austinpop Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 @MJ-10 Hi OP, Thanks for your review, and for sharing your journey into the abyss - one to which we can all relate! I agree with @beerandmusic above. DACs have gotten so good, even large outlays of $$ buys very modest incremental gains. My own experience reflects that. I upgraded from a Benchmark DAC1 HDR to an Ayre Codex about a year and a half ago. That was a major improvement, for sure. Since then, I have had the opportunity to audition/review several DACs, some considerably more expensive. One thing I was on the lookout for was that "must have it" feeling - the lustful urge that says - price be damned, sell the Codex, and buy this NOW. Honestly, that never happened! Now maybe I am more frugal and have better self-control than others. I doubt it! The DACs that have come through my system are: The Yggy Chord DAVE Ayre QX-5 Twenty Chord Hugo 2 Yes, the DAVE and the QX-5 sounded considerably better. The QX-5 was the most seductive to me, and came closest to making me take the plunge. But was it 4.5x better than the Codex? Of course not. That roughly $2k price point is a real sweet spot for DACs right now, after which a serious case of diminishing returns sets in. My Audio Setup Link to comment
Popular Post austinpop Posted November 3, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2017 22 minutes ago, MJ-10 said: I know this is not the proper thread for this question and I don't want this to get too tangential, but what are your thoughts about the affects of interconnects/speaker cables and their diminishing points of return? I have my thoughts on the subject, as I have been letting the full bloom of AU24 SX's settle into my system for the past few hours. Anybody???? NOOO! Shhhh... Although - it's already too late. Your mention of expensive cables making a difference - quelle choque! - has already triggered the alarm at the Ministry of Magic, and trolls have been dispatched There's no time to lose. Make sure you have your "Ignore User" feature memorized. Lock and load! Here they come. Seriously speaking - this is a very personal and contentious area. I do find cables to make a difference, but a smaller one than the components themselves. So I just try to set a spending threshold of 10-20% of the component value on cables and try to live within that. I know others disagree. UELong and jventer 2 My Audio Setup Link to comment
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