What's the best Tube DAC you have heard?

since nobody has specified what "best" means, the implicit connotation is one's favorite dac, regardless of its sound.

in that case, the first zanden dac smokes them all.

with regard to the zanden, while i have not executed a direct comparision with other dacs, i have yet to hear sytem that resembles the "classic" tube sound to the degree i heard when a zanden dac was part of a stereo system. so while not a truly scientific statement, it is based upon my audition of 1000's of stereo systems, including my own.

the allusion to "smokes" them all is an obvious figure of speech and not meant to be taken literally.

if you listen to say 100 stereo syetms, each containing a particular component, one may induce, if one observes a consistent sonic characteristic, that the compoent may have a certain quality. such a conclusion is based upon induction.

let's consider an example of a person, whom you observe in many different situations. suppose that person, a stranger, exhaibits a consistent characteristic. one could say, granted, with some probability, that the person has a a particular personality trait.

so to, my comment about the zanden, is a probabilistic statement.

i certain;y have a reason to consider the zanden dac as my favorite dac, even though i have not compared it to other dacs or heard it in my own syst3em.

i would go so far as to bet that in a blind test or other type of comparison with another dac, that i would prefer the zanden over another dac. i am confident of my preference for the original zanden dac, in absence of direct comparisons, because of my vast experience of listening to thousands of stereo systems.

since all answers to the posted question are opinions, i am answering honestly, based upon the information available to me.

i don't have to hear a direct comparison to form an opinion about a product.

hi jax2:

i forgot to respond to your question regarding the context of the phrase "regardless of sound".

what i meant implies that audiophiles have favorite components which sound different. the criteria that audiophiles use to judge the merits of components can vary among audiophiles. its use probably was superfluous and did not add anything useful in my previous post. thus, i apologize for stating that which is redundant or irrelevant.

hi jax2:

here is another choice which will drive you crazy. my favorite amp is the cj mv 125. i have not heard it my own system, but in many other systems. each time i hear a system with that amp, the system sounds rich. that's good enough for me.

in fact i would propose a wager.

you can provide any number of amps and i will blindfold myself. i will bet i will prefer the sound of the sound of a stereo system with the cj in it compared to the how the system sounds with the other amps in it.

o know, another unscientific proposition.

but i am so confident, i am willing to put money on my intuitive conjecture.

one more thing, when i purchased my speakers, i did not audition it in my house nor compare it to other speakers at a dealer's showroom. it is still my favorite speaker--the original quad (57).

the point is i am able to render judgments about components i like without having to hear them in my own system or compare them to other like-components. i could create a stereo system in such a manner and be very happy with its performance. it certainly is an unconventional and iconoclastic approach that violates accepted procedures for evaluating equipment., but it works for me.