1. Home
  2. digital
  3. 160424-115562

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
djones51
4,947 posts
 
If you can use EQ in order to mimic vinyl remember this is not going to sound  like a good analog system you're just trying to soften the digital. Cut at 47hz and 12khz do a sharp rolloff -24dB at both ends this is a classical RIAA AES rule, put a little notch exactly at 4.5khz and if you want a little softer attenuate slightly maybe -1.5dB curve between 3khz and 7khz. You can also do a boost around 200-300hz. It's easier to attenuate than boost though. 
cat_doorman
237 posts
 
OP, what is your vinyl setup - cartridge through phono stage? I’m curious what the digital side is up against budget wise.

Just in case anyone was interested, the 4 Qutest filter settings are incisive neutral, incisive neutral w/HF roll-off, warm, and warm w/HF roll-off. The HF roll-off is “a high frequency filter past 20kHz to remove HF distortion and noise from [high sample rate PCM recordings] recordings.”
decooney
2,565 posts
 
@adam8179 "I was looking at the MHDT Orchid or the Border Patrol."

It’s worth reading more on BP’s tube rectified power supply approach vs. MHDT Labs tube implementation for the Orchid DAC. The first time I heard my own R2R Ladder tube DAC, it quickly pulled me in to want to just sit and listen to music again.
steventwombly
6 posts
 
The BP DAC is my go to.  Is it’s good as my vinyl rig?  No.  But it is pretty darn close and great bang for the buck in my opinion. 
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,790 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. 


More to discover