[aricml]

Saw this announcement about a new R2R DAC collaboration between Holo and Topping. If this sounds as good as it looks, it could be tough to be at in the $1k neighborhood!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/topping-centaurus-a-new-benchmark-in-r2r-dacs.975127/

[wushuliu]

It appears to use the same mainboard as the Cyan 2. You're trading off the more robust power supply of the Cyan 2 for Topping's measurements-first/digital features approach. Curious how it'll play out. That said Topping's latest products have been really top notch IMO. They are finally focusing on what sounds good and not just what measures good. The stiffest competition this DAC will have is Topping's own D90 III Discrete which is outstanding and just as good as the Cyan.

[viggen]

... The stiffest competition this DAC will have is Topping's own D90 III Discrete which is outstanding and just as good as the Cyan.

Didn't you just sell both?  What you keep that's better?

[wushuliu]

Didn't you just sell both?  What you keep that's better?

I have a Parasound D/AC 1100 (PCM63) I got for $350 last year. It was already great stock but I recently did the ASE AudioTuning upgrade and I preferred it to the Topping and Cyan. Not bad for just $600 all in. I do have that tube dac mentioned in the Peanuts thread on the way though. As we've discussed, those vintage R2Rs are hard to beat.

[viggen]

The upgrade changed the sound?  I thought it just supported higher res.  I had a parasound cd player that sounded great especially with HDCD.  CDP2000 i think it was.  Let us know how the ad1865 tube dac compare against the parasound after you get it.

[Jon L]

I have a Parasound D/AC 1100 (PCM63) I got for $350 last year. It was already great stock but I recently did the ASE AudioTuning upgrade and I preferred it to the Topping and Cyan. Not bad for just $600 all in. I do have that tube dac mentioned in the Peanuts thread on the way though. As we've discussed, those vintage R2Rs are hard to beat.

Have you ever tried the old Theta Gen Va DAC's, which use four PCM63 DAC chips?  Always liked that DAC and wondered if a bit of modding would benefit it even more..