gtrmkr

Here: AudioGate - Audio Format Conversion Application - | KORG and here: Home | Blue Coast Records The Korg Audiogate DSD player stand-alone freeware version requires a Twitter account. It's free, but you have to advertise for them ... Jim

Thanks so much to all of you for your very thoughtful comments and your experience. I've decided to take my time with this purchase and not buy anything that I can't listen to first, and ideally in my own system. I should be able to find a decent selection of DACs in my price range available for audition within a two hour drive ... I just need to make the calls and appointments. I am looking forward to comparing Hegel, Rega, Bel Canto, and Berkeley next week sometime, provided the dealer gets them in stock. I do have an Aesthetix dealer not too far away, but it and the Berkeley would need to be significantly better than the next rung down for me to justify the cost. And, while my present setup is very revealing of changes down the line, it may not yet possess the degree of refinement and resolution that allows those incremental improvemets to matter much (BTW Quest -- very well said ;-)) So, with respect to DACs, I'm off to find my own point of diminishing returns. I'll keep you posted! Regards, Jim

Hello Andrew, Both of those units certainly seem to have a following, and both seem well-made. But I'd be buying these on faith, without being able to listen first. Seems I'm being gently encouraged to avoid that approach. Pacific Valve and Electric appears to be the US dealer for both Lite and Audio GD, but has an 11% restocking fee. Paying upwards $200 with return shipping to try out a unit kinda' sticks in one's craw ... Best, Jim

The Ayre would be at the top of my list if it only had more inputs. I had an Ayre V-3 a number of years ago that I liked very much.

Thanks for the suggestion, realhifi ... the Rega DAC is starting to generate some real interest, and from what I've read, I like it's approach. Do you have this unit?

Yea, Tom. I know -- sounds really shallow, doesn't it? But what choice do I have, at least as far as narrowing things down? Don't we all do this to some degree? I don't have dealers around that actually stock the units I'm interested in. I can't buy up all the possible contenders and give them a side-by-side comparison, so I have to have some basis for making at least my initial choices. Without other, credible, opinions, I'm casting about in the dark ... But ... I just learned that a local dealer will have the Hegel, the Rega, and the Bel Canto 2.5, AND the Berkeley Alpha, available for direct, side-by-side audition in a week or so. He's going to let me know when all is ready, and I'll be there with checkbook in hand. Hopefully he has a reasonable return policy ...

Hello Mr. C -- I'm using J. River Media Center, and playback is mostly redbook from ripped .wav files, via DBpoweramp. I do have an increasing number of hi-res files from Linn, HD tracks, etc. I'm not sure how to improve the transport, and am open to suggestions. I'm using a 60gig SSD for the operating system (win7, 32 bit) and a 250 gig SSD for playlist storage. Main storage is outboard 1.5 TB. Thanks for the Cary suggestion ... I've owned some Cary products in the past and liked them very much. The Exciter DAC looks interesting ... All the best, Jim

Hi John -- thanks for the suggestion. I've spent a fair amount of time on the Anedio site, It's certainly seems like a contender. interesting site, with lots of info ... and no restocking fee, it seems!

Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Quest, though I'm not sure I understand what you mean by the divide between the $2k range and the $4-5K not being critical (for me.) Are the likely differences (incremental as they may be) not likely to be resolved by the rest of my system? Please understand -- I'm not offended by the suggestion if that's your meaning -- it's likely true! But I do wish to start building the best digital playback system that funds allow (don't we all, I suppose?). I've been focused on analog these past years and have a reasonably mature vinyl setup with which we are happy. I've only recently turned attention toward digital and have been pleasantly surprised how very decent sounding my modest little C.A.P.S. system sounds. I suspect there is much more to be extracted from it. I'll search the archives for "clean" sounding DACS. I'd certainly welcome any suggestions, though ... Best, Jim

Thanks Tom. I've thought about the Bryston unit, and have a local dealer, but he never has this in stock. I'm glad to hear you like yours; it does seem to get very positive reviews. Whatever we purchase will be based on other's opinions, and a leap of faith. I suppose that's ok, though -- if I buy quality and used, I can sell it at minimal loss if need be. I was rather hoping to get off the audio merry-go-round for awhile, though. Sounds like that's not likely, at least not yet ... Thanks again, Jim

First post here, but frequent lurker. I've put together a C.A.P.S. style system with what I and my spouse (in whose ears I fear ...) consider to be a successful result. I'm using the analog outs of the ASUS Xonar STX card, with a DIY linear power supply feeding the soundcard. The dedicated power supply took things to another level, and the result handily outclasses various budget DACS we've had in our system (DacMagic, City Pulse, VDac, and a few others) under $500, and sounds dramatically better than my Rega Apollo. We are also enjoying new hi-res downloads from Linn, etc. We are looking for the next step up, or perhaps the next several steps up, but I am not sure where to go. Budget is on the low side of $2500, and thus my dilema ... I really don't want to spend that much on a DAC, only to realize that a similar level of audio quality could have been had for significantly less. I'd love a Berkeley Alpha, but just can't justify the expense (still have one more child to get through college ...)and am dazed and confused by the less expensive options. I'm intrigued by the M2TEch Young DAC, but there still seems to be some software and firmware issues. The Anedio Dac is intriguing ... so is the Hegel and the Rega ... From the descriptions, the Benchmark would not be to our taste, but the Lavry could be. I would really like something with multiple inputs -- toslink, spdif, USB, etc. Hi-res USB asynchronus would be nice, perhaps. Preamp and headphone capabilities are not important. Lack of sibilance is ... We've spent a lot of time and money over the years chasing that out of our system, and I really do not want it back. I like the idea of the Wyred4Sound Dac 2, but even the suggestion that it might have an issue with sibilance control puts me off this one. Main speakers are Zu Soul Superfly, but also have various monitors around (ATC and Proac) various tube amps (2A3, 300Bs, Modded Citation IIs, Mac MC30s, old Quad IIs, and others. MIT, Zu, Mapleshade, Auditorium 23, Kimber, and Van den Hul cables and interconnects (and others). So, the basic question is this ... at what price point do the sonic differences in DACs become strictly a matter of personal preference, with no real differences in technical implementation, specs, hardware, software, etc.? We both still have decent hearing, (I'm still good out past 18k in both ears, my wife even better. I'm a musician, and build classical guitars for a living ... tonal density, timbral accuracy, and transient response is important to me, soundstage, imaging, sense of space, and detail, are important to her. I understand the inadequacies and incompleteness of the foregoing question's premise ... but surely there's someone who can offer some insight? I can't afford to buy a bunch of nice DACS and compare them side-by-side, so must rely on recommendations from those who know. Or, perhaps, that's what I must do. Some of those restocking fees are a bit off-putting though. My apologies for a long and rambling first post here. I promise to be more succinct in subsequent notes. Any and all thoughts are greatly appreciated. All the best, Jim