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Opinions Wanted: What is the most Analog Sounding DAC?


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If you would, please consider the question in these general pricing ranges:

 

 

  • Under $500
     
  • $500 to $1000
     
  • $1000 to $2000
     
  • $2000 to $5000
     
  • Above $5000

Let's assume that a DAC which costs $5000 is probably going to sound a little bit better than a DAC that costs $500, though, like everything else, it is a matter of opinion to some degree or another.

 

By analog sounding, I mean the DAC which does the best job of removing any digital "harshness" or "brittleness", or introduces the least amount of it.

 

Thanks

-Paul

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

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Whatever you are familiar with, all opinions welcome. Some folks will know under $500 DACs, and others only the $5K plus. :)

 

 

cool its' moved...

 

So Paul are you asking for a example for each price point ? or just an overall example

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

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If you would, please consider the question in these general pricing ranges:

 

 

  • Under $500
     
  • $500 to $1000
     
  • $1000 to $2000
     
  • $2000 to $5000
     
  • Above $5000

Let's assume that a DAC which costs $5000 is probably going to sound a little bit better than a DAC that costs $500, though, like everything else, it is a matter of opinion to some degree or another.

 

By analog sounding, I mean the DAC which does the best job of removing any digital "harshness" or "brittleness", or introduces the least amount of it.

 

Thanks

-Paul

 

Based on my limited experience and comparisons, in the price range "stratospheric", the MSB DAC IV.

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The CoSecant is my personal favorite too. :)

 

I've been auditioning a Benchmark DAC-2 HGC, and I must admit, I am very surprised at how it sounds. It is accurate to a fault, but in comparision to a DAC-1, it is far less harsh sounding, with the same or even greater detail resolution. And I did not really think the DAC-1 was "harsh" sounding to start with, but in comparison - wow! It's a little like a sore tooth, once you are aware of it, it starts to nag at you. Makes me want to find out why! ;)

 

-Paul

 

 

Hmmm, the most analog sounding depends on the cartridge and table it is being compared to...

 

;-)

 

I have not listened to too many DACs, but I do really like the Wavelength Cosecant.

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

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And I did not really think the DAC-1 was "harsh" sounding to start with, but in comparison - wow! It's a little like a sore tooth, once you are aware of it, it starts to nag at you.

Compared to what I have (Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Plus with its vacuum tube removed from it, using stock op-amps and USB input) I would categorize the Benchmark DAC-1 as "very harsh and very artificial".

If you had the memory of a goldfish, maybe it would work.
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Compared to what I have (Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Plus with its vacuum tube removed from it, using stock op-amps and USB input) I would categorize the Benchmark DAC-1 as "very harsh and very artificial".

 

I did not like the DAC-1 at all. I bought into the hype surrounding it, and bought it, as my introductory DAC for computer based playback. It just about sent me back to vinyl only.

No electron left behind.

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I did not like the DAC-1 at all. I bought into the hype surrounding it, and bought it, as my introductory DAC for computer based playback. It just about sent me back to vinyl only.

 

I did the same... all the write ups in the "mags" drove me to buy the DAC-1 and I sent it back just as fast.... I do like my Eastern MiniMax DAC Plus a whole lot better, which is why I recommend the MiniMax Plus in the $1,000 range.

 

Also in the $1,000 to $2,000 list ; Mytek 192 DSD

The Truth Is Out There

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I'll throw my Exposure 2010S2 DAC in the race in the around $1000 category. The analog stage is entirely discrete, not an opamp in sight, and powered by a great power stage built from a toroidal transformer and a battery of 16 capacitors. You could argue whether analog stage and analog sound necessarily have to go together, but in this case they do.

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I did the same... all the write ups in the "mags" drove me to buy the DAC-1 and I sent it back just as fast.... I do like my Eastern MiniMax DAC Plus a whole lot better, which is why I recommend the MiniMax Plus in the $1,000 range.

 

Also in the $1,000 to $2,000 list ; Mytek 192 DSD

 

I second the mytek

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The NOS Octave DAC has reputation for musicality - and let's face it that's what you mean: something that sounds good with music without being overly analytical.

 

Another DAC fitting this criteria would be Naim DAC especially with PSU upgrades. And Chord QBD76.

 

Eloise

Eloise

---

...in my opinion / experience...

While I agree "Everything may matter" working out what actually affects the sound is a trickier thing.

And I agree "Trust your ears" but equally don't allow them to fool you - trust them with a bit of skepticism.

keep your mind open... But mind your brain doesn't fall out.

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Hands down the most analog sounding DAC I've ever heard with PCM material is the Phasure NOS1. It sells for 3392 euros(under 5000 USD not included value added tax). The 3392 includes 72 euros for XX High End software which is pretty much mandatory to get the best out of the NOS1, plus the best sound with the DAC requires a powerful CPU. The XXHE software also is Windows only(in fact, it does best with Windows 7 and the sound quality takes a significant step down when using Windows 8). I should add that the NOS1 sounds quite good with Audirvana Plus but that is still a compromise soundwise. I would not be overstating things in saying that Peter St is not a fan of the Mac platform.

 

To be fair, I should mention the other DACs I've heard myself that are competitive on at least a cost basis. They include the Berkeley Alpha(#1, not #2, and without the BADA USB) and the PS Audio Perfectwave DAC. The PS Audio DAC, BTW, is fairly warm and analog sounding itself(I'm talking about the MKII version; I've previosuly owned the MKI version, subsequently upgraded to MKII and the difference in sound is huge with a major edge going to the MKII). The BADA version #1 is a good sounding DAC but nowhere near the pleasing musical sound of the Phasure NOS1 or the PWD based on my own subjective listening experience and nothing more. No flames please, it's just one person's opinion and YMMV.

 

XXHE requires a steep learning curve and the software(and Windows 7, for that matter) is not to everyone's taste. Peter St and folks on the XXHE forum, however, are endlessly tweaking the software so that the latest plateau achieved in sound, however wonderful, might be improved upon in the very next version of the software(or with setting tweaks of the current software - always a moving target).

 

The Perfectwave DAC MKII is superb sounding but it doesn't match the NOS1 for sound quality. If you're a fan of the warm sound signature then it might be the DAC for you. The PWD, however, has ongoing problems with gapless playback when used wirelessly and said problems thus far remain unresolved 3 years into the DACs existence in the marketplace.

 

XXHE does not do DSD and it appears, at least for now, that there are no plans to incorporate DSD in the future. Paul McGowan, head engineering guru at PS Audio, promises that DSD will be an upgradeable feature someday on the PWD.

 

DSD is a whole 'nother experience and there's absolutely nothing I've heard to compare with the sound quality of

Channel Classics or Blue Coast recordings played back in their native DSD. To my ears, DSD does not sound so much like vinyl(which is not my personal gold standard) as much as it sounds like just plain music. That, however, is a discussion left for another thread(of which you can find many here by doing even the most rudimentary search on this forum).

 

Other than the above listed DACs, I would say that the Peachtree DACiT is fairly analog sounding for a DAC under 500 USD. It sounds best in my experience with the Teradak power supply upgrade which will set you back only about 45 USD if I recall correctly. It's one of the biggest bargains in computer audio and a newbie could do far worse and hardly better spending their hard earned 450 USD on the DACiT.

 

The Ayre QB-9 is the one DAC that I wish I had an opportunity to audition in my own home as it is generally said to be a very musical, analog-like DAC, plus it has an upgrade to DSD on the horizon.

 

Esau

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You might be right, that is probably pretty close to what I am saying, even if I don't know it. :)

 

Digital produces a clearer, more complex, and endlessly entertaining sound, but good grief, a 40 year record album had me and the wife up and *dancing* last night. For an old fart like me, that is saying something!

 

What is that makes a DAC musical? It isn't tubes, or it isn't just tubes. Odd stuff, really odd stuff.

 

-Paul

 

The NOS Octave DAC has reputation for musicality - and let's face it that's what you mean: something that sounds good with music without being overly analytical.

 

Another DAC fitting this criteria would be Naim DAC especially with PSU upgrades. And Chord QBD76.

 

Eloise

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

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Probably for another thread, but I thing I missed out on analog. i might need to start going to some shows or buy a turntable because I can't recall what analog sounds like. It's funny, I read all these audio mags and blogs that complement the beauty of analog sound, but still I don't have a clue. I started to get into music in the days that DDD CDs where the best thing ever. I am 41, and to me it is interesting how people refers to the analog sound. All I remember was the records that I played in a cheap all in one system when I was 15. LOL

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The most natural live sounding DA conversion I have heard is through the:

 

Steinway Lyngdorf - Digital Amplifier

 

This is pure digital amplification: PCM -> PWM without the DAC detour.

$5,400 Including 2 x 200 watts RMS (8 ohms)

 

I'm not sure if your "analogue" refers to natural live sound or the vinyl and/or tube tainted type.

Promise Pegasus2 R6 12TB -> Thunderbolt2 ->
MacBook Pro M1 Pro -> Motu 8D -> AES/EBU ->
Main: Genelec 5 x 8260A + 2 x 8250 + 2 x 8330 + 7271A sub
Boat: Genelec 8010 + 5040 sub

Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser PXC 550 II
Blog: “Confessions of a DigiPhile”

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I bought a bryston bda-2 which sounds quite natural , although not "warm" per se .

 

I've been told that you want your source (Dac) to be accurate, and get warmth or sound character from the amp. What one thinks of as " analog" may dampen the clarity and accurate pacing that gives music life.

mac mini 2011, Transparent audio usb cable, bryston bda-2, hegel h300 integrated amp, audio physic virgo 25 speakers, transparent audio speaker cables interconnects and digital cables.

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Probably for another thread, but I thing I missed out on analog. i might need to start going to some shows or buy a turntable because I can't recall what analog sounds like. It's funny, I read all these audio mags and blogs that complement the beauty of analog sound, but still I don't have a clue. I started to get into music in the days that DDD CDs where the best thing ever. I am 41, and to me it is interesting how people refers to the analog sound. All I remember was the records that I played in a cheap all in one system when I was 15. LOL

 

I suspect the vast majority of commentators that throw around the term "analog souding" don't actually have a reference of a sota analog setup in mind. "Analog sounding" is simply used as a proxy for "musical sounding" or more specifically the absence of "harshness" or "brittleness" as stated by the original poster.

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I am not so sure that a reference SOTA analog setup should be the comparison. Especially if one uses price to base "reference" upon. From the listening I have been able to do, the higher up the audiophile ladder you go in analog, the more digital it starts to sound.

 

Digital sound is better in almost every measurable way, usually sounding far more accurate to the source. So why is analog so very appealing?

 

Other than that, I think I agree with you almost perfectly. What terms would you use to describe the differences between analog and digital "sounds?" (Knowing of course, that every system is going to sound different. :))

 

And in the digital world, what DACs seem to provide the same magic?

 

 

 

 

I suspect the vast majority of commentators that throw around the term "analog souding" don't actually have a reference of a sota analog setup in mind. "Analog sounding" is simply used as a proxy for "musical sounding" or more specifically the absence of "harshness" or "brittleness" as stated by the original poster.

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

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