By Lam Seng Fatt
If anyone entering Computer As Source (CAS) today asks me to recommend a DAC, I will not hesitate to tell him to buy a TEAC UD-501 DSD and 32/384 capable DAC.
Not only will he be future-proofed for a long while, but he will also enjoy fantastic value for money.
For less than RM3,000, he will get a DAC that can handle DSD 2.8 and 5.6, and PCM at 352.8 and 384kHz. If you are looking for a DAC that is cheap and good, the TEAC is it.
I have been listening to the TEAC for more than a month and I can say that nothing beats it at its price level. I have heard better DSD DACs out there, but they cost about 20 times more.
Kenny Sin of Hi-Way Laser has confirmed that he will be showcasing the TEAC UD-501 DAC at the coming Kuala Lumpur International AV Show.
I shall be posting a full review later, and at this juncture I shall make everyone salivate by saying that I heard fantastic sound quality using J River V19 to convert PCM files in real time to DSD and playing them in DSD 5.6 format. This method, I believe, is the future of digital music as the sound quality is so very “analogue”…
