Lite DAC62 or Monarchy M24?
Which one, that is the question. Well, The Monarchy M24 is essentially a Lite Dac 52 with modified or upgraded parts, and the Lite DAC62 is an improved circuit layout of the DAC 52.. so which is better? That’s up to you, I suppose. I would put forth that if the Monarchy M24 was not branded as a Monarchy product, it would be much less desirable. Lets face it.. in this Hi-Fi audio world, names and brands are important.
How do they sound? Well, at triple the price of the Lite DAC62, I think the Monarchy M24 just doesn’t sound as good. In fact, at the same price the Monarchy doesn’t sound as good in my opinion. I’ve read than the Monarchy M24 “resolves detail” a bit better than the Lite, I think that’s gibberish. Granted, I have modified my Pacific Valve Lite DAC62 a bit with improvements to the outputs cables, wire, diodes and power supplies. But really, at the price of the Monarchy M24, you get a few prettier and more expensive Toroidal Transformers, and a volume control. Not worth the money, especially if you are just using it as a DAC.
My musical tastes consist of mostly Classical and Female Vocals and Jazz, so keep that in mind. Rock might sound better on a Monarchy, but I listened to a bit of SRV and Wilco on that Monarchy and the Lite just sounded better, that’s what I have in my system now, and it’s staying!