The humble DAC category – more than any other – is one that currently bears witness to the swiftest progress.
Reviewing a DAC is like to trying to hit a moving target: what scored 5-stars last year might only be 4-stars this year, such is the re-contextualisation brought by newcomers or upgraded models. What follows is not meant to be a definitive assessment of every DAC currently available (that’d be impossible!). It’s simply a (crude) summary judgement of every DAC I’ve heard in MY OWN system.
All DACs are rated in the context of both current retail price AND this being the year of our Lord, two-thousand and thirteen.
I hope this helps you with your DAC choice but – proceed with caution – this is just one guy’s opinion. Salt to taste.
- Anedio D1 (4.5 stars) – [discontinued]
- Audio-gd NFB-2 (4.5 stars) – [discontinued]
- Audio-gd NFB-2.1 (4.5 stars)
- Audio-gd NFB-12 (3.5 stars)
- Audio-gd Reference 7.1 (4.5 stars) - [discontinued]
- Audio-gd Reference 10.2 (4.5 stars)
- AURALiC Vega (5 stars)
- Bel Canto DAC-1.5 (3 stars)
- Bel Canto DAC-3 (3 stars) – [discontinued]
- Beresford 7510 (2.5 stars)
- Beresford 7520 (3 stars)
- Beresford Caiman (3.5 stars)
- Beresford Caiman Gatorized (4 stars)
- Bladelius USB DAC (4 stars)
- Calyx Coffee (3 stars)
- Cambridge Audio DacMagic (2.5 stars)
- CEntrance DACMiniPX (4 stars)
- Citypulse DA7.2x (3 stars)
- db Audio Labs Tranquility SE (4 stars)
- Devilsound USB DAC (3 stars)
- Eastern Electric MiniMax (4.5 stars) – [discontinued]
- Emotiva XDA-1 (4 stars) - [discontinued]
- Emotiva XDA-2 (3.5 stars)
- Firestone Audio Spitfire MK1 (3 stars) – [discontinued]
- Heed Dactilus w/ Q-PSU (4 stars)
- HRT Music Streamer II+ (2.5 stars)
- HRT Music Streamer Pro (3 stars)
- John Kenny JKDAC Sabre (3.5 stars)
- John Kenny JKDAC32 (4 stars)
- KingRex UD384 + UPower (3.5 stars)
- Lavry DA-10 (3.5 stars)
- Lenehan Audio (Base Level) PDX (3.5 stars)
- Lite DAC-AH (3 stars)
- Lite DAC-68 (3.5 stars)
- Lite DAC-83 (4 stars)
- Maverick Tube Magic D1 (3 stars)
- Metrum Acoustics “Octave” (4.5 stars)
- Metrum Acoustics “Hex” (5 stars)
- MHDT Labs Paradisea (3.5 stars) - [discontinued]
- MHDT Labs Havana (4 stars)
- MHDT Labs Balanced Havana (4 stars)
- Micromega MyDAC (4 stars)
- NAD Wireless USB DAC 1 (3.5 stars)
- Pro-ject DAC Box USB (3 stars)
- Pro-ject DAC Box FL (3 stars)
- PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MKI (4 stars) - [discontinued]
- PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MKII (4.5 stars)
- Peachtree iDecco (4 stars) - [discontinued]
- Peachtree iNova (4.5 stars) - [discontinued]
- Peachtree DAC*iT (4 stars)
- Red Wine Audio Isabellina LFP-V Edition (4 stars)
- Rega DAC (4 stars)
- Resonessence Labs Concero (5 stars)
- Schiit Bifrost (4.5 stars)
- Schiit Modi (5+ stars)
- Stello DA100 (4 stars)
- TeraDak Chameleon (4 stars)
- Valab NOS DAC (3 stars)
- Violectric V800 (2.5 stars)
- WLM Gamma (4 stars)
- Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 (4 stars)
- Xindak DAC5 (4 stars)
Last updated: 15th May 2013.
