eman Posted July 25, 2021 Posted July 25, 2021 Got myself a REGA DAC in the Classies a while ago here ( SNA) and all went well. After listening for a while and getting impressions I searched the Net generally and had my ideas confirmed. "Very smooth and detailed esp with acoustic", which leaves it lacking 'body' ,'punch' and a bit of 'weight'. It's *too* 'polite'. It's not an issue of my amp/speakers because my analog has plenty of 'grunt'. So.... what are others experience with Rega DAC and what can I do ? It looks like Rega DAC was about RRP $1K ? unit when new. I don't want to be spending over a thou without trialing. Am I looking at something Denafrips (ARES II ? ) or Gieseler or a random punt Topping E30 ? The Rega DAC has a good number of inputs with 2 Optical, 2 Co-Ax, and a USB. Very useful.
was_a Posted August 10, 2021 Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) I've owned the original Rega DAC as well as the Rega-R, and the first Apollo and Saturn CD players. The Rega DAC has some very positive attributes: natural timbre in the mids and a solid bass that's not overly 'taut', and like all Regas it has great rhythmic drive. The DAC was first used in the ground-breaking Rega Apollo—a classic CD spinner, in my view, and one of the most enjoyable listening experiences I've had. In fact, I couldn't get the stand-alone DAC to perform quite as well as 'integrated' in the Apollo. The downside of the Rega DAC is that it has less resolution than equivalent brands, at least overtly. More importantly, it has a rather stark treble with hard transients and very quick decay. To my ears, this is an issue across the Rega range to a certain degree, and it's most apparent in the original DAC. This undermines the midrange warmth that makes acoustic material and '70s rock so enjoyable. This characteristic is perhaps a side-effect of the rhythmic snap of Regas, the power-supply design and/or the Wolfson chipset. In this price-range it's hard to complain, of course! My advice is to hold on to the Rega, and get a second-hand Gieseler Klein which has a very transparent sound signature with a large soundstage and tighter bass etc. Edited August 10, 2021 by was_a 2
eman Posted August 10, 2021 Author Posted August 10, 2021 3 hours ago, was_a said: I've owned the original Rega DAC as well as the Rega-R, and the first Apollo and Saturn CD players. The Rega DAC has some very positive attributes: natural timbre in the mids and a solid bass that's not overly 'taut', and like all Regas it has great rhythmic drive. The DAC was first used in the ground-breaking Rega Apollo—a classic CD spinner, in my view, and one of the most enjoyable listening experiences I've had. In fact, I couldn't get the stand-alone DAC to perform quite as well as 'integrated' in the Apollo. The downside of the Rega DAC is that it has less resolution than equivalent brands, at least overtly. More importantly, it has a rather stark treble with hard transients and very quick decay. To my ears, this is an issue across the Rega range to a certain degree, and it's most apparent in the original DAC. This undermines the midrange warmth that makes acoustic material and '70s rock so enjoyable. This characteristic is perhaps a side-effect of the rhythmic snap of Regas, the power-supply design and/or the Wolfson chipset. In this price-range it's hard to complain, of course! My advice is to hold on to the Rega, and get a second-hand Gieseler Klein which has a very transparent sound signature with a large soundstage and tighter bass etc. Thanks for your thoughts. I did wonder if it was the 'Rega Sound' I was hearing, but have never had anything else Rega to compare. I've just landed a 'nearly new' Denafrips Ares II from a fellow SNA. A very different design. Will prob be at least a few days before I can give it a listen.
MrBurns84 Posted August 10, 2021 Posted August 10, 2021 1 minute ago, eman said: Thanks for your thoughts. I did wonder if it was the 'Rega Sound' I was hearing, but have never had anything else Rega to compare. I've just landed a 'nearly new' Denafrips Ares II from a fellow SNA. A very different design. Will prob be at least a few days before I can give it a listen. Having had a rega dac in the past i understand that Rega house sound you got. It is quite pleasant but not transparent. Having owned an Ares mk1, i suspect the Ares will give you what you're after 1
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