Good dac to reproduce soprano vocals?

Hfl, I listen to opera and gave my opinion. Try NOS ladder DACs. It may be what you're after.

Dracule1,
Thanks, I hear you. Am looking at the Metrum Hex. NOS gets good reviews regarding acoustic music. Interesting that I started this thread thinking that code manipulation was the answer, but now see that many consider NOS the superior way to go.

Hfl, the delta sigma chips in most modern DACs sound processed and unnatural to my ears. The best chip I've heard in producing natural sound of acoustic instruments and vocals is the TDA1541 Double Crown chip, which virtually impossible to find now. I saw one go for $600 on eBay and it was a fake. It is used in the Zanden DAC, the old reference Marantz CDP, etc. The Metrum, dB Audio Lab Tranquility, MDHT Havana, Ack!, Audial, Tent Labs, so on all use multibit ladder DAC chips. Some are extremely affordable and sound great.

One of my vices I keep quiet about, is opera. Most of my collection is on LP, but quite a few are on CD. I have'nt auditioned many DACs, but I am very pleased with my Ayre QB9. It is very good indeed with one of my favourires, I also use for demo purposes, becaouse of it's range and dynamics. That is Dvorak's Russalka, with Rene Fleming. She sounds just wonderful through the Ayre.

David12,
Thanks for the suggestion regarding the QB9. Has that dac been updated recently?
Renee Fleming has been served a little better than her predecessors. I have several of her recordings and even a couple that sound pretty good as digital. For some reason, Renee Fleming "The Beautiful Voice" sounds good even with my dac. And her SACD "Bel Canto" is also very nice.