[sanjaygolf]

I currently have a Mapletree Line 2A SE preamp and I love it. But i'm thinking of ditching my CDP in favor of going digital which means I would also have to get a DAC. Will I be disappointed at all from jumping over to the TADAC as a DAC/preamp?

[brashgordon]

Good question ... I want to go in the opposite direction ... because I'm old and don't want to have to much more than drop a stylus on some scratchy old vinyl. I'm willing to give up a TADAC with the original tubes.
I used some very nice NOS tubes, most recently RCA 6189's that have
less that 100 hours....
I won't part with them ... but you can choose what you like

 if you want to try out a very nice DAC ...
 that has "spirit" and a lot of flexibility ... consider this one

The "tuby-ness" function ... has to be heard to be believed ...

but you need time to play with it if you intend to "roll" ...

[ken]

If you don't want to give up the Mapletree you can always purchase Paul's new Tdac.  I've never heard the previous Tadac but the the Tdac is truly a great sounding dac,  I still can't get over how something so small can sound so good.  It is just a dac though with no pre-section.

[raindance]

I currently have a Mapletree Line 2A SE preamp and I love it. But i'm thinking of ditching my CDP in favor of going digital which means I would also have to get a DAC. Will I be disappointed at all from jumping over to the TADAC as a DAC/preamp?

Why do you want a tube DAC? Just get a decent SS DAC and keep your preamp. You'll save money too.

[Bigfish]

I currently have a Mapletree Line 2A SE preamp and I love it. But i'm thinking of ditching my CDP in favor of going digital which means I would also have to get a DAC. Will I be disappointed at all from jumping over to the TADAC as a DAC/preamp?

I own a Mapletree Line 2A SE with 6SN7 Tung Sol Round Plates and I have a Tranquility DAC connected to it.  My suggestion is do not part with the Mapletree until you find a stand alone DAC that satisfies your music requirements. 

Good Luck,

Ken

[rklein]

Why do you want a tube DAC? Just get a decent SS DAC and keep your preamp. You'll save money too.

I own a Mapletree Line 2A SE with 6SN7 Tung Sol Round Plates and I have a Tranquility DAC connected to it.  My suggestion is do not part with the Mapletree until you find a stand alone DAC that satisfies your music requirements.

+1

Randy

[sanjaygolf]

Any suggestions for a moderately priced DAC? Any $500 tube DACs with volume control compare to the Mapletree?

[raindance]

Any suggestions for a moderately priced DAC? Any $500 tube DACs with volume control compare to the Mapletree?

I doubt you'll get a decent DAC with tube output stage that competes with your preamp for any price, but definitely not for $500. Most of them are simply standard DAC's with a cathode follower at the output of an op-amp. This ads mushiness to the sound which, if a decent op-amp is used, is pretty good without the tube. Also, tube DAC's I have tried give up a lot of resolution in favor of old fashioned "tubey" gooey sound. By the way "tubiness" is usually obtained by running a small signal tube at an incorrect operating point where it is starved for bias current and in its non-linear region. This is what Conrad Johnson does with the PV11 linestage.

I recently compared a Paradisea+ DAC tube DAC (which has a cult following) with a Keces DA131.1 solid state DAC. The Keces won by a wide margin on resolution AND smoothness. These are Taiwanese products and are far better than most Chinese low cost DAC's out there.

Or you could just invest a good multi format player that has SS and tube outputs and decide which you like better.

[ajzepp]

Sanjay: I had the exact set-up you are considering and absolutely loved it 

I ended up having some medical problems and had to part with both units (both found good homes,thankfully), but I've since ended up replacing both. I saw that Dr P's queue was pretty healthy, so I took a chance with what had been my second choice before, an SAS 10A preamp. AFter that, I went right back to Paul and now have his new tdac in the mix, too. I loved the TADAC, but prefer this version since I didn't have much need for the preamp section. So, needless to say, I'm very happy again and I HIGHLY recommend the tdac and keeping the Mapletree. Unless you have a tube amp that is overly lush, I think you'll find a very nice synergy between the mapletree and the tdac (or the TADAC).

Good luck!