AKM makes the best DACs

@milpai 

For some reason you are discussing posts appearing on another thread.  I don't know why you are doing it here rather than there: "But when there was a communication issue on the manufacturer side that some one reported, you guys pounced on such posters, acted as mediators and tried to resolve the issue. To me that raised a red flag. The product must be good - but the manufacturer is responsible for communication and getting issues resolved."  

I went over the section I think you are referring to and have only to tell you that there was no "communication on the manufacturer side."  The manufacturer is essentially a one man shop that does no marketing at all and sells all he can make.  His only outside communications seem to be in support of his customers' technical needs.  A problem did arise with the merchant Shenzhen, but please don't confuse them with the manufacturer.  If you'd like to discuss this further I'd suggest a PM.

Just for the record, most of my system: amp, preamp, TT, phono pre, etc., is manufactured here.  I tend to buy where the value is. 

Finally you write, "Great details and separation means thrilling to one person, while sounding sterile and lifeless to another."  A really fine DAC, like live acoustic sound, is not subject to this sort of trade-off.

@milpai 

You might want to ask sns about the Okto DAC8.  He has one and thinks very highly of it.

Best dac is lab12 dac 1se unbelievable 

I was away from my computer, and the Esoteric question has been answered. But for completeness, most of the higher end players (which function also as DACs) and dedicated DACs used AKM devices, many in a multiple dac chip configuration. It appears that Esoteric is now replacing its AKM based circuit design with the FPGA centred technology used in the Mastersound Discrete DAC.

It might be important to remember that audio, high end audio... is not concerned with the 95-97% of the signal and associated qualities, that EVERYONE can obtain with their $1 for a dac chip or $$200 for a dac chip.

Nobody cares about the +95%. it’s meaningless, in this context.

The only thing the high end audio endeavor is concerned about, is those last few percentage points.

This is the sublime part, the part the makes our juices flow. The difference between $1 bottle sherry and $300 a bottle scotch. It’s all in these few percentage points. Proximity to the sun. Icarian.

So we end up in these little almost circular-like arguments where we talk past one another.

To figure this out soonest and get there... and get to the enjoying of a proximity to a perfection we can’t really ever reach. Time. Time in life. Time spent in good spaces.

Time As A Reward