$2000 Dac

I just bought a Holo Cyan 2 used from a friend and am quite impressed with it.  My prior reference was a SMSL SU-9n chip dac, so that was a 4-5x step up in terms of original price.  Whenever they appear for sale on USAM, TMR, etc, they go fast.  The rest of my system is a VTL preamp, an HK Sig 1.5 (Madrigal factory) and Magnepan 3.6R.  Audiophile classic recordings like Jazz at the Pawnshop are incredibly holo-graphic.  

The R26 II appears to make some meaningful improvements over the Mk I, which was rather disappointing—mediocre at best. I’ve heard the Mk II sounds more detailed and dynamic. At this price point, there are several competing options in a similar range. More homework is needed.  Good luck.

@yyzsantabarbara,

One of the reasons I read so many posts here on agon is to discover new items of discovery and I want to thank you for introducing me to the imersiv D-1 Dac. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to purchase one new but used? One day, maybe? This is the only dac I’ve ever read about that explicitly says it should be used without a preamp!?

I also like the way you’ve taken your existing gear and sold it on the used market to upgrade to other pieces of gear. In the last 6 months I’ve also sold some of my gear to buy new, a Power Sound Audio EV1813T Subwoofer, Laiv Harmony µDac and a Vinshine Audio Taihang Power Enhancer all without having to go in my own pocket for any funds. ( As I keep telling myself that. ;-)

And the Laiv Harmony µDac will be put up for sale to purchase the Garlubidor DIVINTY R2R Dac that comes in at $1850 US, well under the $2000 budget the OP has suggested.

My plan is to also purchase (3) StackAudio AUVA equipment isolator pads. And yes they do come in a (3) pack which reduces costs from having to purchase a (4) pack all the time and upgrade the stock power cord to a 聖HIJIRI Nagomi power cord I already have. Fun hobby huh?

Divinity is roughly on par with Holo Cyan 2, with slightly better bass. Both are NOS, but Divinity is $500 more expensive. Reviewers found micro Dac sounds slightly better in OS mode than Cyan 2.  So you’re probably making a sideways move rather than an upgrade.

@lanx0003,

I agree with you that the Holo Audio Cyan 2 is one heck of fantastic sounding dac for the coin but I’ve read of to many issues when it comes to auto input selections design.

As the Holo Audio Cyan 2 can lock an input or require unplugging/replugging sources to switch, especially with multiple active devices, making manual switching control very difficult.

Users often needing external switchers or workarounds to manage multiple sources smoothly. It’s just too many glitches to work around with for me no matter how much less it costs.