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$10k DAC in a 3k system?

Hello all,

Ive owned the same audio rig for 8 years or so (Rega Mira 3 amp> Rega RS5 speakers) 

My source into the Mira3 amp is a headless fanless micro windows7pc I built running jrivermc> musichall Dax 25.3

i am reading some phenomenal things about some of these Dacs in the 10K range ( Chord Dave, Ayre, Lampizator,PS Audio, etc).

My question is a simple one: the other pieces of my system sound great to me, but are at a much lower price point collectively than one of the dacs mentioned above. Do I need to be concerned about my Amp/speakers being fast/dynamic enough to facilitate a Dac like the Dave? Or could I plug a top notch Dac like that into my system and hear the same things I've heard described in the reviews (but on a relative level) ?

thanks in advance for any insight!
dla123
jfischman
3 posts
 
I have the dave dac and see it as sort of an end game dac. It is much better than my previous dac (ayre codex) and it will probably stay in your system for many years while you start upgrading the other components.  Also-just add a pair of top line headphones to the dave and you have a state of the art system for headphone listening while you save your other pennies.
czarivey
5,680 posts
 
There are shoes you can buy for $5k and $200 and wear them with same comfort and style.
truman
167 posts
 
I think Jond hit the nail on the head. DAC's are the fastest evolving - and the fastest depreciating audio equipment category. In my experience, you are going to want to buy used....and you will still lose money. Trickle down has made most lower priced DAC's sound decent such that on mid-fi systems most comparisons will be slight; one might sound a tad fuller. The best advice is to have a listen to several contenders (throw in a high priced DAC too). Still, in expensive systems, that tad of fullness translates into a huge soundstage and disappearing speakers that make a good DAC purchase rational. (P.S. How's that retirement fund coming along?)
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
@fsmithjack

Regarding your recommendations and the Bricasti DAC, the M1 which MSRPs for 9 grand new includes "the stereo ADI 1955 D/A converter in a mono configuration".

Interesting to note that my $500 Emotiva ERC-3 also includes the same Analog Devices AD1955 DAC. It is the best CD player I’ve ever owned and does sound amazing, IMO.

So what am I missing?
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