DAC experiences?
Hi guys,
thanks for all your great advice so far. I come to you with DAC questions. I’m interested to hear your opinions on the Chord Qutest vs PS Audio DirectStream Mk2 vs Chord Dave.
I know they all sit at different price points, but I have a few options at good used prices and I would love to hear insights and experiences on these DACS, their sound, and living with them day to day.
I’ll be using Nova III floorstanders, Luxman 509z integrated, and for now a Node Icon N530 as transport but with a view to upgrade streamer.
tia
Stephen
The MKII is a wonderful sounding DAC with upgraded audio transformers. We have both the upgraded MK1 and the Upgraded MKII. Them cheap stock Edcore XS4400 iron core transformers in the MKII are not very good and the Edcore 150-150 in the MK1 are even worse. With the upgrades it’s going to be hard to beat at any price. |
A DDC is a great addition if you want to use a PC for streaming. If you have a high quality streamer with i2s out... no need for a DDC. Want a great DAC with a built-in streamer for a reasonable price? Here is one option.
The Modified PS Audio Directstream DAC is a great option. This is one of the best sounding DAC's that does not sound digital. The Limited Edition Signature Series PLUS with the all the new bridge II upgrade Streamer network card option. It's a DSD / FPGA / Audio Transformer based DAC. No DAC chip! To make it even better I would recommend using a pair of fiber media converters to connect it to your network. |
| Post removed |
A dac that is more than 5 years old is outdated. If you go cheap with a system, then go cheap with a dac, you won’t hear any benefits that a good dac will provide. I’ve had the PSA DS sr mk1 dac in my system for years. I had the DS jr for a couple years before that. The SR is a better dac. The DS mk1 blew away many other dacs that are much more expensive, I think because of its DSD technology. IMO, DSD is THE natural timbre in voicing a dac. The issue I have/had with both the DS mk1/mkii dacs is the softness/tubey bass, everything else sounds very good. Debated on the upgrades but was/still unsure if the bass would be fixed. I still have the DS mki on my desk thinking of putting it in my 2nd system. I have to agree with jk_richards, the best sounding dac to my ears currently uses the ESS Pro chip, dead quiet, taught tuneful bass, provides DSD musicality, and provides a huge soundstage. I spend hours listening to it without any fatigue. It is more detailed than the DS dac but not analytical sounding. Since I only use i2s into a dac and the ESS Pro dac has great i2s specs, it goes great with my Airlens galvanized streamer. Even the DS mki sounded better using i2s with the Airlens. Why use network tweaks to try to get better sound quality when the Airlens gives you 2 benefits that are crucial to good sq: galvanized technology that cleans up the signal before the dac and 2nd; provides the best interface into a dac: i2s. |
