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I am considering the purchase of a new dac. I seek more resolution than
I currently get (from my Bryston BCD1 or PSAudio GCD). The following units have come up on my radar:
Benchmark DAC3 L or B model, whichever is cheaper
Border Patrol SEi
Schiit Yggdrasl, Gungnir (multibit), and BiFrost
Mytek Brooklyn DAC+
I realize some of these units have more of less features than others, but
all of them have what I need, except the Border Patrol which has no balanced outputs but I could live with that if the sound is right. I
have read everything I can find on all these units.
I do not want a unit made offshore as support and repair could be a serious problem, esp. with Chinese units (I realize the Mytek is made in
Poland). This requirement precludes Chord units, which apparently are highly regarded. All units have a trial period and are returnable.
So I solicit your opinions and tales of your experiences with any of these
units, and thank you in advance for your time.
Whether or not you can observe a thing depends upon the theory you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed. - Albert Einstein
Follow Ups:
I love my Schiit Gungnir Multibit. It's been a while since I hear the Yggdrasl and that was thru headphones.
I think Schiit does a great job dealing with USB which is the way I drive it. Very natural and open. No harshness at all yet not rolled off.
I had a Benchmark DAC3 L in-house for a couple of weeks. I returned it because it sounded only very marginally better than my existing Audiolab 8200CD DAC/pre. I then upgraded to an exaSound e32, which was a clear upgrade to the others. The e32 is made in Canada.
Schiit Yggdrasil! Can't say enough good things about this DAC. It's a giant killer..
Check out Robert Harley's review on TAS regarding the Yggdrasil...
+1 on the Schiit Yggdrasil. I had a Gungnir multibit for about 2.5 years and recently upgraded. Both are excellent DAC's but if you can swing it the Yggy is a step up. IMHO, detailed, excellent soundstage and placement of voice and instruments, slightly warm and organic.
Have 2 Topping DACs. Buy from APOS audio and stop worrying about support.
The Topping units are so reasonably priced for the quality and quality sound that by the time you need "support" it's probably time to buy a newer technology DAC anyway.But if you DO need support even sooner, Apos [located in Oakland, CA] will fully support what they sell.
I bought my Topping D90 and E30 from Apos with excellent follow up service including shipment status updates via email.
Topping E30 DAC up top, Topping D90 below:
But they ARE made in China if that matters a lot to you.
Edits: 12/22/20 12/22/20
that plastic/plexiglass things that the smaller dac sits on? I could
use something like that if it's the right size.
Whether or not you can observe a thing depends upon the theory you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed. - Albert Einstein
For a very reasonable price.... here
http://www.jmkdisplays.com/risers.html
Here was my order Specs and Quote a couple years ago. The guy was fast, fair and Very good.
***********************************************************************************
"Description I would like a Riser in Clear Acrylic material 3/8 Inches Thick. 10 Inches in Width, 6 inches in Depth and 3 inches high.
Hello:
We can quote the above 2 risers to your dimensions for $31.00/Each + S/H of $16.90.
All edges are polished.
******************************************************************************
Whether or not you can observe a thing depends upon the theory you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed. - Albert Einstein
nt
Both compete with Mytek at less, even half price.
Myteks have very high output voltage.
On my Mac Integrated, I could hardly turn mine up at all before it was too loud and aggresive.
The lightest movement of the volume control made a big increase.
Then you have to use the Jumpers, or even Volume Trim to tame it.
I wouldn't get another.
My Mac D150 is outstanding at DSD 128, but it is bit pricey.
The RME and Pontus have great, rave reviews.
My Mytek was very transparent but a bit lean sounding, lacking body or robustness especially in the mids, no warmth to speak of, and not very "musical". I've read reviews alluding that Benchmark DACs have a similar "pro" sound. They both cater to the pro audio market.
I prefer a little bit of midrange body, warmth and sweetness in my setups.
I have a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge, which is basically the same as the Mytek DAC+ with some additional features such as streaming and playback from a plugin USB drive. I really like playback from a plugin USB drive, but it's limited to PCM up through 24/192. For DBX and DSD you need to connect a computer streamer using JRiver or equivalent. Using JRiver, the DAC+ will play DBX and DSD up through DSD256. The Mytek is definitely a very nice DAC and it sounds as good as any DAC I've ever heard. I use mine as a preamp because it has one analog input and the analog input can be configured as a line-level input or a phono input for either MM or MC cartridges. I use mine as a line-level input because I found a digital player that will play all digital formats up through DSD256 from its internal plugin memory card. Unfortunately, you probably won't like it because it's made in China.
Shortly after buying my Brooklyn Bridge I discovered the Chinese FiiO products and I really like FiiO digital players. I'm currently using their Flagship FiiO M15, which costs $1300. It has dual top-of-the-line AK4499EQ DAC chipsets and it has both balanced and unbalanced analog outputs. The thing I like best is that it can play all digital formats from a plug-in micro SD memory card. It will address up to 2-terabytes of memory, but the largest capacity micro SD memory card I could find was only 1-terabyte. Therefore, I bought several of them. This brings the price up to the value of the Mytek. However, it sounds just as good to me and it's a lot more convenient with its 1-megapixel touch screen to display its digital memory. If you can figure out how to tolerate a product made in China, the FiiO M15 would be my choice for playing high-resolution digital music files. If I had discovered FiiO first, I might never have bought the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge. On the other hand, I really like the Brooklyn Bridge, too.
Best regards,
John Elison
I know you said you couldn't include Chord because they are assembled in Asia... but they are very actively represented by their distributor, The Sound Organization in Dallas, TX. These DACs are not likely to be an item that needs any service or support anyway.
The Qutest is too good to not be on any list for a new DAC in this price range.
At a higher budget the Chord Hugo TT2 would be even better, but $3000 higher in price.
This article mentions that Chord is made in England.Maybe the OP meant excluding non-US products...or the article is incorrect?
"All of Chord Electronics products are made in-house in Kent, England"
Is he a Trumpist?
" I seek more resolution".
I think it would be easier to narrow down the number of potential DACs if you would kindly give us some idea of what you mean by that.
Do you mean that you are happy with what you have insofar as its data processing capabilities are concerned but feel that you are missing out on what it provides otherwise in terms of detail, accuracy of instrumental timbre etc?
Alternatively are you looking for a DAC that can handle hi-res data formats? If so what do you wish to process e.g. DXD, DSD256 or will other formats suffice?
Your profile here does not tell us where you are from. Equipment prices vary from country to country so my view from the UK as to your budget may not coincide with yours. Your guidance on this would also assist.
"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams
Of these I'm only familiar with the Border Patrol DAC SEi. Mine started life as a BP DAC SE and was later upgraded by Gary Dews of Border Patrol. He's a great guy to deal with, by the way. He's very responsive and helpful.
If you're expecting to play files with higher resolution than 24/96 you'd want to look elsewhere. However, within that limit I think it's an excellent DAC. The presentation is warm and natural-sounding. It doesn't sound to me like, as one reviewer put it, like "everything is covered in fur". It's more that it's a different sound than perhaps the iFi gear it replaced.
Last night I listened for hours exclusively to Qobuz. I played jazz and rock. Where appropriate the music still had grit and bite without causing fatigue. I've had this thing for several years now. I've no intention of replacing it any time soon.
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