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Thinking about getting a R2R DAC

Dear community,

I currently have a chord qutest DAC. I like it a lot, very full sound, accurate detailed and exciting.  However, whenever I go back to vinyl (with a well-recorded nice pressing) I find the sound so much more satisfying.  There is a warmth, yes, but there is a presence, a 'there-ness' that I just don't get with the digital.  I'm wondering if an R2R DAC would get me closer to that?  my budget would be around the same as the qutest.  I was looking at the MHDT Orchid or the Border Patrol.  Don't get me wrong, I really like the Qutest.  I am thinking of putting it in the upstairs system to pair with the Node2i I have up there.  Any thoughts?  Will analog always just be a different animal than digital?

Currently in the main system I have a Sonore uRendu feeding the Qutest which is going to a LTA MZ2 going to a Pass XA 30.5

thanks!
adam8179

Showing 5 responses by arafiq

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,595 posts
 
I had similar issues with my Audio Mirror Tubadour III and started bitching about it too soon. After about 50 hours or so, the change in sound was so dramatic that it could have won an oscar. Hang in there!
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,595 posts
 
Try an R2R tube DAC.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,595 posts
 
@djones51 -- Given that we have had the ability to EQ for quite some time now, why is that it we have so many different implementations of DACs, preamps and amplifiers? Don't get me wrong, I use EQ on my headphones with great success, but I do find it difficult to believe that EQ will give you the attributes of an R2R DAC, especially one with tubes. If that was the case, we would not be seeing a resurgence of this particular implementation. 


arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,595 posts
 
I didn't say it would. I said you can use EQ to get a fairly good mimic of vinyl. I didn't say it would sound exactly like vinyl or a R2R dac, I suggested the Border patrol which distorts more than any other I have seen so it might come close.

Of course you did @djones51 ...

EQ would work as well as an R2R DAC, perhaps better at trying to mimic vinyl.

So let me repeat my question again. If you can EQ to get the same impact or better why are we seeing a resurgence of R2R DACs? Is it because the designers don't understand the magic of EQ, or are they just pulling wool over our collective eyes?
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,595 posts
 
@adam8179 -- awesome choice! I ended up buying the Audio Mirror Tubadour III, but Pagoda was a very close second. As others have mentioned, be sure to let it burn in for at least 50 hours before critical listening.
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