TOP DACs
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The various DACs listed below are our subjective picks for the top DACs in the world, based upon our reviews. That said, the list is dynamic and as we review new DACs that we feel deserve a spot on the list, well, the list and thus the ranking will change to accommodate the new DAC(s). Things change.
Suffice to say that in-house Streamer and DAC combinations at nearly twice the price of the Grimm Audio MU2 could not/did not compete. And this was clear the exact minute that the MU2, again just off a FedEx “freezer truck” and placed in the reference system, went unabashedly to the head of the class. It was not subtle—its rendering and playback abilities as compared to everything else (and there were very expensive DACs in-house for review, each alone more expensive…
MSRP $17,500
A time and space machine, indeed, for the when and where the Mola Mola Tambaqui transports one. Impossible it is, to write the concluding notes of this review, to break away from the spellbinding music or magic that this DAC/Headphone amplifier creates. The Mola Mola Tambaqui is, easily, State of the Art. MSRP $13,400
The Bricasti Design M1SE is, indeed, the “The Synthesis of Transparency and Beautiful Music!” Its abilities to extract next-level transparency on recording after recording, as well as its competence to resolve that which other DACs cannot is outstanding and pedigree enough. But the M1SE does not stop there. There is a profound three-dimensionality, a richness, and a palpability generally associated with single-ended triode tubes. MSRP $15,000
I had listened to the Audionet DNP for several weeks, if not longer, and thought it, decidedly, good, though not great. And given its price and its abilities, I had contemplated sending it home. “You’re a good, talented kid, but…,” would be my parting words. …And then the Audionet EPX arrived and was plugged into the system. The best way of describing things from that point on was “Game Over.” Everything improved! Everything! Audionet DNP ($20,300) Audionet EPX enhanced power supply ($10,100)
The DENAFRIPS Terminator II checks all of the required music lover and audiophile boxes easily and well and is a prodigious talent, especially when its price is taken into account. DACs within its ‘ambient’ pricing circle should take pause. $4,495
I had held Berkeley Audio Design’s† as the approach to take when looking for accuracy with musicality. Now, I have another more affordable choice among peers. The Mystique X SE combines the eternal precision of digital with the immortal soul of human performance. I concede, Benjamin’s karate is better. If you’re shopping for a “mid–tier” digital audio converter, you owe it to yourself to make a date with Mystique. $9,999
The Sonnet digital duo, the Morpheus DAC and the Hermes streamer are what I would call the perfect products for those seeking accurate, natural, and musically pleasing sound. I would go as far as to say this would apply even more so to “digital holdouts”, those who have not invested in high end digital components, or have preconceived notions about digital audio performance. The Sonnet designs deliver the goods, and would convert even the most stubborn digital skeptics. MSRP Sonnet Morpheus $3399.
The simplest thing to say about the Border Patrol SE-i DAC is that it never disappointed or failed to amaze. However, to carry on about SE-i DAC is to speak to its whole-cloth coherency, its top to bottom frequency reach (dependent on system configuration/synergy), its natural and wholly transparent rendering of the music, and its beguiling, analog ease across the entirely of the frequency range. Border Patrol SE-i ($1950)
The DENAFRIPS Pontus II’s talents are prodigious and when its price is considered, relative to the incredibly expensive DACs and the way-over-the-top, incredibly expensive DACs, it is, decidedly, in the mix and on stage with the best and a giant killer! No doubt, its performance sends shivers down the spines of the makers of the way-over-the-top, incredibly expensive DACs, as well it should. I can't even begin to imagine what its big brothers—Venus II, Terminator II, and Terminator Plus—are capable of. Double yikes! $1,700