACs, I own a Cambridge DACMagic+ (sounds great, no complaints), and Schiit Modi 2 Uber (good enough for the kitchen system it's employed in).
I’m sure it’s all about that mains cable. If only someone had advised me to pay the 1000% markup or more on a power cable that will do demonstrably nothing to the sound of my amp, my audiophile journey would’ve been completely different. I’ve heard the Dave and heard it with 20K of Divialet and along side the Qutest. The difference was so small when matched that you’d only notice it with back to back auditions. And I qualified broke with Objectively as people do like gear that measures poorly but still manages to sound pleasing. You know like Cary Audio gear. I’ve done power conditioning Tried a Torus. Where I live the power is all underground, fairly knew, and pretty clean. I actually decided to just changed my mains board and ran a new circuit. Also redid my house ground. You’d be surprised at what tried and true scientific and engineering principles will net you when it comes to sound improvement. And Shunyata? Just no. But do go on I am an avid reader of fiction.
Now I totally agree with this. The differences between DS chips are easily overwhelmed by the power supply and output stages. The real difference in the DAC portion comes when you compare DS chips to FPGAs to ladder DACs. Personally I like the way FPGAs and Ladder DACs work better than DS. Though if they’re all implemented well I believe the best sound is decided by the power supply and output stage. But seriously DACs can be made to the point where the difference between what you put in and what comes out is negligible and you would never be able to hear the added noise or distortion. Which is where that output stage and voicing come into play. You want to blow up that sound stage and make it drip with tone add some tubes or boutique caps or better yet go tube rectified and sag that power supply. It’s really all in the engineering. Everyone has different tastes and wants when it comes to their music reproduction and it tends to change over time. There’s nothing wrong with designing gear to sound a certain way.
I'm retired so I don't have a thousand bucks or more for a DAC. But that's OK because I'd just as soon not have to work and enjoy my budget DACs. Plus I'm 68 so the hearing is not what it used to be. Still good but not like hearing with young ears. I've never spent over $500 on a DAC. Over the last few years I've owned a Modi 3, Modi multibit, Bifrost 4490, Bifrost multibit, Modius, Topping D50, and DacMagic 100. I really didn't notice a discernible difference between the Bifrost multibit and Modi multibit or the Bifrost 4490 and Modi 3. I play CDs and use an Audiolab 6000CDT transport. The Modi multibit has been a favorite so it gets the most use. I've read that it doesn't measure well but I don't care, my ears love it. It's hard to beat for $250 in my opinion. I still have the Modi 3 and the Cambridge DacMagic 100 and when I feel like switching things up I'll plug one in.
Schiit Modius fed by a Windows based media server running JRiver. Plenty happy with it especially when playing HD content.
My DACs in order of preference: MHDT Lab Pagoda (PCM1704) dB Audio Labs Tranquility (TDA1543) Marantz HD-AMP1 (ES9010K2M) Chord Qute EX (FPGA) Schiit Bifrost Multibit (AD5547CRUZ) While the HD-AMP1 is an integrated amp with on-board DAC, I included it because it's in regular use during the hot summer months. Apparently, I rank distortion/non-linearity above sonic perfection .. for the most part anyway.
My Audio GD R2R-1 just arrived an hour ago -- my first R2r DAC. I plugged it in where my Black Ice Glass FX DSD Wifi Tube DAC (Delta-Sigma) resides and I have been smiling for an hour. My GlassFX was modded by Radu Tarta with VH Audio Odam caps, OCC internal wiring, Furutech IEC and RCAs, and NOS Raytheon tubes from Brent Jesse... the Audio GD is a whole 'nutha level. I need a lot more listening and comparing through my Line Magnetic SET amp and Omega speakers, but... wow.
I have owned a few budget DACs. I started out with a Schiit Modi 2 Uber and it was acceptable. Nothing special. Next was a Cambridge DacMagic 100 which had a warmer, full sound with less detail in the top end. Later I purchased a Topping E30 and I liked it even better. The E30 had a solid low end and is more resolving and detailed. Maybe just a little clinical / flat to my ears. My newest addition is the Denafrips Ares 2. The Ares 2 has much more depth in sound stage as well as more resolution and seems more natural sounding. At first it seemed a little bright but after a break in period it is more refined and smooth, even a bit warm.
I was very pleasantly surprised with what the Modius delivered for $200 - I am using it in a secondary system, and sometimes my son pulls it into his desktop / gaming system. We also have a Modi. My son keeps egging me on to buy the Modi MB.... with the price to performance I experienced with the Modius for my ears, I just may try it. I like the idea he gets to try an R2R for $250.... I just gave my son a pair of my bookshelf speakers (I have extra gear ), a big upgrade for the mains in his smallish 120 sq ft office / game room --- he's starting to listen to more music, and now has a pair of Beyer headphones, Beyer headphone amp, Modius or Modi DAC, and now he's coming to me talking about ladder DACs..... and another pair of headphones? What have I created....
If the break-in on your new dac is like mine on a couple recently purchased components, a Nelson Pass headphone amp and a Schiit Bifrost 2, what you're hearing in the first few hours can be really misleading.
Yeah, I wouldn't evaluate the sound for a good hundred hours. I played my DMS 700 for 20 hours a day (using Infected amp headphone amp at night) for a week at least. Some DACs are notorious for needing hundreds of hours.
I find the Modius and Modi multibit similar in sound but I sold my Modius so I obliviously prefer the Modi multibit. It's really hard to beat in my opinion for $250. There was a three to four month wait for new ones from Schiit. They're still in demand, I've seen used ones going for as much or more than new ones.
I've read a lot of good reviews on the Topping D70s and considering one to add to the brood. I had a D50s but I didn't care for the sabre sound but I was impressed with the build quality.
I run a PS Audio Direct Stream DAC. I love its super-deep and wide soundstage, pin-point imaging, incredible transparency, superb detail with just a hint of High Frequency sweetness, and the fact that it never, ever sounds hard or harsh to my ears. Plus it has lots of inputs. Frankly it sounds so great that it really has caused me to lose most of my interest in my phono setup.
We've exchanged on the Modi / Modius in a thread I started when I was DAC shopping, and also on PM, not sure if you recall. At that time, the Modius was still new to you, and you were more on the fence. Looks like you decided now you're making me want to try the MB. My wallet thanks you for the vote of confidence.
I remember our correspondence very well. The Modi multibit is the one I always come back to. I still have a Modi 3, 3+ actually, I still use it too. This is second Modi multibit I've owned. I sold my first one for a Bifrost multibit but I liked the Modi multibit better. It just has the synergy with my other equipment in my headphone system. The fickle finger of fate and me and my entry level DACs.
Serious question: what is it that you're looking to obtain in reproduction quality by virtue of using the "multibit" DAC? I'm aware of the noise and distortion benefits of the balanced output from the Modius, but unaware of what the benefit is from the "multibit" DAC flavors.
I really love the DACmagic bc to me it sounds warm, full, and energetic, and not too polished or like it's trying too hard. I think I'd really like the Ares II, too. Do you think the upgrade from the DACmagic to the Ares II is worth it? Thanks.
