Best DACs of 2018

[NorthSky]

I was just thinking out loud in the open, just for the fun free way of living:
• Why aren't they designing DACs with shapes we like?
Say a coffee cup for example ⛾ or a pen ✒ or a clock or a telephone or a blaster gun like the one from the previous page. Why do they always build their DACs in square and rectangle boxes 99.99% of the time?

Is that a dack of imagination and creativity audio designers have?
Just like dac, out of the blue.

 

[Frank Dernie]

 

[RayDunzl]

He has plenty of time, my great grandfather was 81 when his youngest child was born...

My paternal G-father was 55 at his first, I thought that pretty late.

 

[Frank Dernie]

My paternal G-father was 55 at his first, I thought that pretty late.

He was 76 when my grandma was born. His eldest daughter was 52 at that time. He outlived 3 wives. That side of my family have lived long lives. My Grandma was born in 1898 and died in 1999 having nearly made into her third century. Her Dad was born in 1823.
Sorry, not very on topic...

 

[NorthSky]

☠ Now we're on the right track, I like dac.

 

[NorthSky]

He was 76 when my grandma was born. His eldest daughter was 52 at that time. He outlived 3 wives. That side of my family have lived long lives. My Grandma was born in 1898 and died in 1999 having nearly made into her third century. Her Dad was born in 1823.
Sorry, not very on topic...

My Dac Dad had me when we was only ...

 

[Thomas savage]

He has plenty of time, my great grandfather was 81 when his youngest child was born...

Round of applause...

 

[NorthSky]

Intermède ... one person's opinion:

 

[NorthSky]

Hey Hey Hey

• LINK → http://www.areadvd.de/tests/special-teac-praesentiert-neue-reference-serie-fuer-hires-audio/

 

[Palladium]

I took the price from the link you provided, and I quoted that post and link:
• https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017...usb-digital-to-analogue-converter-se-version/

"But here’s the real reason why you should care — the BorderPatrol DAC Sounds Great, Fully Capitalized. If you’ll pardon the hyperbole, at $1,850 with all the bells and whistles, this DAC blows the doors off of just about everything else. And no, not just in its weight class. I mean “just about everything else”. To clearly better it, I have to go to extraordinary lengths (and budgets) — and that’s crazy."
_____

"the DAC uses a “vintage” R2R DAC chip (Phillips TDA1543) with no over-sampling (NOS), no up-sampling, no digital filtering and no output buffering"

It's almost like its designed to be a disaster waiting to happen on an Audio Precision analyzer.

 

[NorthSky]

Oh, you've read it too. It certainly isn't a Trinity DAC.
___

■ Extra: https://www.musicservertips.com/product-reviews/dac-buyers-guide/

 

[Frank Dernie]

"the DAC uses a “vintage” R2R DAC chip (Phillips TDA1543) with no over-sampling (NOS), no up-sampling, no digital filtering and no output buffering"

It's almost like its designed to be a disaster waiting to happen on an Audio Precision analyzer.

Many people don't want an accurate DAC.
There are plenty like this on the market which perhaps appeal to those who believe there is something superior in the multi-coloured sound added by record players?

 

[Wombat]

Do it on the cheap.

http://appcrawlr.com/ios-apps/best-apps-vinyl-sound

https://www.izotope.com/en/products/create-and-design/vinyl.html

 

[Dimitri]

Do it on the cheap.

http://appcrawlr.com/ios-apps/best-apps-vinyl-sound

https://www.izotope.com/en/products/create-and-design/vinyl.html

If it included a "make it LOUD" control you could end up with CD quality sound

 

[gvl]

To wit, here is a review of the losing DAC, the Border Patrol in that article: https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017...usb-digital-to-analogue-converter-se-version/


View attachment 11189

How come the conductor did not get swapped in his listening? Where is the blurring? Confusion? Coloration??? How did it get an Editor's Choice if it is so flawed according to the other reviewers you post?

So let's not talk about "universal truth." Such subjective reviews have no truth in them. Nothing that can remotely be relied upon to be correct.

So it is not our world that invalidates what they say. It is theirs!

Well, maybe there is "universal truth" after all: https://www.stereophile.com/content/borderpatrol-digital-analogue-converter-se-measurements

And you get ALL THAT for very reasonable $1,800. Please, no more Yggdrarsil bashing.

 

[Wombat]

Well, maybe there is "universal truth" after all: https://www.stereophile.com/content/borderpatrol-digital-analogue-converter-se-measurements

And you get ALL THAT for very reasonable $1,800. Please, no more Yggdrarsil bashing.

Quoting Stereophile, tsk, tsk - Kal excepted of course.

 

[gvl]

Quoting Stereophile, tsk, tsk - Kal excepted of course.

Manufacturer's Comment
...
Despite inferior measurements, there is a good argument to be made that R-2R NOS DACs are more accurate than delta-sigma DACs, which use upsampling and massive error correction to achieve good measured performance.

Undeniable logic.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

He loves dropping his DACs.

That’s funny but no one outside of Australia will know why

 

[SiW]

That’s funny but no one outside of Australia will know why

Thought it was NADs?

 

[ShiZo]

Why isn't RME adi 2 dac/ pro fs on this list?