DAC recommendations under $7K
OK, my R11’s were destroyed by FedEx on the way to their new owners, and the check is OTW from FedEx in payment, so I am ready to buy a new DAC.
My digital equipment:
Simaudio Moon 330A
PSaudio BHK pre with Tele Medical tubes (also have Brimar & Sieman’s NOS tubes)
KEF Reference 3’s
Aurender N150
Chord Qutest with Sbooster + Ultra LPS
Transparent + Gen 5 speaker cables
Cardas Clear USB
Mogami 2549 interconnects
I am looking to spend less than $7K new or used. Size of the DAC is important, as I don’t have room for a standard width (17’) DAC and height is also a potential issue, so the PSaudio, Holo May, etc are out. I ’thought’ I wanted warmer, but after reading the excellent "If warmth is distortion... " post, I think I want a W2W DAC, front row or conductor seat sound.
Perhaps best described as my Qutest, only better. Better imaging, soundstage, no digital haze, no digital etching... clearer, cleaner. BTW, I never experience fatigue with my Qutest, filter set on incisive with HF rolloff. I wear very good hearing aids, but as a result, my HF hearing above 9khz is non existent.
My N150 is USB output only & I listen exclusively to Qobuz PCM, so I need a DAC with excellent USB capability & DSD, Roon etc is not important. I want it to be only a DAC as I plan to keep my N150 & BHK. I don’t want a tube DAC.
My next upgrade is probably my interconnects with OCC copper.
My current #1 contender is the Bricasti M3, perfect size, nice industrial design, great USB implementation, W2W sound, great reviews, everything I think I need, very little I don’t.
ChatGPT describes the M3 as follows...
What the M3 sounds like vs your Qutest:
Imagine your Qutest but—
cleaner
smoother
more open
less grain
more precise
more neutral
more “grown-up” sounding
Not warmer. Not colder. Not more aggressive. Just… higher-end execution of the same overall philosophy.
I know several of you don’t like chatGPT, but keep your replies to disputing it’s findings, not it’s use. For me, it is a part of a 3 leg stool, together with other research & input from this forum.
Other DAC’s that were/are in contention are the Holo Spring 3 KTE, Mystique X, Weiss 501, Chord Dave & Chord TT2. As I said, the PSaudio, Holo May etc are too large. I am sure there are more DAC’s to consider.
Before I pull the trigger on the M3, please provide your thoughts & recommendations. I want to make a very well informed purchase. Thank you!
@rsf507 @zlone Thanks, positive confirmation. @vinylvalet The 502 is too large. The 501 is certainly in contention, but it does have equalization, something I don’t want or need. I do use a miniDSP for my sub. |
@bhvf I considered an M scaler for my Qutest, upgading my DAC later, however as I understand it USB doesn’t fully utilize its capabilities vs the dual BNC, it is designed to run on. USB cannot fully exploit what the M Scaler is capable of, by design. |
@rossb Thanks, but better how? I may be wrong but as I understand it, Weiss is slightly softer in dynamics, a little more “polite & a little less incisive or clear. Maybe that is good, but not what I think I want.
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@signaforce where are you located? |
Weiss 501 is great and small the room control and equalizer can all be bypassed without compromise in sound but there if you want to play around yes if you are patient, you can find them for half price from different vendors I transitioned from transparent DAC to Weiss 501 DAC after playing around with the sound options, I ended up bypassing equalizer, my room and equipment didn’t need it, I found the better the equipment is in the system, the less you need any room equalizer, or any of the other functions Weiss offers, at least for my room and setup
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