A reasonably priced DAC upgrade from Schiit Gumby


Hello everyone. Looking for a reasonably priced DAC upgrade from the schiit Gumby I have now. Which I absolutely love but feel could be a bit more open. Source is Oppo 105. Amplification is Schiit Ragnarok 2. Speakers are Reference 3A de capos. The Schiit Gungnir does NOT have the upgrade.

 

I had the Denafrips Aries 2 and liked it, but it was a bit too, well, digital for me. So I guess I’m looking for a warmer sound. I use CDs maybe 5% of the time and Tidal max for the rest. 

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Looking for a reasonably priced DAC upgrade from the schiit Gumby I have now. Which I absolutely love but feel could be a bit more open. 

What exactly do you mean by being more “open?”  What exactly is your budget, and are you looking for new or used?  What source are you using to stream Tidal to your DAC?  Just trying to get a bit more focus here before making any recommendations.

I have the Gungnir with the multibit upgrade, are you saying yours does not have that upgrade?

I have the de Capos, great speakers. I bought a MHDT Stockholm 2 DAC and it has what i think you want. Its more open, bigger soundstage, very musical and warm, some describe it as euphoric. Many if not all of the MHDT DACs will have this profile.

+1, @grinnell 

Given your system, a tube DAC like MHDT or Border Patrol should provide the warmth you seek from your digital playback. 

For a bit more money than the Gumby I’d suggest the Denafrips Pontus.  The Pontus is a definite step up from the Ares and will give you warmer (and fuller) sound.  Definitely not digital sounding..  I’ve owned all three of these units and much prefer the Pontus that I still use in my headphone system.   My suggestion also would be to use something besides the Oppo for your source, which imo is the weak link in your system right now.  I also think the “digital” sound you’re hearing now is more attributable to the Oppo than the Ares.