200-300 dollar DAC recommendation?

[Daryan]

Any suggestions for a powerful integrated with tubes?  Budget would be around 1500 or so on the 'gon.  Otherwise, how about a tube pre with punch around 750 or so to mate with a 500wpc hypex based amp?

Alos Nick, I will send the panny for review in a couple weeks when I head home for a weekend or something.

[Nick's Picks]

use it just as a preamp/DAC combo and you wont find anything we are discussing in this thread that will touch it.

that is a pretty bold statement, and one i dont know if i can agree with, seeing as how we have discussed a number of dac options in this thread, and not all of them in the $300 range...

that sony unit is good for the $$, but it certainly doesnt flat-out outclass the modded units we have been discussing...

well, i stand by it.
iv'e done head to heads with the SMART dio, benchmark, GRACE 901 and a ton of built in DACs in various recievers.
the Sony...as a DAC / preamp combo (because you really cant utilize just the DAC) holds its own.  especialy when you are talking about a $400 2000es. 

your ears may varry.  I am just speaking from my own experience and personal prefference.

[macdaddy]

use it just as a preamp/DAC combo and you wont find anything we are discussing in this thread that will touch it.

that is a pretty bold statement, and one i dont know if i can agree with, seeing as how we have discussed a number of dac options in this thread, and not all of them in the $300 range...

that sony unit is good for the $$, but it certainly doesnt flat-out outclass the modded units we have been discussing...

well, i stand by it.
iv'e done head to heads with the SMART dio, benchmark, GRACE 901 and a ton of built in DACs in various recievers.
the Sony...as a DAC / preamp combo (because you really cant utilize just the DAC) holds its own.  especialy when you are talking about a $400 2000es. 

your ears may varry.  I am just speaking from my own experience and personal prefference.

i remember that.

did you ever get a chance to listen to the mensa..? i am very curious as to how that fits into the mix. i also am curious how the reclock/upsample boxes from monarchy perform (relative to the other products you mentioned - and listened to), but you are a little far (maine, right..?) for me to bring my toys and come over and play (or vice versa)...

how many digital inputs does the sony pre you are talking about have..?

[Nick's Picks]

its a full blown reciever, not just a pre.
at least 3 digi in that I can think of.

never heard the mensa upgrade.  but was very impressed w/the smart upgrade. 

DIP box's. very cool!
but not as cool as a benchmark.

[macdaddy]

its a full blown reciever, not just a pre.
at least 3 digi in that I can think of.

never heard the mensa upgrade.  but was very impressed w/the smart upgrade. 

DIP box's. very cool!
but not as cool as a benchmark.

no, but if you follow your ears, and not the techie specs....

and in theory, the re-clock/de-jitter device should be in the chain, it is the upsampledr box that doesnt belong...

i am biased, but digi source > 24/96 > upsampler > mensa > tube amp sounds mighty nice. i would love to compare with a bel canto2 and/or the 901 and now 902...

[Daryan]

Why would you want to upsample an alreay 24 bit 96khz signal?  I assume upsampling to 192, but would it make that much of a differnce where you could hear it?

[Nick's Picks]

tech notes vs. ears indeed.

I put my SMART dio up against Carls Benchmark.  We both thought the benchmark edged it out.  but the DIO really did perform well, considering the costs involved w/both units.
Of course, the Benchmark is light years ahead in terms of versitility.  And it sounded better on some recordings.  On others we could not tell the two units apart.