There is better at a higher price point, but not quite with the same signature, the cirrus based dacs have fallen off recently compared to ess and akm unfortunately
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Not much talk about the smsl m400 but itās one Iāll probably give a go being similar in its neutrality but Iāll have to hear for myself on this one I think as its pretty new. Iāve read some positive reviews saying value for money is there and mqa is still something I personally look for. It has a lot of bells and whistles though and Iād rather have bare bones with mqa if itās out there.
I would really suggest avoiding this one if I decide to trust a friends impressions, but since I havenāt heard it I canāt really say for myself. I would honestly point you towards the allo revolution dac, itās really excellent for the price and you can easily tune the signature to your liking. Wrote some thoughts about it on the forum as well
The allo seems pretty interesting. I shouldāve mentioned the m400 would be going in my 2 channel setup and balance is something Iām looking for as well. Also, didnāt see a mention of mqa support with the allo? Iāll be trying the bf2 in there as well before I buy another dac so im not in a rush either. jus browsin
Kind of unfortunate to hear your friend didnāt like the m400 though.
Gotcha, with that feature set in the price range for things I have tried new would prob the the mytek liberty dac or the newer matrix mini 3 pro, but I havenāt heard that one yet (but I do trust matrix and their ess implementations). But generally the stuff in this range that I like isnāt mqa supporting
Yeah currently not going well, he said that it can just pair horribly with some gear and sound real off, prob because they sacrificed the output stage for better measurements which is a no no in my mind. And when it did work alright his opinions of the d90 matched up with his of the m400, which was very meh for the price
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I should probably forgo the mqa and get something I actually want instead of putting myself in that box and limiting my options. I donāt think Iāve even heard a 24/192 track and Iāve been pretty content so far. See how the bf2 sounds in the room and on my desk and go from there.
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Sounds like a plan, also how is the parasound going btw?
Itās pretty sweet and Iām preferring it to the Yamaha tbh. The presentation is much more to my liking and leads to a more relaxing listen. The power amp performance seem comparable in terms of technicalities and itās the presentation and sound signature that is winning me over. Getting that final piece (a dac) will be nice to have then Iāll probably go back and forth a few times before letting one go.
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I bought this solely for the name lol, weāll see it sounds paired with my CTH.
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Just got my Donald DAC today, and pair with my CTH, I gotta sayā¦I prefer the sound on the DD much more than the Modi 3. Everything just sounds clearer and the bass is clean, although I would prefer more of it, but I can solve that with an EQ I guess.
The highs are much more prominent, but not painful to listen to, oh and the volume is noticeably higher, which is a plus. Tidal recognized the DAC and tried to turn on the Loudness equalization, no thank youu.
Gonna be sticking with this setup for a while, might get another pair of headphones, just gotta decide on which ones to get that would pair well with my setup =/
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I think the earman is pretty fantastic and enjoyed it quite a bit over some other budget DACs I had used. What headphones are you currently using? What do you think youād like next?
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I am using some Monolith m570s which I am really enjoying, Iāve been looking around for some close backs but nothing has peaked my interest just yet. I have some V-Moda Crossfade LP1s (which I like), but the bass really punchy for some of the stuff I normally listen to.
I want to give the Sivga Phoenixā another try (although they are open), the first pair I had were really sibilant, but I am thinking I needed to burn them in more.
Anyone else with the Earmen DD notice that this does not play well with EQ? Specifically, EQ APO and teh JDS Labs Subjective?