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Which DACs are known to be sweet/rich/relaxed?

Problem
System is nicely transparant and detailed, but tends to get bright and harsh with certain (rock) recordings and at higher volume levels.

Objective
Nudge the system towards a sweeter, richer, more relaxed presentation.

Proposed solution / first step
Upgrade to a (tube based) DAC, budget $25-40k.

Current chain

  • ROON Nucleus
  • Mola Mola Tambaqui
  • Gryphon Essence pre amp
  • Gryphon Essence monoblocks
  • Focal Stella Utopia EVO
  • Full loom of Triode Wire Labs cables
  • Dedicated power line straight into Puritan PSM156 mains filter
  • System resides in the living room with some diffusors but no absorption other than sofas, chairs, and some rugs.


On my radar
Lampizator Pacific (or Golden Gate 2 since I heard it's more "tube-like")
Aries Cerat Kassandra 2 Ref or Sig

— What other DACs should I consider?
— Do you think upgrading to another (tube based) DAC will achieve that sweeter, richer, more relaxed presentation?

robert1976
lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
877 posts
 

@robert1976 There's nothing wrong with your DAC it's the Nucleus.

Get a decent streamer/server, preferably one you can attach a master clock to, like Aurender N20/N30 or similar.

jasonbourne52's avatar
jasonbourne52
2,863 posts
 

Many rock recordings have a hot top end. Ever been to a rock concert? An accurate DAC should be transparent to the source. If it adds its own sonic signature it is POOR quality - and not worth using. 

robert1976 OP
75 posts
 

Thanks @lordmelton, I should do in-home demos to see what a difference that makes.

I remain a bit sceptical because Stereophile said about the Nucleus "JA found that the sonic differences between the Nucleus+ and the considerably more expensive Innuos Statement server were small."
https://www.stereophile.com/content/roon-labs-nucleus-music-server

Also, Jay's Audio Lab found zero improvement with his MSB Select II between streaming from his laptop and using a Taiko Extreme: https://youtu.be/k0SDLQJDrG4?t=199 

I suspect it's highly system dependent and should be tried in one's own system. Which is what I'll do. Thanks again.

robert1976 OP
75 posts
 

@jasonbourne52 Isn't that a highly personal thing? Not everyone aims to get as close to the "truth" as possible. They might prefer a slightly more relaxed presentation because that allows for longer and more easy going listening sessions. By definition, all recording equipment, audio components, and rooms add distortion and colouration. Nothing wrong with wishing to mellow things out a bit if you're in a large untreated room.

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