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10-15 year old hi end DACs are still great.

I’ve been looking for a DAC for a while now.  All the usual suspects in the $2500-$8000 range, many are Chinees made these days. Halo Audio, Denifrips, lab 12, etc.

 

I ran into a deal on a used Esoteric D-02 ($23500 new in 2013-2016) played $2400 USD in an estate sale. I must be honest I’m rather shocked at how good this thing sounds. I don’t know if the newer midrange DCs are better. Definitely not as heavy 60lb grr.  I figured these older DACs would be trumped by the newer mid level DAC but it seems no. From what I can see older digital is still very good and deals are out there with all the upgrade craze on new DAC’s flooding the market.

I recommend looking at these older hi-end DAC’s when looking to upgrade from a lower priced DAC, you may find a gem that still outperforms newer DAC’s in the similar price range or less.

glennewdick
jk_richards's avatar
jk_richards
299 posts
 

I thought I should post a photo of the original before modifications.

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sudnh
135 posts
 

I would not recommend that overall unless it’s ultra high DACs (which you note at the beginning).  Even then I would not go before 2010.

Below $3k range (approx) DACs released after 2015 (approx) solved a number of electrical distortion issues present in the electronics of DACs and we started seeing more R2R DACs. 

DAC released after 2015 (approx) sound much better than older DACs.

“Vintage” DAC should not be a thing. Immature tech per my listening. 
 

 

jk_richards's avatar
jk_richards
299 posts
 

“Vintage” DAC should not be a thing. Immature tech. 

Sorry but that statement is simply not true. Many vintage power supplies are much better sounding than some newer types. It all depends on the design. Many top notch DACs are using the same type power supply designs they have been using for the past 15 years or more. 

The biggest difference in DAC sound quality is if the DAC uses a DAC chip or a programed FPGA chip for the SDM and of coarse the analog output stage design as well as a quality power supply. Age has nothing to do with it other than electrolytic capacitors drying up and needing replacement.  

For example a 15 year old DAC that uses a DAC chip will not sound as good as a well designed 15 year old FPGA SDM programed DAC Like a ring DAC, A Ladder DAC, a DSD DAC ect....

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