What about all those Chinese DACs?

@helomech I recently purchased a nice conrad-johnson tube amp and Vandersteen speakers.  I didn't have an extra dac or streamer, so I ordered a Wiim Ultra for $279 instead of robbing from my main system to test the amp.  I'm pretty amazed at the sound quality. I have it connected directly to the amp and I'm using the volume control on the Wiim.  The preamps that I have in storage are old and I doubt they'd sound good.

I haven't compared the Wiim directly with anything, but on its own, it sounds really good. I told my wife that an inexpensive piece of gear like the Wiim probably doesn't often get paired with a high quality amp like my conrad-johnson. 

I read about the Wiim ultra...

Interesting....

I dont need an upgrade.... But it seems the audiophile is not dead in me completely...

I haven’t owned any five figure DACs, but I wouldn’t trade my WiiM Ultra (I use the internal DAC) for any other I’ve heard/owned below $6K.

 

Then there’s the fact that most speakers are unworthy of anything pricier than a Chi-Fi DAC.

I haven't compared the Wiim directly with anything, but on its own, it sounds really good. I told my wife that an inexpensive piece of gear like the Wiim probably doesn't often get paired with a high quality amp like my conrad-johnson. 

I agree. And I posit that most who’ve tried a WiiM Ultra haven’t used one in a system with top tier speakers, which are the anchor of a high end system, because speakers dictate the level of audible distortion in modern systems.

Ever since building my Satori Helios speakers and making some slight tweaks to the design, my audiophile neurosis has been cured. I no longer yearn for the type of performance I’ve encountered from the likes of $50K^ systems, despite my total investment now amounting to ≈ $10K. 
 

I understand what is being discussed here when people talk about Chinese DACs, as far as how there weren't really any decent options but now there are quite a few worth looking at. As with many things, China has really stepped it up.

That said, it still feels weird to lump them all into one category. I would say something like Auralic (RIP), is quite different from Topping, which itself is very different than Denafrips, or SMSL, or Cen.Grand, you get the picture. That's sort of like talking about "Italian speakers" or "American amplifiers". Which ones? There are many, at wildly different prices, with very unique sounds. 

Now that Denafrips has a repair facility in TX

When Denafrips and Vinshine Audio went their separate ways this past year they took a number of stateside vendors with them. 

Todd King in Austin has represented Denafrips for several years. He is the only stateside contact left. He does respond quickly and provides a line of relief for those of us who have such products. 

It is important for those who buy Chinese audio equipment that there is a slippery slope at play here and it would be wise to not overplay your hand.

Denafrips has come out with a new brand (Garlubidor) which is likely the new path forward for new product offerings. While Denafrips is upgrading products (15th), they have not had any new offerings in their name-brand lineup for over 4 years.

China has really stepped it up.

You mean they have stolen intellectual property, copied designs, and have used forced labor to meet financial demands. China is not our friend, they have a plan for us here in the USA and it ain’t got nothing to do with audio.

If they do conquer Taiwan (which makes over 50% of audio products integrated circuits) then they will control pricing (China is number two in IC’s worldwide) which will bring the love affair of cheap Chinese electronics to an end.