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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
Post removed 
sudnh
135 posts
 

Many vintage power supplies are much better sounding than newer type. 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 20 years or more. 
 

@jk_richards

I am referring to the electronics that do the actual conversion of digital data to an analogue signal and not the power supply. 
 

jk_richards's avatar
jk_richards
299 posts
 

The modified Directstream DAC I posted made in 2014 will sound much better than most modern DACs costing up to $15k 

996turbo911
219 posts
 

If the big selling point of a new DAC is that it uses the latest and greatest DAC chip and does really high sample rates or DSD rates... that's a DAC that will be superseded quickly when the next chips launch in a few years.

Meanwhile a lot of DACs, both new and old, focus on the holistic approach for quality conversion (regardless of chip spec wars), well implemented digital filter, robust power supply, etc. Those are the DACs that stand the test of time. 

pindac's avatar
pindac
3,998 posts
 

My Post was removed, showing only another Olden era DAC, WOW!!!

Must have been para-offensive as a content. 

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