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Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp
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wig
1,202 posts
 
Great discussions and lots of reading and at some point will have to do more studying if I decide to try Dacs again for redbook purposes.

Maybe by the time I’m interested, technology would have advanced and price-points would be in the range of the Yiggy, Lampizator or Halo but that might be wishful thinking and glad I’m not in the market for a Dac today... :)

Wig
willemj
1,036 posts
 
Shadorne I agree this is an issue to be sorted out. From what I understand it mainly applies to popular recordings mostly recently mastered up to the very margin, so it would not occur with the kind of music I mostly listen to (classical and jazz). Am I right about that?
Am I also right that reducing the output of the digital source somewhat at source (ie. in the Chromecast app or in the Equalizer Apo audio player on my computer) cures the problem as well in the same way Roon does?

klh007
614 posts
 
shadorne, Lyngdorf uses ICC (Inter-sample Clipping Correction) to give their TDAI-2170 12 dB headroom for the intersample overs you mention, this and the Benchmark are the only 2 I know of.
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
@willemj   

You are correct - it will be less of an issue but still an issue. A lot of reissues of classical and jazz are boosted to clipping level too but you are correct they are often less compressed overall.

The CD Homage To Duke by David Grusin is one of the best jazz recordings I have heard and it is recorded at a very low average level with tremendous dynamics (needs to be cranked 3x higher on the volume dial compared too all my other classical and jazz).
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
@klh007

Thank you you for the correction! I was not aware of Lyngdorf having also implemented a solution.

It definitely makes a huge audible difference as Doug Shroeder points out in his review of the Benchmark DAC3 and AHB2 Amp.

https://www.dagogo.com/benchmark-audio-dac3-dx-ahb2-amplifiers-review/


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