The sound comparison between LUXMAN DA-200 D/A and LUXMAN DA-250 D/A convertors

Luxmam DA-250 would be my choice. Although, if you can find a used DA-06, the quality is at least the same if not slightly better than the 250.

Dear arafiq,
Thank You for the answer. I'm considering  purchasing of a NOS R2R DAC   too. What models would you recommend up to 3000 USD?  Regards,Chelg

@chelg -- there are quite a few within your price range. Some of the favorites around here are MHDT (Orchid, Pagoda, Pagoda Balance), Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE, Holo May, Denafrips Pontus, etc. If you search for R2R on this site you will get many matches with good discussions. Good luck!

Dear arafiq,
Last question.I like well articulated, fast, fundamental and deep bass. Which DACs do you think have an excellent bass  region?
       Regards,Chelg

@chelg -- sorry just saw your message. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to answer your question. There is another thread on audiogon forums where a similar discussion is taking place. You might want to check it out. Now, I will say that the Luxman DA-06, despite being a few years older, is extremely well implemented and is my favorite DAC right now.

Arafiq, may I ask what other DACs have you compared to the Luxman DA-06? I may have the opportunity to pick one up but read that it sounds inferior to some of the lower priced Chords. On another thread which I just resurrected,  the DA-06 was said to lack detail and 3-d soundstage capability of the Chord.

@ryder I compared quite a few — Qutest, Cambridge audio, audio mirror tubadour iii, T+a dac8, topping d90, RME ADI-2 and Schiit gungnir. I also compared to the built-in dacs in ARC GSi75, Innuos Zen Mini, Bluesound Node 2i, and Naim Unitiqute.
I preferred the Luxman over most dacs except the one in ARC. However, it is true that the sound is a bit on the warmer and softer side and the soundstage is not as deep or wide. But it was so refined and musical that I could overlook the shortcomings.

That being said, IMO it doesn’t make sense to pay $2k for a dac that is a 10-year old design. If I was looking in this price range, I’d look into R2R designs, e.g. Denafrips Pontus II. I bought a Terminator II a few months ago and find it to be far superior to the Luxman in every way. Good luck!

 

Aradiq, thanks for the response which was surely appreciated. Your advice makes a lot of sense, more so when the 10 year old Luxman costs $3k instead of $2k, a mint condition demo unit. The Denafrips Terminator 2 costs $4,500 and has compared favorably to the Chord Dave, hence I’m not surprised that the Terminator beats the Luxman in all areas. I have the Chord Qbd76 which is the predecessor to the DAVE, and it sounds great in my system.

I was deciding between the Luxman DAC and REL subwoofer earlier and your post has made it easier for me.

That being said, IMO it doesn’t make sense to pay $2k for a dac that is a 10-year old design. If I was looking in this price range, I’d look into R2R designs, e.g. Denafrips Pontus II. I bought a Terminator II a few months ago and find it to be far superior to the Luxman in every way. Good luck!

 

Apologies for bringing this up again. I actually have an opportunity to acquire a used Luxman DA-06 which is in immaculate condition. The price is $2.3k. Thing is I don’t mind paying the money despite the age as long as sound quality up there with the best.

I am aware that the Denafrips Teminator 2 is better in every way but this is a higher priced superior model which is out of my budget. A used Pontus 2 is cheaper than the used Luxman DA-06 but will it offer a similar if not high quality sound? I think the build quality of the Luxman is better than the Denafrips, another aspect which I value in the gear that’s under consideration.

Thanks.

@ryder Sorry just saw this.

IMO, $2.3K is too high of an asking price. I bought mine over 2 years ago and paid less. I sold mine for $2K (including shipping) when I sold mine a few months ago. Having owned both Denafrips and Luxman, I would say the Denafrips DACs are built as good and solid as Luxman. 

In terms of sound quality, I didn't compare the Pontus with Luxman directly, so unfortunately I can't provide any input. But in general, Luxman is more on the warmer side of things. It is very musical, refined, and has a relaxed presentation. But there were times I wished it was a bit more lively depending on the music I was playing. Also, the soundstage is not as wide and deep as some of the new DACs that I listened to. However, I preferred it over other DACs like Chord Qutest, T+A, RME, etc. -- of course, based on my personal preferences only :)

I think if you can get the price down to below $2k, it's worth buying and trying. But I wouldn't pay anything more than that. Hope that helps.

One thing I would like to add is that Luxman is limited to playing DSD128 only. This might not be a requirement for me, but I have a large collection of DSD256 and 512 files, which was one of the primary reasons I ended up selling the Luxman.

Arafiq, thanks for the useful response which is greatly appreciated. I now have to recheck my priorities.