Boutique DACs

It is not R2R, nor from a small company, but the Esoteric K-01XDSE deserves a mention.

The level of engineering attention to detail and build quality are outstanding.

The K products include a CD/SACD transport of the highest quality.

The DAC itself is implemented with discrete components rather than an LSI chip and the passive components are of the highest quality.  The DAC, internally, operates with 64 bits.

It has a superb OCXO clock, their “Master Sound Discrete Clock”, and supports using an external clock - I use the Stanford Research Systems FS-725 Rubidium clock.

Using USB the isolation and buffering essentially isolates the DAC from any digital nasties upstream, with multiple robust power supplies isolating the unit from power line noise. The manual states that the supplied power cable should be used and that "audiophile" cables will not improve the sound.

Via USB it handles high-resolution PCM up to 384kHz/32-bit and DSD up to 22.5MHz (DSD512).  It does NOT support IIS input - IIS puts the source in control of the data transfer and the clock which is transmitted over the cable.

The sound quality is superb with outstanding resolution yielding a wonderful sense of space and detail without losing "musicality".

Various filters and upsampling options are available to allow for a measure of tailoring the sound.

The Grandioso line, which I have never heard, then "dials everything up to 11" - at the price of a decent luxury car.

Apologies if this sounds like an advert for Esoteric but I am amazed by the sonic and engineering quality of the unit.  If by "boutique" you mean quality beyond the norm then this device meets the definition.

Aqua Acoustics LaScala. 

McIntosh MDA200

@kray 

I would NOT consider these brands boutique, just my opinion. Examples

Yamaha, Marantz, Technics, Rega, Cambridge, NAD, McIntosh, or anything made in China, etc....

All of these companies in and of themselves are very small, Yamaha, Marantz, Technics may be subsidiaries of much larger conglomerates but other than using them for R&D capitol they operate as private entities.

McIntosh has been using other small companies larger than itself to procure R&D capitol for decades and for the recent few it's been partnering with private equity companies for the same reason and don't be surprised that it's current affiliation with Bose ends sometime in the foreseeable future.

Rega and Cambridge audio are small privately held independent manufactures and NAD is a property of the Lenbrook Group of Pickering, Ontario, Canada who are active as part of the music supply chain in the Canadian electronics industry.

You should know your facts!

@faustuss LOL.. chill. this has nothing to do with facts. how many times to I have to state it's just my opinion. carry on

Merason dac1 mk2      Very analog Swiss dac a great dac and under $9 k

a true bargain