The quintessential sound of Minneapolis is an apropos description of Audio Research, the company that trademarked High Definition in 1977. Its DAC 9 digital to analog converter is the best DAC ARC has released to date, short of its reference series. The DAC 7 and DAC 8 have both been eclipsed by design, technology, and sound quality. In my extensive listening sessions with the DAC 9, I heard unaltered, raw, and natural sound on some of my favorite recordings. This DAC will of course reproduce audiophile standards and performances captured by Reference Recordings, but the most enjoyable experiences I had while listening through the DAC 9 were with standard definition, "regular" music. I frequently listened through the DAC 9 while sitting at my computer working all day and while sitting in my listening chair in front of two loudspeakers. Either way, listening fatigue didn't even enter my mind. The only thing I wanted from my system during the Audio Research DAC 9's residency, was more music.
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/c...9-review-r644/