D/A Converter with Ayon Spark tube amp

[jevfree]

Let me start with a statement:
I'm an analogue guy.

Although i will never surrender to digital, i must be practical about it and embrace it's merits.
Therefor i find myself looking for a good - analogue quality - D/A Converter that matches my tube amp and backloaded horns to set my first small steps in digital.
I currently own an Ayon Spark integrated tube amp with 6C33 tubes and Fullrange Backloaded horns.
I read a lot of reviews on different DAC's online, but i couldn't find anything about the matching qualities of a DAC with a tube amp.
I am really allergic to harsh, bright sounding systems that spit out nothing but sibilance.

Which DAC do you recommend? As these are my first babysteps into digital i can't see myself shelling out more than $500 on a (pre-owned) DAC.

Very much appreciated.

 

[brendandoher]

lord, that dac that is built in to the sonos player is great, and as a benefit, you get to run it from your phone.

 

[House de Kris]

Let me start with a statement:
I'm an analogue guy.

Although i will never surrender to digital, i must be practical about it and embrace it's merits.

Keep in mind that buying ANY DAC to embrace the merits of digital IS IN FACT surrendering to digital. My advice, stay true to your belief system and keep playing vinyls and cassettes. Analog is, after all, what gawd intended.

And brendandoher, I'm sure jevfree doesn't even have a phone, since the phone system in the US has been digital since the 70s.

 

[Trio]

Depending on what you want to do, one option if you are using MP3's is thies one from Parts Express. http://www.parts-express.com/mp3-usb-media-card-player-module-with-remote-control--320-350 I bought 3 of them, 2 are hooked up to tube amps, the third is awaiting use in a future project.

I have one of these hooked to my Sherwood, and the other is hooked up to EL84 amp . 1- it is not very expensive :less than 20 dollars. No moving parts- you load your music on a thumb drive or an SD card. 2- it has a remote that controls volume and has some pre programmed equalization schemes to fit the way your system sounds. I powered mine from an old Motorola phone charger. It is something you will want to mount in an enclosure. My only complaint is that it only plays MP3's. Sourceforge does have some conversion programs though.

There are some Lossless format players, PE has some under 100 bucks; they are made as portables and resemble some smart phones.

I am sure you can find similar items on Amazon, Ebay or Best Buy.

 

[steve...]

I had similar thoughts about digital and analog but, I wanted to rip my vinyl collection to digital to preserve it and store all of my CDs on a hard drive.

I used an emu 0404 usb 2 for ripping to 24bit 192khz lossless flac files. And a gigaworks 24bit 192khz usb dac for playback (I have since bought 3 more).

I use a Bez 6SN7 based pre and a custom made 6SN7/12SN7 pre with built in crossovers (all tube) so I can biamp my speakers (ESS AMT1B and custom speakers with AMTs). For power amps I have Ming-DA 300B-845 Class A PPs, Golden Tube Audio SE-40s and restored/upgraded Magnavox console amps. And

I was surprised by the results. The AMTs can bring out the best and the worst in recordings. The difference between vinyl playback and DAC playback at 24bit/192khz was only noticeable in an AB comparison and then very minor. 16bit/44khz ripping not so good. Today, I do most of my listening thru the DAC or my Jolida JD100 tube output CD player.

Currently I am planning to upgrade my system to this DAC http://soekris.com/products/audio-products/dam1021.html

Steve

 

[wa2ise]

Some of the yuckyness with digital audio is caused by poorly selected op-amps downstream of the actual DAC chip. I've modified CD players to remove the op-amps and use tubes instead.
http://pw2.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/tubedac.htm
This guy in Poland has done a lot more of this
http://www.lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/Lampizator.html

 

[mketabchi]

Hi everyone!
I have a question about tube rolling on my Ayon spark amp. My amp is a single ended class a which has two power tubes 6c33, two 6h30 as drivers and two 12au7 as inputs.
I replaced pair of 6h30 with a pair of 6n1p. After this change, my amp's sound improved in terms of gain and details.
What is happening? could be this harmful to my amp?
Thanks

 

[savatage1973]

I have a question about tube rolling on my Ayon spark amp.

Not to dismiss your question, but I think you'd be better off starting a new thread. This one is over 3 years old, and the title specifically asks about D/A converters for use with your amp. You'll likely get more relevant responses if you just inquire about "Tube Rolling in an Ayon Spark Amp".