Dac-50

[C4STR0]

Originally Posted by C4STR0

First impressions. Very detailed, high resolution. Deep and fast low end. Dynamic. Midrange seems too forward for my taste, especially since i'm using Klipsch. There seems to be a path you have to take where you have to make compromises in certain areas - the r2r NOS gave me that relaxed midrange and not so much rolled off top end, but pleasant for horns, yet on the downside, it had slow/muddy low end.

So this dac has more benefits while losing that relaxed non fatiguing midrange of the NOS r2r dacs ive tried. I am upsampling to dsd256. I have -6 headroom in Roon and i'm still playing around with the upsampling settings, but nothing really tames that forward midrange. My right ear is ringing after a listening session and i find i have to turn it down. Its very enjoyable at lower volumes because that detail resolution and deep low end remains. With the NOS r2r dac, i couldn't stop listening to albums from start to finish. No fatigue whatsoever and just a pleasant and emotionally engaging feeling that i'm lacking right now.
There was this sort of glow and bloom that i got with this preamp using the dac-10 and the r2r and other dacs, and every time i'd hear it, it would make me smile because it was very tube like and i would reach out and touch the preamp and how cool to the touch it was and smile again knowing i didn't have to bother with tube heat or rolling anymore.
With this new dac-50, the tube like bloom is lost for hyper detail.

I am using stock cables. Will try better cables as i continue to give it time. The seller said it was used and it was burned in, but no actual info on how long he had it in use, etc. I'll ask for more detail. Maybe there's still time for it to break in?

I changed out the MC202 amp with a new to me Accuphase P-360 and i'm loving everything. I suppose brands do have a synergy. The DAC-50 is sounding very nice so i'm now trying to sell it before i buy the DAC-60. Tough sell considering anyone can just buy the new one, so i'll probably end up taking a big loss from what i paid just a few months ago when i had no idea the DAC-60 was coming. In total, the loss i took on the Ares II and the loss i'll likely take on the DAC-50 would have bought me a good DAC on it's own. Oh well, such is life. I was considering trying the Ares II again to see how i'd like the low end with the P-360, but at this point i may as well wait and see if Ares III is released. With the DAC-60 i do worry that ESS are brighter, more hyper detailed while AKM chips were supposed to be warmer which wasn't my initial discovery.