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Please for DAC recommendation

Rushboy

Rushboy

pfm Member
I would like to ask for recommendations for an inexpensive DAC. I would like to audibly improve the sound quality of my Exposure 2010 CD player.

Greetings
 
I’ve tried six or seven DACS in the last two years, I’ve settled on a REGA DAC-R... can be had for around £400, the previous iteration goes for a bit less.
 
There are so many to pick from in the budget end of the Dac department. I have a feeling that the Rega would be a good bet but I enjoyed the MF M1 Dac. CA Dac 100 is a very good Dac at its price and I’m sure the Toppings and SMSLs will be very competent.
 
What does "inexpensive" mean?

I like the Teac DACs. And have a great-sounding Topping which was a fraction of the price (though I'd still call the Teac "inexpensive").

Tim
 
You MIGHT be able to pick up a used TEAC NT-505 for that, they are pretty damn nice, or the Marantz HD-DAC is also worth a consideration if you like a more natural sound.
 
I'd also recommend the Rega DAC. Or there is a Saturn-R in the classifieds right now for a very good price. That is a Rega DAC in bigger box with a transport and a few other tweaks so you get a one-box CD player with a full function DAC thrown in so you can run all of your other digital kit through it.

I've put my Rega Saturn-R and DAC up against a few supposedly better machines and it's still here. It's the most analogue sounding CD player I've heard but it is still rhythmic and infectious. All those badly produced CDs you have that you never listen to because they sound crap? The Saturn-R will play every one of them.

It doesn't sound as 'big' as a big Naim CD player but in terms of music enjoyment it's fantastic. I'd quite like to try an Isis one day but the problem is that the Saturn-R is so good I have no reason to.
 
I used Exposure 2010 & 2010s2 CDPs with a 2010 DAC & Soncoz SGD1, both were very good with the CDP.
The Exposure DAC is very musical and the Soncoz is more revealing, both are enjoyable.
Exposure DAC is normally available second hand around £300-400, beware of the model as there are two, 2010 & 2010s2. Vanilla 2010 is 24/96 & the 2010s2 is 24/192, I had the luxury of trying the Exposure and Soncoz at home and the Soncoz was my pick. Easier to use, dug deeper and retrieved more from the recordings.

I had them both for a week or two the Exposure are put together better than the Soncoz, thicker casework and Aluminium front panel with a small display, no display on the Soncoz just lights illuminating which source you have chosen and the casework is noticeably thinner but well made none the less.
 
eevo1969 said:
I used Exposure 2010 & 2010s2 CDPs with a 2010 DAC & Soncoz SGD1, both were very good with the CDP.
The Exposure DAC is very musical and the Soncoz is more revealing, both are enjoyable.
Exposure DAC is normally available second hand around £300-400, beware of the model as there are two, 2010 & 2010s2. Vanilla 2010 is 24/96 & the 2010s2 is 24/192, I had the luxury of trying the Exposure and Soncoz at home and the Soncoz was my pick. Easier to use, dug deeper and retrieved more from the recordings.

I had them both for a week or two the Exposure are put together better than the Soncoz, thicker casework and Aluminium front panel with a small display, no display on the Soncoz just lights illuminating which source you have chosen and the casework is noticeably thinner but well made none the less.
Click to expand...

hello,
with DAC audibly better than 2010 CD alone?
 
Worth reading the review linked to in the Saturn ad. There’s a comment at the bottom where the blokes daughter starts to pay attention to lyrics of her favourite song for the first time when played via the Saturn.

That is exactly my experience of the Rega DAC-R. Suddenly I find, even with familiar tracks, that I am paying attention to and thinking about the musical elements without even trying. And it does this without sacrificing the flow of the music. It’s not just about previously unheard details, as the reviewing cliche goes, it’s that it’s allowing musical meaning to be communicated and provoking interest.

I’d say that’s pretty priceless.
 
eastone said:
That is exactly my experience of the Rega DAC-R. Suddenly I find, even with familiar tracks, that I am paying attention to and thinking about the musical elements without even trying. And it does this without sacrificing the flow of the music.
Click to expand...

Yes, and it's not just musical for a digital product, it is musical, period. It's better in this regard than my RP10 and that either a great compliment on indictment, depending on how you look at it.

The Rega DAC is far from perfect technically but it's impossible to focus on the shortcomings for long as the music draws your attention away.
 
I'd go for the original Rega DAC the later one is only better via USB - not much difference otherwise
 
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