Done with digital

The Border Patrol DAC is an option worth exploring. Very different from the sound of typical digital and while a little more than $1k still in the ball park.
 
Audio 1 said:
The Border Patrol DAC is an option worth exploring. Very different from the sound of typical digital and while a little more than $1k still in the ball park.
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Awesome DAC. Redbook only, but beautiful sounding.


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I had a good TEAC cassette deck and loads of tapes I made on high bias cassettes, I got rid of it all decades ago because it didn't even come close to a top level Arcam CDP I had.. I worked at a store that sold HK. I can understand a preference for a good turntable, but cassettes?

I understand some people are sensitive to "digital ringing", I wonder if you have ever heard a DAC with different filters, some are not as linear but eliminate the ringing, some just the post ringing, some just the pre.

Audio Note isn't my thing, I like the DAC's but seem to go well with certain music, however, definitely not digital sounding.
 
Mr Peabody said:
I had a good TEAC cassette deck and loads of tapes I made on high bias cassettes, I got rid of it all decades ago because it didn't even come close to a top level Arcam CDP I had.. I worked at a store that sold HK. I can understand a preference for a good turntable, but cassettes?
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Cassettes are the same as digital for me, for casual listening, but smoother and more natural.

Mr Peabody said:
I understand some people are sensitive to "digital ringing", I wonder if you have ever heard a DAC with different filters, some are not as linear but eliminate the ringing, some just the post ringing, some just the pre.
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The Zanden 5000 completely eliminates it.
 
rbbert said:
Where did you get this (incorrect) information??
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I don't really know much about the Zanden 5000, but it is described as using no oversampling and a custom analog filter intended to minimize or have linear phase. Given the frequency response measurements on Stereophile show fairly early and significant high-frequency roll-off I would hazard a guess they are using a slow roll-off filter that could have very little pre- or post-ringing, like the options in the AK449X series of DAC chips. But this obviously comes at a significant cost in other areas, especially when not accepting sample rates higher than 44.1kHz (which the Zanden 5000 appears to be limited to).
 
Perhaps, although the measured non-linearity argues against that. OTOH, the rolled off HF response and relatively high measured noise may mask some ringing (if it does occur).
 
SoundMann said:
I have owned only a few digital products. I most recently owned a Micromega Stage 3 (broken transport) that sounded acceptable once I bought an expensive interconnect, power cord, line filter and footers for it.

My current highly tweeked sound card sounds acceptable with vinyl-sourced streams.
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I own both digital and analog. I like both for different reasons. I put forth the proposition that you have never really heard good digital in your system. I have had many DACs, the T+A was probably my best. Currently my system is being used less than it used to for a couple of reasons. My wife and I are planning our retirement move out of state, and much of my music time is currently being taken up with practicing my guitars :).

When I listen I usually put a record on but when I am tired and I don't want to fiddle with cleaning my records, etc., I use the built in DAC on my McIntosh pre-amp and it sounds pretty darn good!
 
How about trying the denafrips DACs? They are all on the more organic side. People love them.
 
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