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Does a Tube Dac make sense?


I’m  in the market for a dac since I bought a Musical Paradise MP701MKII Tube Preamp few months back, does it make sense to buy a tube dac? The seller Garry is suggesting to get the Musical Paradise MP D2 MKIII which is a tube dac with a AK4490 but can be upgraded to AK4499 but I’m leaning towards the RME ADI2 which is almost the same price as the MP tube dac. I’m finding it hard to justify a $1k dac but I have read a lot of forums that suggests the RME or the SMSL M400 and Denafrips Ares II but I’m a sucker for vu meters and spectrum analyzers but if the MP tube dac is a good match for my MP tube preamp I’m willing to give it a go.
stibin
ghdprentice
6,362 posts
 
Tube DACs can sound outstanding. I own a Audio Research Reference 9se... but then it is $17,000 so not much direct relationship with the DAC you are looking at. Mine is the best sounding DAC I have heard. 
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stibin OP
12 posts
 
Can I know what tube dac you guys are using?
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,608 posts
 
well known well respected tube dacs that are near of less than $1000 include:

mhdt (numerous models)
black ice fx tube dac
musical paradise d1 d2
van alstine fet hybrid dac (used)
mrklas
441 posts
 
Sure - the real question is what’s your budget and timeline. 
I have a tube preamp so my DAC goes through a tube on its way to my speakers and ultimately ears. 
So while I’ve only heard Audio Research tube DACs, I am certain there are options to consider depending on your budget. 
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