External DAC dilemma

I have had my Cambridge Audio DACMagic for about a month now. I think it is the best sounding digital source I have had in my system. I am using it to play CD's, DVD-A's and music from the internet and my hard drive through my Squeezebox Duet.
 
FWIW, I use an extremely modified (by Kevin Kennedy) Zhaolu DAC and I think it's pretty nice. Best of all, it was inexpensive for the level of performance it gives. Out of the box, the Zhaolu (don't ask me what model it is, I have no idea) is nothing special, even though they were wicked cheap).
 
I have a Bresford DAC also. It is pretty good for the money. You should check that one out as well.
Considering the budget, that's not a bad suggestion at all. I got one when the UK £ was half that of the U$. Now the £ is about 20% less, the Beresford works out even cheaper than just a few months ago. I recently fitted something he calls MOD21, which is making big waves on some sites by the way, and it's like I bought a more expensive and far better DAC.
 
I just ordered a Monica-3 from DIY Paradise. As a purchaser of Monica-2, I qualified for the opportunity to buy just the board module. It needs a power battery or SMPS — optimally 18 VDC. Power supply is available as an option. The unit consists of a receiver, a Phillips 1545A DAC chip and an output stage. Parts quality is truly outstanding. There reviews here:

http://sites.thestar.com.my/audio/story.asp?file=/2008/2/11/audiofile/11monica

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/monica3_e.html

This is not a tweaked Monica-2, but rather a whole new design. The principle of this NOS design was too intriguing to resist.
 
I ordered the ZERO Dac a little bit ago. I believe it's waiting for me at the address I had it sent to. I'll let you know what I think when I get it. I also ordered new BurrBrown chips for it. We'll see if they make a difference.
 
Hi jihnnm. I'm building an isolated transformer power supply for my Monica-3. I'll be watching for your impressions of the Zero.
 
I still enjoy my Entech Number Cruncher.

Usually sell for under $100.

I just updated my entech 205.2 ( have two of them and friends ) to a LM4562 opamp outputs...as recommended by someone on this site.

Best 5$ spent in years.... As matter of fact, that chip was worth many times more.....

I am debating another DAC, but after reading some comments hear that the DAC chip is less the issue and its the more the surrounding electronics that matter.... I thinking twice.

But I was on Cirrus Logic's web site reading up on there DAC chips.... Some have better specs.... not that specs mean everything.

On the flip side the LM4562 does have better specs than the stock opamp in the Entech and that improvement is exactly what you hear.... So, I guess I will read on and try to become an educated audio consumer on DACs......


jk
 
I am debating another DAC, but after reading some comments hear that the DAC chip is less the issue and its the more the surrounding electronics that matter.... I thinking twice.
Maybe we are reading the same things. The jitter factor and how much of it arrives at the DAC in the data stream seem to be the central issue in my understanding. The Philips TD1545A is not the newest chip around by any means, but it is still a favored component. For example, the designer of the Monica-3 from DIY Paradise has retained the 1545 that was in used in Monica-2, but the jitter has been reduced significantly by employing a different receiver that has better jitter specs. So far, reviews have indicated markedly better overall performance.
 
Back
Top Bottom