I’ve never seen one with RCA. I heard somewhere that the latest Satie have updated clocks, so it’s possible the RCA version is an older generation. Mine has XLR throughout. No idea what generation it is. Maybe @gerihifi has some information…
Not that helpful, but just wanted to welcome you to the forum!!
Are you trying to look for a Satie?
Yes, older models had Chinch.
If you are unsure, get serial number and send an Email to Ivo from Linnebergh.
info @ linnenberg-audio.de
Thank you!
Happy to be here. And thanks a lot to @gerihifi for letting me know about this forum and also recommending Linnenberg. I am thinking about getting one indeed, as it’s possible to find some used ones for 4-5k which seems very fair. I already wrote Ivo, let’s see what he can tell me.
Still not 100% though… my first choice was Totaldac. But as I could only afford a d1-core atm, maybe it’s better to look into used Satie, Holo Audio May, Lampizator, Merason, Meitner. Or maybe start of with a core and then upgrade when the time is right.
Would also love to know more about Metronome from France… and the Dacs from Audiomat.
Would love to hear other recs as well.
I have a Leben intergrated amp CS300XS and a pair of Devore O/93… but no serious DAC yet. If anyone knows great pairing DACs please let me know.
If you haven’t, I’d recommend the various front page articles with the DAC writeups. If nothing else and there are a lot of spare kidney priced DACs there it will at least give you an idea of the possibilities and good compromise points and the sweet spot in a range.
I’m of the believe that you should level match your components to get the most out of them. In other words, work on the weak links.
Thanks a lot!
Would you say sth like the Merason DAC1, Satie, Meitner M1 V2 or even a D1-core from Totaldac would not level match with Leben and Devore O/93 and I should def think ‘bigger’?
I’d say those are inline with your existing equipment. You could also go a step up.
A lot depends on whether your intending to keep improving the system, my tendency was to leapfrog past my system with a new component, then play catch up, but doing that your pretty much always aware of the weak link.
I will point out while I haven’t heard all those DAC’s the Meitner and TotalDAC are going to sound very different to each other, and if you haven’t listened to a lot of DAC’s, it’s probably worth finding ways to audition them and pick at least a direction. Some people just don’t get on with NOS DAC’s, others love them so …
Vincent at TotalDAC has a killer trial/upgrade program if your looking new.
The trial and upgrade program at Vincent’s Totaldac is indeed a huge advantage… I just wonder if a d1-Core would be enough for the beginning, before being able to upgrade.
I’ve also seen John Devore using Totaldac at his Monkeyhouse, which maybe could be an argument as well, as it should play in great synergy with my O/93 and the Leben integrated amp.
For Merason there’s also a German dealer, who offers auditions of the equipment, he also has the Reuss DAC available and the DAC1 MKII.
But at the same time I’m also not 100% sure, if I should go with a new DAC, as it seems quite realistic to find 1-2 year old ones for very good prices. For example the Satie and the Meitner seem to be available at 3-4.5k, but it would be a blind buy…
Yes my preference is to buy used, but it’s easier to do if you know at least the flavor you want.
One way to audition gear is to buy it used, if you know you can move it without an additional loss. But it’s always a risk.
I had a Chord Dave here for a while, not a DAC I ever really wanted to own, but the price was right used, it was a local sale, and I knew I could move it later for more or less what I paid for it, in the end I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and in the end I lost nothing on the sale. Other pieces of gear I’ve lost small or in some cases significant chunks of the cost on.
Plus it’s a pain to ship things.
At least for the Satie I can suggest to you that it’s on the more neutral energetic side, rather than relaxed or smooth. The filters also play a meaningful role in its presentation, my favorite being the IIR filter because it simply sounds the most natural and engaging to me. However, you do lose out on stage size, maximum tightness and extension compared to the FIR filter, which is my second filter choice. IIR is also noticeably more intimate.
Other things to note, AES sounds meaningfully better over USB. I wouldn’t suggest USB at all, coax I haven’t tried. I’m assuming, it should be similar to AES. Also, the pre amp is pretty great, but if you’re not gonna use it there’s no way to bypass it, though there is a line output fixed mode.
I might audition two Merason DACs and the Aqua La Scala MKII Optologic from the German dealer and then also try Vincent’s Totaldac. Maybe a good starting point… thanks a lot you guys 
I had the opportunity to listen to the big Ideon DAC w/ some Leben amplifiers, my dealer out in Arizona carries them. No issue there, that’s some fine equipment 
Just throwing more at you as your progress in your journey. Best of luck and looking forward to hearing more about what directions and why you choose to move.