[gobears]

PLEASE EDUCATE A NOOB:


There are just soooo many opinions on these audio forums  regarding great sounding "budget" DACs as to leave my head spinning.

Can any of you summarize a short list of "giant killer" DACs....if they exist?


Or How About This:
Since I have a stock ART di/o, should I upgrade it to a Mensa Art Di/o and maybe mate it to an Onix XCD-88 (would such a combo be better than a standalone Onix CD-1)? .......Or should I Ebay my ART unit for a better sounding DAC (if it exists for under $1000)?...

[1UP]

I've not heard the Mensa DIO but I liked the stock unit; thought it was  very good for the money.

Maybe the Smart upgrades are the way to go.  To me, those look like the most transparent and beneficial / cost-effective mods.

I would struggle to think of much better for under $1,000 (in the UK) but I don't have access to the American used market, so YMMV.

If you like the basic sound of your DIO, I'd go for the Smart upgrade.

[Jay S]

I got a smART, then upgraded it to Mensa.  To me, the extra $$ was a no-brainer as the sound was clearer and more natural.

[lcrim]

OOPS-you already own the DI/O so get it modded and find a good digital cable and transport.  But since you have a grand to spend why not do a comparison.  The sound of NOS DACs are quite different to my ears.  You wouldn't have any problem reselling any of the above mentioned NOS units if you bought one and found you preferred the oversampling sound.

A bit off topic but acoustic room treatments and balanced power made as big if not bigger contribution to the quality of sound in my systems than any DAC.  If it were my thousand, I would look for a used balanced power transformer and contact Eighth Nerve for a basic room treatment.  With some careful shopping you could manage it all for that price.

[MBACINELLO]

For under $1000 you should look at:

Ack Dack 2.0 (I own one and its awesom)
Benchmark Dac1
Scott Nixon Tube Dac
Audio Mirror Dac
Audio Note Dac Kit
Art DI/O

all of these have recieved near unanimous praise

enjoy

[mcgsxr]

I am with Jay here on the ART DIO.  I bought a used smART, and within 6 months spent the additional $$ to grow it to a Mensa.  I also sought out a used Bolder Power Supply for this baby, and as far as I am concerned, my DAC is done.

Not saying it is the best ever, but it works really well with my system, as it changes, so that is all I can ask.

read around, and see what you can borrow/listen to etc, then decide.