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Looking for Better Jitter Reduction in a DAC

I'm looking to improve the jitter control in my digital setup, which hopefully will create a more analogue presentation. I own a PS Audio PW Memory Transport, which sports a FPGA, and a Nuwave DSD DAC with a scaled-down version of the gate array.

   I have owned a Chord which uses this technology and it was like listening to analogue recordings. I sold it only because it's soundstage was very forward, like sitting in the front row of a concert hall. My current PS Audio setup has wide and deep imaging, as does my Atma-Sphere preamp.
   I have auditioned the Schiit Grundir and it was a bit too fast in the attack and transients, but had the dynamics and deep imaging that I like. So, I guess what I'm looking for is a unit with a laid-back, realistic musical presentation.

The Mytek Digital Stereo192 DSD and Blue Circle DAC are in my price range, but there is no way to audition them.
  So any recommendation and advice is appreciated. DSD preferred, budget is about $1200 used.


128x128lowrider57
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lowrider57 OP
5,393 posts
 
Steve N...
  I owned a Chord a few years ago and I wish I never sold it. It needed a LPS to get the most out of it and I didn't want to spend the extra money. Stupid move on my part.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
Chord Qute delivers superb detail.  If anything, it lacks the best bass response, even with a good LPS.  The Qute anyway could use some mods IMO.  Difficult because it's so compact....
gareneau
110 posts
 

Steve,

Aside from Chord and Resonnessence, I'm curious who else in your opinion makes well implemented DACs -

audioengr
3,282 posts
 

More expensive:

Empirical Audio, dCS, Ayre, PSAudio, Playback designs, Bricasti

Here is a top-tier PCM DAC shootout that has been ongoing for several years and involves many DACs (73 pages of posts):

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/absolute-top-tier-dac-for-standard-res-redbook-cd?page=73

Lower  cost to consider:

Sony HAP-Z1es, Wyred4sound (particularly driven using I2S), Metrum Acoustics, Rega, Bryston

Have not been impressed with the pro-audio/studio DACs...

bruce_philly
31 posts
 
Shadorne,

My Benchmark DAC1 is ... oh I don’t know, maybe seven years old. I runs warm and always did. I have it on 24/7 for most of that seven years. Yes this is true it runs all the time. Did this degrade the sound? Maybe, heck I don’t know. It just is dead sounding next to my Accuphase. I always felt this way since I first plugged it in.

What I learned when I purchased my Accuphase, a lesson that I keep relearning thirty years on now, is it is more about implementation than what chip does what.  The earliest chips sucked... then something happened, I think the chips became good.   The only two machines I thought were musical back then were the Accuphase and Ayre machines. That’s was it. Boxes that used the same chip sets were not nearly as good sounding as these machines.... it was not the chips that did it.

Peace
Bruce in Philly
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