The Simaudio Moon 390 also has plenty of connectivity for HDMI, so you can work it into your home theater as well. This digital one-box solution contains a DAC (with quad DSD and MQA), a preamplifier, a headphone amplifier, an MM/MC phono pre and a streamer that’s Roon ready. “What you get is a product that seems to be built for the audiophile that is primarily interested in performance and doesn’t require a lot of fancy features or gold-plated-with-a-screen visuals.” Sonically, it can go toe-to-toe with plenty of the big boy DACs. We felt that while there are many excellent $5000 DACs out there, the Merason is one of the best DACs we’ve heard at any price–so much so that we would still be impressed with it if it was much more expensive.
This is also a great DAC for “imaging and soundstaging freaks.” Still a top pick in a very fickle market segment. Reasonably priced considering it has so much proprietary technology, this Exogal DAC provides superb harmonics and timbres, with a very lifelike presentation for a mid-priced piece of digital gear. It’s simple to set up and straightforward to use, and it sounds fantastic.Īt its modest price, the Mytek still produces a “level of reproduction that was unthinkable only a few years back.” What’s even more impressive is that the Brooklyn + also includes a headphone amplifier, a preamplifier and a phono stage, making it an incredible bargain.Įxogal Comet ($3,500 USD with optional power supply)
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On the plus side, the Solaris is hand built by Dave Hill’s crew at Crane Song and it is a perfectionist DAC in all respects, sporting some of the lowest jitter measurements on the planet. You won’t find a fancy faceplate, gold-plated connectors, or a remote control-this DAC is meant to be mounted into a rack and left there.
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We got one, tested it, and discovered that it featured a “lot of cutting-edge DAC tech” and that “the price is certainly right.” “It sounded so good we’re curious about how much better the higher level Denafrips DACs are,” we concluded.Ī decidedly non-audiophile pick, the Crane Song Solaris is a dyed-in-the-wool pro audio DAC: nothing more and nothing less. Not a DAC but a digital filter that is placed between the digital source and the DAC, the Gigafilter that achieves galvanic isolation, re-synchronization of the digital bitstream and “extensive filtering of the signal.” Designed to take the USB cable out of the digital chain, the TotalDAC makes music sound natural and not simply “reproduced by a mere collection of electronic gear.”Ī Chinese-built DAC sold directly through a Singapore source, the Pontus sounds like a risky purchase. Optional Pow1 LPSU ($900), improves sound quality across the board. We found the Swiss-built Merason Frerot to be perfect for streaming Qobuz, and for mating with an equally high-value streamer like the Innuos Zen Mini Mk. Small, simple and relatively inexpensive for the performance it offers, this DAC is perfect for audiophiles who don’t require a lot of bells and whistles but do want superb sound quality. According to the musicians that made it, this was how your music was supposed to sound. Clear, open, transparent, sound flows forth like sweet water poured from the hands of friendly, loving gods. Add a choke-input and tube rectified power supply, and forget David, here you have an Audio Goliath. There is no oversampling, no up-sampling, and no filtering. And so what? Chances are, you’ve never heard digital like this, and certainly at nowhere near its price. Yes, it’s a Redbook-only converter, and yes, it sports NOS chips. Measurements, schmeasurements-do yourself a favor and try this BorderPatrol DAC. Both are modular and upgradable designs.īorderPatrol SE-i DAC ($995-$1,850 USD depending on configuration) Both versions are worth their money-expect the AKM to have a slightly less defined bass while maintaining an excellent midrange, while the Multibit version adds crispier high frequencies to the mix. The cheaper one is built around the smooth sounding AKM4490 chipset while the pricier (but still affordable) multibit version takes advantage of Schiit’s know-how from their top-of-the-line Yggdrasil converter. This affordable DAC from Schiit comes in two options. The Schiit Modi 3+ DAC has plenty of connectivity options, including optical and coax, and most notably for 2021, Schiit’s proprietary Unison USB™ technology. Have a computer with USB capability? That’s all you need to get amazing sound for just a hundred bucks.
The Best DACs, Servers, Streamers, and Disc Spinners
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