Topic: Great 24/96 DACs?

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Most DAC reviews don't focus much on 24/96.  What do folks like for 24/96 DACs?

I plan on feeding the DAC via computer.  Though I'm not sure how yet.  Maybe an M-Audio transit via USB. I have some concerns about jitter, though I don't know if it will be a problem.

Price-performance is a concern.. I probably don't want to spend crazy money.

Thanks!

[fozzy]

I am a big fan of my Lucid DA9624, After xmas I am going to pick up a Benchmark DAC1.  Cant decide which one to bring to the office and which one for home.  At home i feed the Lucid w/ a PCI audiophile2496.  For the office I think i am going to pick up a transit or some other USB based device.  I'd probably go w/ a Grace 902 if the USB could pass 24/96 but that is only available via AES or COAX. 

3-500 puts you in the market for a Lucid or a Boulder modified ART.  DAC1s are going from 650-800.  Grace 901/902 a little bit more.  myteks even a little more than the grace units.

There are some other options out there so ya'll please chime in.

[EScott]

I own the Musical Fidelity A324.  They go for around $650 new, but retailed for around a grand when they were introduced a few years ago.  I think they can be had for around $500 on the used market.  They upsample to 24/96 or 24/192 and sound great with the DVD-A stuff I have played.

[jpschust]

bel canto dac 1.1

[carlbeck]

I love my Benchmark DAC-1, also doubles as a passive pre-amp.

[macdaddy]

bolder mensa dio

[BC]

Benchmark DAC1
Grace 901
Musical Fidelity X-DAC

These are right around the 1K range, and all had superb measured performance in stereophile.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Thanks for the suggestions!  I'm digging into these.

For those of you who have upgraded from one DAC to another, how much of a difference did it make?

Obviously, a lot of DACs are used primarily with 16 bit material and the focus on 24 bit changes things quite a bit.

[Tim]

bel canto dac 1.1

[Nick's Picks]

In My experience...

the Boulder MOD dios are a great buy.  Especialy if you can find the "mensa" version. 
the DAC-1 is fantastic...but my "smart" DIO also favored quite well (at 1/2 the price) comparred against it.  some material we listened to could not even yeild a difference in sound at all.

the Bel Canto is supposed to rock.

surf AudioGON and see what you find!!!

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Thanks, Nick.   Hearing about differences really helps.

I just missed out on some nice VR-1's yesterday.. I was going to give them a try as replacements for my old Linn SARAs. I'd like to give the VR4jrs a listen. I did snag a DNA-125 to play with.  It should be interesting to compare against my current LK280/spark and a borrowed LK140.

I'm still not sure what I'll do speaker-wise in the new room or whether I'll go tubes.  I've been playing with my old Martin Logan CLS and in some cases the imaging is just brutal. I'm hearing very prescise placement of small stage lip speakers.  Accurate, but almost too detailed.  I still haven't had time to get my wall treatments done.  I have a nice break in shows now, so I should have time for the playback..

[Tim]

fwiw - I much prefered the Bel Canto 2.0 (24/192) to the BC 1.1

you can get the 2.0 for $800 on audiogon, maybe less by now

[RebelRebel]

I heard the mytek stereo 96 DAC the same day I bought my mytek adc.it sounds great.also heard the apogee and benchmark, didnt care for them as much.

[BobW]

Spent the better part of the evening listening to a borrowed Benchmark DAC-1, replete with Mercenary Audio "this is not a problem" sticker.

I don't know if it's the sticker or the D/A but damned if I don't hear lots of stuff in my CDs that I had never heard before.
The DVD-As sound fuller and warmer as well.
Placement and soundstaging is astounding.   read that " A-Fuggin'-Stounding "  (and don't say I taught you that Jr.      )

The only downside is that I just found out that I'm not getting Dig-Out from my Juli@ coax     
And I have to give the DAC back in a little while.   

I guess the upgrade bug is coming over me again.......

[Nick's Picks]

its a great box.  benchmark nailed it w/that one.  Its high time for the "next gen" from then though.  complete w/a remote and firewire/USB input.

fwiw...a group of us here doing some listening at my house decided that the Grace 901 sounded better than the benchmark. 
well, let me correctly say that it sounded very different, and we all preffered that to the benchmark.