DACs Reviews & News - ecoustics.com https://www.ecoustics.com/home-audio/dac/ everything hi-fi Wed, 28 Oct 2026 06:02:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Linear Tube Audio Aero+ and Aero+ SE DACs Give R-2R Technology a Modern Makeover https://www.ecoustics.com/products/linear-tube-audio-aero-plus-se-dacs/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/linear-tube-audio-aero-plus-se-dacs/#respond Wed, 28 Oct 2026 06:01:41 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/linear-tube-audio-aero-plus-se-dacs/
Linear Tube Audio is doubling down on its unconventional approach to digital audio with the new Aero+ and Aero+ SE DACs, priced at $4,400 and $5,800, respectively. Designed and built in Takoma Park, Maryland, the two models retain the original Aero’s vintage Analog Devices R-2R converter and David Berning-inspired ZOTL vacuum tube output stage, but introduce […]]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/linear-tube-audio-aero-plus-se-dacs/feed/ 0 LampizatOr Horizon 2 Rebuilds Its $62,000 Tube DAC Without Raising the Price https://www.ecoustics.com/products/lampizator-horizon-2-tube-dac/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/lampizator-horizon-2-tube-dac/#respond Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:01:16 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/lampizator-horizon-2-tube-dac/
LampizatOr’s Horizon 2 adds Aphrodite tech, a redesigned tube stage and upgrades for owners who already spent car money on a DAC.]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/lampizator-horizon-2-tube-dac/feed/ 0 Apos x Community Druid R2R DAC Review: This $160 DAC Has No Business Sounding This Good https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/apos-community-druid-r2r-dac/ https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/apos-community-druid-r2r-dac/#respond Thu, 24 Sep 2026 02:12:37 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/apos-community-druid-r2r-dac/
The Druid R2R DAC delivers smooth, fluid sound, balanced outputs, and swappable op-amps without the usual high-end price.]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/apos-community-druid-r2r-dac/feed/ 0 Schiit Bifrost 3 DAC Goes Mesh, Adds EQ and Somehow Costs Less https://www.ecoustics.com/products/schiit-bifrost-3-dac/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/schiit-bifrost-3-dac/#respond Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:38:52 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/schiit-bifrost-3-dac/
Did Schiit improve Bifrost by moving beyond True Multibit? Bifrost 3 adds Mesh, EQ, 32/384 USB and drops the price to $699.]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/schiit-bifrost-3-dac/feed/ 0 SMSL R100 and D400 MK2 DACs Challenge FiiO, Schiit and Topping Below $1,000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/smsl-r100-d400-mk2-dacs/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/smsl-r100-d400-mk2-dacs/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:13:04 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/smsl-r100-d400-mk2-dacs/
Can SMSL’s new R100 and D400 MK2 compete with FiiO, Schiit and Topping in the increasingly crowded DAC market below $1,000?]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/smsl-r100-d400-mk2-dacs/feed/ 2 LAiV Harmony DAC 2 Is a $3,994 R2R DAC Aimed Straight at Denafrips and Holo https://www.ecoustics.com/products/laiv-harmony-dac-2/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/laiv-harmony-dac-2/#respond Wed, 12 Aug 2026 07:38:59 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/laiv-harmony-dac-2/
The LAiV Harmony DAC 2 adds hardware SRC, Class A output and direct 10MHz clocking to its balanced R2R architecture.]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/laiv-harmony-dac-2/feed/ 0 Weiss DAC204 MK2 DAC Brings Swiss Studio DNA and ES9028PRO Upgrade to North America https://www.ecoustics.com/products/weiss-dac204-mk2/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/weiss-dac204-mk2/#respond Sat, 20 Jun 2026 04:41:34 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/weiss-dac204-mk2/
Weiss DAC204-MK2 arrives in the U.S. and Canada with an upgraded ESS DAC, improved jitter control, and a refined analog output stage. ]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/weiss-dac204-mk2/feed/ 0 Canor Audio Verto D3 Tube DAC and Asterion V3 Tube Phono Preamplifier Debut at High End Vienna 2026 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/canor-audio-verto-d3-asterion-v3/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/canor-audio-verto-d3-asterion-v3/#respond Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:39:26 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/canor-audio-verto-d3-asterion-v3/
Canor Audio debuts Verto D3 tube DAC with PCM 768kHz/DSD512 and Asterion V3 phono preamp with Lundahl SUT at High End Vienna 2026. ]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/canor-audio-verto-d3-asterion-v3/feed/ 0 WTF Is Upsampling? Why More Digital Audio Samples Don’t Always Mean Better Sound https://www.ecoustics.com/ask-an-expert/upsampling/ https://www.ecoustics.com/ask-an-expert/upsampling/#respond Sun, 24 May 2026 19:37:24 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/ask-an-expert/upsampling/
Does upsampling in digital audio actually improve DAC performance, or just make lower quality files look like high resolution audio?]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/ask-an-expert/upsampling/feed/ 0 Chord Electronics Quartet Upscaler Targets Reference Digital Audio With Advanced Timing Precision https://www.ecoustics.com/products/chord-electronics-quartet/ https://www.ecoustics.com/products/chord-electronics-quartet/#respond Thu, 21 May 2026 08:32:04 +0000 https://www.ecoustics.com/products/chord-electronics-quartet/
Chord Electronics Quartet is a $35,995 upscaler with Blackbird WTA filtering, built-in ADC, and DAVE support. Your wallet has been warned.]]> https://www.ecoustics.com/products/chord-electronics-quartet/feed/ 0