Good dac to reproduce soprano vocals?

I'm not sure CD format is a barrier to good female vocals.

I can vouch that mhdt Constantine or Paradisea tube dac possibly with a minor tube upgrade like NOS TUng Sol can do them well if teh system overall is up to the task.

Try a well built DAC based on the venerable TDA1541 chip, peferably Double Crown. The ones I've heard preserves the timbre of female vocals like no other modern DACs, closest to a vinyl rig. The modern DACs may be better at soundstaging and imaging and frequency extension, but no modern DAC I've heard can beat a NOS ladder DAC when it comes to vocals and acoustic instruments sounding like the real thing.

Hfl,
Was the Berkeley Audio Alpha the Alpha2? If not perhaps you could give that one a listen as it has been refined a bit over the original.

HF - the problem with glassiness you are experiencing is due to two things:

1) the poor digital filter that the DAC imposes on that sample-rate
2) high jitter

I listen to 44.1 tracks all day long and don't get any of this glassiness or hardness. I do select a more optimum digital filter on my DAC. If you are at the Newport Beach show, come to the Atrium hotel and have a listen to my system.

I used to upsample everything to eliminate these nasties, but with the right digital filter (or no digital filter as in NOS DACs) and low jitter it is not necessary anymore.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Hello Steve and thanks,
That's what I've been waiting to hear. That is, how does one rid a good system of these digital nasties. I've been aware of your products for some time and appreciate your input. I can go all day long listening to redbook and be quite happy until I put on one of my favorite opera recitals. SACD goes a long way in improving the sound but I'm still searching for a remedy for 44.1 discs. Any chance you'll be at the Capital Audiofest in July?