[BobC]

I really like my Cambridge Audio DACMagic.  I think it was $450.

[Ericus Rex]

A second for the TEC TC-7510 which is the exact model that Beresford sold for around $250.  Still available at MCM for $121, up from the $109 I bought it for.  Untouchable at that price, although for a bit more there are several suggestions here that may be better.
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/50-7774&CAWELAID=220554383

I asked a Beresford dealer about this and he said that the Beresford uses higher quality parts than the MCM version.  I don't know if this is actually true.

[goldlizsts]

I asked a Beresford dealer about this and he said that the Beresford uses higher quality parts than the MCM version.  I don't know if this is actually true.

At least the 7520 is supposed to be upgraded (rvised/redesigned!?), subject to one's interpretation.  It looks about the same as the MCM, however.  7520 has USB, MCM doesn't.......

[pardales]

This comment is a twist from the original intent I guess.  First, Beresford's 7520 is supposed to be different, better than, the MCM DAC.  That being said, since I bought an Eastern Electric DAC several months ago (slightly more than $500), I have not used my Beresford 7520 at all.  I bought the 7520 I think about year.  I then upgraded the 5532 opamp, replacing it with the THS4032, at the recommendation of the distributor.  It really made it much smoother.  If anyone is considering buying one, I'd be happy to sell it at $140 shipped.  The Beresford is in excellent condition.  When I had it, it saw light duty.  Would say 9/10.

I had the Beresford 7520 for a while and was impressed. I liked it better with the upgraded opamps. I did not like the Caiman version of this DAC though. Great sound for the money.

[HT cOz]

My recs will be no surprise.

<$500
Audio-gd NFB 2 & 3 (24/96 USB, 24/192 Coax/Optical)

http://audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/NFB-2/NFB2EN.htm

<$300
Audio-gd NFB 12 (Dac + HP Amp/Preamp)

http://audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB12/NFB12EN.htm

<$100
Muse TDA1543 (coax and optical)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Audio-DIR9001-4X-TDA1543-parallel-connection-NOS-DAC-S-/270725592140?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0880b44c

I have a hard time seeing how others can compete.  These are really excellent products!

[morganc]

Are any of these USB compatible ( and optimized for USB?). Does anyone know?  I know the EE DAC has USB but I have heard that USB is not its strong suit.  Any others?   

[JohnR]

You could just follow the links...

[eclein]

Hey John did you get your audio-gd item yet??

[Letitroll98]

I asked a Beresford dealer about this and he said that the Beresford uses higher quality parts than the MCM version.  I don't know if this is actually true.

Yeah, you betcha, that's the ticket.  I have a really nice bridge for sale in Brooklyn.  The 7520 is a different product from the 7510 for sure, different chip I believe as well as the USB, and it appears he has secured exclusive distribution on the newer model as there are no exact clones on the web.  But the 7510 models are exactly the same, I've seen the inards. 

[JohnR]

Hey John did you get your audio-gd item yet??

No but we're just at the end of a 5-day weekend here... I'm not worried, I'm sure it will arrive soon enough.

[eclein]

I'm going to do a NFB-12 I think, I'll order it and forget about it then it will suddenly show up-"bam"...that'll be a fun day!!  LOL...

[howburger]

No personal experience with any of them. Just thought if you hadn't seen this thread, it might be helpful. Delete if linking to another forum is a no-no.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/325941/all-the-dacs-money-can-buy-pt-2

Harold

[Levi]

One of the discrete OPA I ordered from them had a problem.  I was glad I was able to troubleshoot it otherwise I had to ship it back to Audio-GD. Erwin does not speak good English so hopefully you guys buy Audio-GD stuff from a distributor in US. There is no doubt they have good customer service, however there seem to be a language barrier and shipping takes a longtime specially when customs are involved. Just my experience.

I'm going to do a NFB-12 I think, I'll order it and forget about it then it will suddenly show up-"bam"...that'll be a fun day!!  LOL...

[eclein]

Levi-I just spoke to a fellow at Pacific Valve who can get it for me so I'll go through them, makes sense even if its a bump in price. I'm Ok with that.

[MttBsh]

No personal experience with any of them. Just thought if you hadn't seen this thread, it might be helpful. Delete if linking to another forum is a no-no.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/325941/all-the-dacs-money-can-buy-pt-2

Harold

This is a very comprehensive lists that shows the amazing amount of competition over a huge price range. Unfortunately the list is 3 years old and the DAC world has completely redefined itself since then.

BTW, here's some real praise for the Audio-gd i found in an on-line review - comparing it to the EE and Wyred 4 Sound DAC 2:

This Audio-gd can't quite match the Eastern Electric Minimax (AU$800) for dynamics or detail (what can at less than a grand?).  The Eastern Electric DAC possesses a most ostentatious and gregarious personality that requires some careful system matching.. The Audio-gd would suit those looking to keep their system's brightness in check, or those who are already more than satisfied with their system's dynamic prowess.  I experienced best results with the Audio-gd sat behind the exceptionally expressive pairing of a Red Wine Audio integrated amplifier and Omega Super 6 XRS.  The Minimax over-egged the dynamics of that pudding, instead favouring a JLTi EL34 amplifier pushing a Wharefdale Diamond 9.1.


It isn't all one-way traffic in the Minimax's favour. Eastern Electric's ESS Sabre implementation might reach higher and lower than the Audio-gd's twin-Wolfson effort, but the Audio-gd is positively smoother, more mature, more gentlemanly. AND it won't murder your ears with poor source material, such as The Soft Boys' buzzsaw-psychedelia of Underwater Moonlight which can decapitate listeners in clinical systems.


I should qualify the above with some important context: the Eastern Electric Minimax is a freak of nature!  It offers comparable performance to the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 at half the price.  Impressive bang for buck...which the Audio-gd NFB-2 more than matches when we scale our expectations back to the ~AU$500 DAC market.  To my ears, the Audio-gd is nearly as accomplished as the Eastern Electric - for different reasons - which in turn is almost the match of the AU$1900 Wyred4Sound DAC-2.  It's a bit of a mind bender that means your next DAC purchase need not be a wallet bender.

[srb]

..... the Eastern Electric Minimax is a freak of nature!  It offers comparable performance to the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 at half the price.

It should really say "at 3/4 the price", as the $750 EE Minimax should be rightfully compared to the W4S DAC-1 at $1000.  The $1500 DAC-2 has remote control, 24/192 Asynchronous USB and HT bypass, which the Minimax and DAC-1 do not have.
 
Steve

[Sonny]

Just pulled the trigger on this unit: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270725567462&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
will report back when received and reviewed! 
T

[soundbitten1]

Picked up a used Valab NOS dac for $135 on ebay 2 months ago to use with my Arcam Alpha changer. The dac smoothed the sound out and I can hear deeper into the recordings. Bass and dynamics improved too.

[eclein]

I was looking at them too, I'm so confused.....LOL.....I think when I'm able I'll order up an audio-gd NFB-12 as it does what I'd like to have in a DAC and folks seem to like them because you rarely see them up for sale. Thats a good sign in my world of logic...twisted as it may be...LOL..

[JLM]

Are any of these USB compatible ( and optimized for USB?). Does anyone know?  I know the EE DAC has USB but I have heard that USB is not its strong suit.  Any others?

The Hegel (and dB Audio Tranquility) are both USB only DACs.  And yes, the USB input is the EE DAC's weakest input.