Editors’ Choice: Best DACs $3,000 – $10,000

With sweet, accurate midrange sonics and sturdy construction that should last a long time, this mid-priced tube DAC has a stout tube-rectified power supply for each channel. While that’s unusual for a DAC, it assures dynamic range will be wide and dynamic shifts lightning fast. Perhaps the EVO 100 is missing the very deepest lows and highest highs, but there’s not much else to quibble about. VF, 300

The Stellar Gold uses the ESS 9038 DAC, which is ESS’ top-of-the-range DAC for 2024. Some have strong feelings about AKM or ESS or R2R or custom delta-sigma or other converters. Implementation matters on these things, so we listen. The Stellar Gold offers 7 filters, meaning there are somewhat different sonic profiles available, and we preferred the linear-phase slow-roll-off filter. Our big impression was of a low noise level yielding a huge soundstage with believable performer placement. Instrumental lines were well separated, as well. We also liked that the Stellar Gold simply worked without hiccups (or re-boots). TAS YouTube

Denafrips is best known for its own line of R-2R DACs, in which the Terminator currently sits second from the top, eclipsed only by the Terminator Plus. The Terminator handles PCM up to a sampling frequency of 384kHz, and DSD up to 11.2MHz (DSD256) in native mode. Both RCA and balanced XLR analog outputs are provided. The analog voltage signal is output directly without a buffer or gain stage, which puts the responsibility on the matching preamp to provide adequate gain and drive signal. Sonically, expect a tonally neutral and dynamic presentation. A true reference and currently DO’s favorite DAC. DO, 316

This ultra-tweaky tube-based DAC from Poland features tubes in the audio circuit as well as in the power supply. The Baltic 3’s reproduction of timbre is exemplary, both with respect to accuracy and resolution of subtle harmonics. While it’s particularly strong at imaging and soundstaging and at resolving, layering, and spatially defining complex musical presentations (e.g. symphonies, bands, or complex recordings), it’s just as beguiling on recordings with minimal instruments or solo vocals. Reproduction across the frequency range is deep, wide, and full, from string bass or bass drums in the lower octaves to the extension and shimmer of cymbals and bells in the upper registers. While all these attributes are accurate in describing the Baltic, for a potential customer I think it’s more meaningful to say that it creates such immersive, beguiling, and engaging experiences. SSc, 323, (original Baltic 3 version reviewed)

The Hugo TT employs a proprietary and sophisticated “long-tap” digital filter that reportedly results in waveforms from standard-resolution sources as accurate as those of hi-res ones. The DAC section is also custom and supports PCM up to 768kHz and up to DSD512. The Hugo TT sounds superb on its own, but the performance is taken up several notches with the addition of the Hugo M scaler, which upsamples all incoming signals to 768kHz with an FPGA. The result truly represents a new way forward in digital audio—one where standard 16/44 material in every way sounds as good as (or better than) even the highest-resolution files. A technical and musical triumph. CM, 295

PS Audio’s popular DirectStream DAC has been newly updated in 2023. Unlike most DACs that use off-the-shelf chips, the DirectStream is built from the ground up with a custom DAC created on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) running proprietary software. The unit upsamples the signal to 20x DSD for conversion by the gate array. The DirectStream sounds considerably better than its predecessor (which reviewer AHC owned for eight years), offering tremendous resolution of soundstage info and spatial cues. Reproduction of low-level detail is also a strong suit, with very fine rendering against a jet-black background. AHC, 346