Austin,

What do you use as transport to these vintage goodies? I can attest to the Offramp + Spectral SDR2000 as being one of the most seamless, liquid and tonally rich experiences I have had.

I have a 2nd setup coming in today, a Lampi 5, with i2s configured to the Offramp pinout. I'll need a 2nd transport for the Spectral. Have you tinkered much with transports? Short of another Offramp, I can't tell which road to take.

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, try the CIA Transient MKII. Though I haven't heard one myself, some have said it is pretty good. Adding the external PSU will probably benefit slightly as well.

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, try the CIA Transient MKII. Though I haven't heard one myself, some have said it is pretty good. Adding the external PSU will probably benefit slightly as well.

Thanks Eric, I'll look into it.

 I guess I'm looking for cheaper, but only to know whether or not I can get away with it. I was a big fan of the Audiophilleo + Aqvox when I owned it. It did wonders for lower end DAC's I owned in days past, like the W4S Dac 2, NAD, EE Mini, etc... Did little or nothing for the PWD. I suspect that a 20 year old design like the Spectral didn't give much of a shit about PC playback. If only CDP's weren't so much a pain in the ass, I'd call it quits with the SDR-3000.

*won't need i2s as the Spectral doesn't have the input

I owned the Assemblage 2.7 and the Pararsound 1100HD at the same time, and they both sound 'natural'. The Assemblage has a larger soundstage and the more neutral mids than the Parasound which are a compromise because the Parasound has slightly more detail in the leading edge of transients than the 2.7. This became noticeable in bass impact and highs over time but it is a small detail.

However, the way the PCM1704 was implemented in the 2.7 wasn't ideal, since, the upgraded 3.1 (same circuit balanced) sounded much more neutral, tighter bass, less bright highs.
But I believe I'm bias to the PCM1704 sound because I like to listen to music at low volumes, and the 120 db S:N ratio seems pretty good on that chip.

I'm not really looking to replace the DAC, in fact I'd even consider buying another vintage DAC for an HD600/Dynahi rig.

I actually have a Parasound D/AC 1000 coming from Canada. I paid $236 for it, which seems like a fair price given that the 1100 goes for around $300, plus it was in great condition (it even comes with the original box). It should be here in a week or two. I ordered the Gustard U12 from Amazon.

From what I can gather, the 1000/1100 are singled-ended versions of the 1500/1600. The lower-end models have 2 lower-spec PCM63 DACs, while the higher end ones have 4 high-spec PCM63s and balanced output. The 1100 and 1600 seem to be the same as the 1000 and 1500, respectively, but with HDCD capability.

If someone wants to go for a 1500, there's a hifi shop in Montreal that has a used one listed for about US$400. I emailed them about it. They speak English and are willing to ship to the United States. With shipping, they want US$480. That's above what I would pay given its age, but maybe there's someone else who wants it.

Hello people,

I would like to thank evanft for starting this topic so we can have a more focused discussion on vintage DACs.

I just repost what I asked in the general DAC topic. These devices are very rare in where I live but I know someone who own a Parasound 1100HD but the thing is it has been modified pretty heavily. I'm not sure about the technical details but its analogue stage has been replaced with a discrete part and he also say that all the capacitors have been replaced with newer ones. I think he's upgrading to the new Hugo TT so I may have a chance to take it off his hands.

If it helps, IIRC this is the original sales ad: http://www.head-fi.org/t/548272/fs-modded-parasound-dac-1100-hd

What do you guys think, would it be a good investment? I currently have an Accuphase DC-901 DAC so maybe this vintage DAC can provide an alternative sound.

As always, I thank you for your advice.

Regards,
Jeremiah

It would depend on the price. $250-$300 would probably be good if the mods are well done and actually help the sound. But then again I'm kinda against paying more than $500 for one of these vintage DACs, so maybe my perception of its value is off.