Quote:
Originally Posted by meltemi
Please let us know.
I'm convinced the DAC-50 will do an excellent job. The overall result however will also be influenced by the other devices in your system (preamp, power amp, speakers, cables, room).
Accuphase did r2r in their DC-81 / DC-81L / DP-70 / DP-70V and then went for parallel multiple DACs based on chips.
The problem with r2r is, that you have to meticulously handselect all resistors in order to acheive good linearity. Just using low tolerance resistors without handselecting is not sufficient.
Temperature differences and ageing may further degrade the quality of the DAC.
That's why dCS chose another approach than r2r from the beginning (dCS Ring DAC, see attachement).
Upsampling allows to use less steep anti-aliasing filters and improves impulse response.
Martin
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I think most modern r2r dac have "hand selected resistors" as part of the selling point. I don't know anything about the aging process and why a ds dac chip dac would or wouldn't age as well.
I just know with my horned speakers, NOS Audio Note 0.1x and a higher Audio Note moded model(i forget what model) and this NOS r2r dac have sounded the best. r2r having a very analogue and pleasant sound that made me listen to more albums start to finish than i had in a long time.
As far as the DAC-50 depending on my set up, i'm certainly playing with entry level stuff as newer models in the US are priced way too far out of my budget and so is their best vintage. I never listened to an Accuphase pre amp. There was barely anything to research about the CX-260. Saw photos of the inside and was blown away by the modular design and the aesthetic design overall. I wanted surround sound as an option without compromising 2ch(plus option to use HT passthru/bypass/ext pre in if i upgrade 2ch preamp) and i like remote control and am tired of digital getting out dated quickly or having parts fail-also quickly, so the CX-260 all analog 5ch pre made sense over similar priced stereo pres mostly of the 80s era like the C270. The CX-260 along with the AD-10 and DAC-10 boards was selling for less than others were going for without the option boards and the unit looks immaculate so i was sold on it.
The CX-260 was the first to use MCS technology by Accuphase. I don't know what that's worth, and maybe it's not taken seriously around here, but the CX-260 beats any McIntosh preamp i've had or listened to. It's also got some tube like glow and a sweet midrange like a VTL and Pathos i've recently demoed in home before buying the CX260-all from a cool to the touch solid state pre. I can only imagine the quality jump with other Accuphase preamps i've never heard. I want to upgrade my McIntosh MC202 to either a more robust McIntosh amp or a reliable vintage Accuphase amp, but i doubt their Class A in my budget would be enough power to satisfy my low end needs. Vintage Accuphase amp recommendations?
Back on point- no idea if the DAC-50 would perform better on a better Accuphase preamp. I only just recently discovered the difference cables can make by having several Shunyata pc's and a few Duelund DIY cables and a siltech xlr and a crystal cable rca, but i'm okay with the stock cables for now. I was looking into Accuphase SR interconnects, but i just can't invest that much right now. If i get annoying sibilance, i'd borrow those high end cables again to see how the DAC-50 improves, but would i want close to or more $$ than the dac actually costs? Not likely, i'd just sell and try something else at that point. DIY market might be my best bet for budget cables. Suggestions for a good match with Accuphase?
Thanks