Still looking for a DAC I can demo at home. . .


I'm looking to spend up to $4500 on a DAC. Must be able to demo at home!  Yes-- I know-- this eliminates  many possibilities but I don't actually enjoy buying/selling gear, so buying gear on A'gon to try, and then having to re-sell it, holds 0 appeal for me. I think of myself as a music lover rather than an audiophile. Perhaps, for those of you reading this, other, less flattering adjectives come to mind ;o), but nevertheless, the search goes on. I have:  Wells Majestic integrated, Silverline SR 17.5 Monitors. I plan to keep my Jolida JD100 cdp as a transport. Emotional involvement, "musicality" (lots of arguments about what that means, I know) are more important to me than hyper detail. Borrowing John Darko's analogy, I'm more interested in "tasting cake" than knowing whether the butter is organic, the eggs are laid by Rhode Island Red hens or Sea Turtles, the flour is winter or spring wheat, etc. Sea Turtles? OK- I'm starting to experience the particular flavor of insanity that comes from spending far too much time reading threads and reviews.  I've held off  trying Schiit Yggy due to conflicting reports re: whether its resolution is too "digital/analytical" sounding. PS Audio Directstream JR. has its fans and critics. Anything else in this price range I can demo at home ???
stuartk

Showing 3 responses by 333jeffery

I have both the Yggy and the Directstream dacs. The Yggy has been a great dac for two years now, while the Directstream lasted only a few days. Both are very resolving, but the DS had a harsh glare to it that made my ears hurt. The Yggy is nice and natural sounding. No fatigue at all. I only replaced it because I found a Rockna Wavedream at a great price and decided to upgrade.
I had the Yggy hooked to an Allnic preamp, BHK monoblocks and Tekton Design Ulfberht speakers. This is a very revealing setup, and the Directstream came across as harsh and fatiguing in it. The Yggy, on the other hand, was smooth and natural.
Here is a video of that setup:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoQsn9nPViU