(2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
- Details
- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $3299
Website: www.arcam.co.uk
Hans said: It’s a chameleon of a digital-to-analog converter, lending no personality of its own to the signals it decodes, and going on to reproduce sound of not only exceedingly high resolution, but sound that is exceedingly musical. Its modest chassis conceals first-rate levels of performance, and I suspect it will hold its own against much more expensive components from the industry’s top names. Highly, highly recommended.
Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.
The gist: State-of-the-art DAC in a modest chassis.
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- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $7495
Website: www.audioresearch.com
Vade said: The DSPre did full justice to ARC’s reputation for superb sound, and did so without using tubes. It sounded fantastic, looked great, and was easy to use. Equally important, it would save space and money over separate components. If I didn’t need a separate DAC and line stage to pursue my reviewer’s craft, I’d gladly live with the ARC DSPre. Easily a Reviewers’ Choice.
Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.
The gist: An excellent DAC and preamp that happens to be in one box.
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- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $599
Website: www.audioengineusa.com
Doug said: The Audioengine D2 is not only one of the most innovative products I’ve reviewed in a long time, it’s also one of the best. The fact that it’s so affordably priced makes this game-changing DAC all that much easier to buy. Highly recommended for those who want excellent sound quality and the convenience of wireless transmission.
Read the SoundStage! Xperience review.
The gist: Yes, you can get great performance and wireless connectivity all in the same DAC.
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- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $6850
Website: www.calyxaudio.com
Doug said: Another word that seems to describe the Femto’s sound is pure. All told, there was never anything objectionable about that sound, and its extreme resolution allowed me to simply hear more of what my recordings already contained. In fact, every piece of music I played through the Femto sounded better than it ever had before -- which is why I have to say that this is the best-sounding (and best-looking) DAC I’ve ever heard.
Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.
The gist: A $20,000 DAC for $6850.
- Details
- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $1950
Website: www.calyxaudio.com
Doug said: Calyx’s DAC 24/192 is a beautifully built, elegantly styled digital-to-analog converter that sounded exceedingly neutral and utterly clean in my system. It’s also capable of very high resolution that’s just shy of the very best -- I wouldn’t hesitate to partner it with some of the finest equipment out there, regardless of price.
Read the SoundStage! Xperience review.
The gist: Maybe the DAC to match your Mac Mini.
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- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $650
Website: www.cambridgeaudio.com
Vince said: For only $650 you get a digital preamp, a headphone amp, and a truly excellent DAC -- and being able to listen to 24-bit/192kHz tracks through the DacMagic Plus was a mesmerizing experience. If you’re looking for a DAC, even if only to add a USB connection to your system, it would be worth your while to check out the Swiss Army Knife of DACs: the Azur DacMagic Plus. It may get you thinking up new ways to configure your audio system and listen to music -- always a good thing.
Read the SoundStage! Access review.
The gist: Heck-of-a-value DAC with tons of flexibility.
- Details
- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $1149
Website: www.cambridgeaudio.com
Vince said: The Stream Magic 6 occupies a unique position in the audio world in being three components in one: a DAC, a streamer, and a digital preamp. Usually, when a component is designed to do so much, it falls flat on its face by not doing anything particularly well. Not so the Stream Magic 6 -- it fulfills its promise as a high-quality DAC, a high-quality digital preamp, and a high-quality streamer by sounding phenomenal in all three functions.
Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.
The gist: Jack-of-all-trades and master of many.
- Details
- Parent Category: 2012 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2012) Stereo Digital Source Components
Price: $2000
Website: www.hegel.com
Philip said: If you’ve got the money to even consider buying the HD20, you should do just that: consider it. Its simple, unassuming appearance conceals a veritable tour de force of DAC design whose unerring musicality may elevate the sound of your system.
Read the SoundStage! Xperience review.
The gist: There's something about that Hegel sound . . .