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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!

signaforce
signaforce's avatar
signaforce OP
549 posts
 

Thank you for all the outstanding recommendations! Unfortunately, since I am unable to try them, it is hard to decide. For those that have seen some of my posts you know I am a fan of chatGPT. So I set up 3 parameters listing the key recommended DAC’s asking for a ranking: Some of you will agree… others will think it’s complete BS, but it is interesting. Here goes… 

My Qutest only better:

Rank

DAC

Why in that place

1

Mola Mola Tambaqui

Cleanest, most detailed, excellent USB, very neutral, no brightness issues; best Qutest perfected 

2

Bricasti M3

Very neutral and refined, strong USB, minimal signature, excellent value vs performance

3

Chord DAVE

Highly detailed / transparent, robust timing; USB not best interface but still strong; may need filter adaptation

4

Chord Hugo TT2

Similar family as DAVE, excellent but slightly less resolving than DAVE; USB good but not best input for all purposes

5

T+A DAC 200

Neutral, well-engineered, tunable filters, good USB; slightly less incisive than top three

6

Weiss DAC501 MK2

Very refined and accurate but a bit polite/soft for your “clearer†goal; DSP features unnecessary

7

Weiss DAC501 v1

Similar to MK2 but older tonally softer; less detail than MK2

8

Ayre QX-5 Twenty

Musical and engaging but more personality than pure clarity; not as neutral or detailed as top contenders

9

Holo Spring 3 KTE

Lovely musicality and richness, but too tonal/colorful for your aim of cleaner/clearer

10

Chord Qutest (baseline)

Excellent for what it does, but you already want to improve upon it
signaforce's avatar
signaforce OP
549 posts
 

Next a touch of warmth:

Rank

DAC

Comment

1

Holo Spring 3 KTE

Warm, organic, musical, tonally satisfying — neutral with body

2

Ayre QX-5 Twenty

Musically engaging, smooth treble, rich midrange, very natural

3

Bricasti M3

Neutral but slightly warmer midrange than Tambaqui; clean and musical

4

Tambaqui (Mola Mola)

Neutral reference, but leaner than the above; warmth from system only

5

T+A DAC 200

Solid neutral with a hint of smoothness; less expressive than 1–2

6

Weiss DAC501 MK2

Very refined and smooth, but polite rather than warm

7

Weiss DAC501 v1

Similar to MK2 but even more laid-back

8

Chord DAVE

Detailed and controlled; not really “warm,†more neutral/energetic

9

Chord Hugo TT2

Accurate but forward-leaning; not inherently warm

10

Chord Qutest

Your baseline — neutral but relatively lean without warmth
signaforce's avatar
signaforce OP
549 posts
 

Finally the most accurate: 

Rank

DAC

Notes (Accuracy Focus)

1

Mola Mola Tambaqui

Highest resolution + blackest background + best USB implementation; extremely revealing in a neutral, non-colored way

2

Chord DAVE

Very high resolution, excellent detail retrieval; FPGA timing is exceptional — but USB is good rather than optimal

3

Bricasti M3

Very reference-neutral and accurate with quiet analog stage; slight masking of the last layer compared to top two

4

Chord Hugo TT2

Similar FPGA family; slightly less resolving than DAVE, but still very accurate

5

T+A DAC 200

Precise, neutral, tunable filters help accuracy; a small shade less micro-detail than the top four

6

Weiss DAC501 MK2

Very refined and transparent; slightly smoother/polished than the top tier, which affects raw “forensic†accuracy

7

Weiss DAC501 v1

Older, still very clean, but softer and less resolving than MK2

8

Ayre QX-5 Twenty

Excellent analog implementation but not as analytically incisive as higher reference DACs

9

Holo Spring 3 KTE

Musically rich and detailed but not designed for ultimate lab-like accuracy

10

Chord Qutest

Baseline reference; very capable but behind the more advance
signaforce's avatar
signaforce OP
549 posts
 

Based upon that analysis, & what I think my desires are, my overall ranking would be, price no object: 

1. Tambaqui 

2. Dave

3. M3

If I figure cost in M3 moves to number 1.  

I want to keep my N150 (freeing up that space doesn’t help), & the conductor or Qobuz conect app, so think I will stay away from network cards. So now it comes down to money & choices.

Emotionally, I have always wanted the Dave. The Tambaqui is probably the best choice, financially the M3 is best. Decisions… decisions.
Any help with the remaining 3 would be welcome. Thank you all again!

mdalton's avatar
mdalton
810 posts
 

One more dealer recommendation, this one much closer than Winston-Salem: Hifinotes in Durham.  Unlike Ember, I’ve never been there, but they carry some very cool brands, like Cinnamon and Wolf Von Langa (speakers).  Re small format DACs, they carry Cyrus, Ferrum and Gold Note.  Would be easy to take your Qutest in and do some comparing. And it beats the hell out of Chatgpt, lol!

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