Looking for an Endgame (fully)balanced Dac possibly with no amplifier in it just as a dac only for my THX AAA 789.
It would be the best to handle MQA. Any rec from you guys? Budget is not a factor here.
Well, what headphones do you have right now? And how important is the mqa factor?
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My main headphone is a Focal Clear (using with XLR cable) and Sennheiser 58xs but mainly using the Clears. I like mqa i tested it on my friends device and there was a noticeable difference between Tidal’s Hifi and Master(MQA) tracks.
What type of sound do you prefer? Transparent? Warmer? More analytical?
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Mytek Brooklyn DAC
Matrix Audio Element :X
ifi Pro iDSD
for the start, support mqa
Lol was going to mention the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and the pro idsd
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I like a Transparent, little bit analytical with good speed and dynamics sound. Just like the Clears
The Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ is probably the way to go if you want mqa support imo
Although I should add that if you wanted a bigger improvement, headphones would make the bigger difference. Also a better amp might make a bigger difference as well. But the Mytek would be an upgrade for sure
so the Matrix would be my first coice, because of the DAC chipset with x-sabre Pro units
Not that @M0N is wrong - both are more the transparent ones over the ifi - maybe only a touch.
All 3 are great and have different additional things going on, like streaming for example
The element x is a great package, but imo I like the sound out of the mytek more
I would choose the ifi - my preferences in soundsignature, brand and style
Lol yeah, I do like a warmer sound so my spring2 kte stays
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The Clears are already what they are - big fan, but for timbre I prefered my Elegia a nuance
So I would help the Clears with a less clynical DAC
My sound chain : ifi xDSD and SMSL SU-8 as balanced DACs with THX AAA 789 and some bright hf, like Elegia, DT 1990s, 660s and other stuff
All quite bright- so I love some less clynical with the Burr Brown DAC out of the ifi
@M0N your DAC(you also have others) is also not the most clynical
I mean I would just put more money towards a different pair of headphones, but that’s just me
Me the same.
Maybe a ZMF, Hifiman Arya or even higher and look at a Bifrost 2 or RME ADI 2 DAC
I think I’m good for headphones for now unless anything that gets released is something really good
Edit: check my profile if your curious what I have
Thank You guys. The Mytek Brooklyn DAC looks promising but got a hefty price tag. wouldn’t be a overkill for a THX? Personally I’ve looked at the SMSL SU-8 or SMSL VMV D1 I like the construction and the price tag more. Would it be a good match with a thx? And I don’t need the fancy features of the Mytek or the RME It would be useless. and waste of money. For the Bifrost 2 I don’t know never listened Schiit dacs before. Would it be a good match with a thx? I know it probably doesn’t support MQA but there is always a drawback. As far as headphones goes I don’t think there is a big upgrade for me maybe a Utopia I’ve tried and was better than the Clear liked it very much but again the price tag. Maybe a Sennheiser Hd800s or LCD-X would be a decent side grade but I like the Clears very much and both have a different sound signature.
Yes, yes it would. Also I did see “Budget is not a factor here” lol. If you wanted a clean and a little analytical sound the d1 would be just fine, but it doesn’t support mqa unfortunately, as with other dacs I would recommend
For headphones you just have to think about it and see if you would want a different pair to either have a similar or different sound signature and either fill a similar or different role.
you wrote about the SMSL SU-8 … so if you want mqa for that price or even lower, have a look at the ifi Zen DAC(balanced, less clynical and mqa support) for 129$
or
SMSL M500 is also balanced, clynical chipset with mqa support for 399$