Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD


Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp
Steve walked me through set up last week on mine and using Ayre gear you can tell if something isn't quiet. I have the volume control on, but I don't use it and I hear NOTHING from the tweeter when I'm not playing anything. Not sure if that's what you guys are talking about, but the noise floor is very very low and it helps with the overall sound. I accidentally let the system on last night and went up this morning to turn it off. I put on a few cuts and DAMN did it sound sweet. I can tell it's starting to burn in as the stage is bigger. Instruments are no where near the speaker (the sound is wall to wall). The bass is tightening up and so tuneful. I didn't expect this and it's not fully burned in yet. The Vandy's have never sounded so nice to me. Me needs to upgrade now, lol....
Heads up on the "JMF Audio DMT3.7 Universal Transport" under development. The JMF Audio front-end (the DMT3.7 transport and the DXC2.2 MKII converter) is the only source in the world capable of playing all types of discs and converting any audio to 705/768kHz!

Some of the features are:
JMF Audio optical mechanism and disc handling.
JMF Audio signal processing and clocking, common to all sources.
Independant power supplies for disc drive, audio and video
Two modes of operation: pure audio and audio/video.
Outputs audio stereo SPDIF and AES-EBU 192kHz.
Outputs audio multichannel over HDMI in PCM and DSD;
Outputs video over HDMI, full HD, upscaling to 4k.
Easy control with the JMF Audio MBR1 remote.
Advanced control with tablet/smartphone/computer.
Audio discs: CD, SACD, HDCD, DVD-Audio, Bluray Pure-Audio
Audio/video discs: DVD, Bluray
Files: WAV, FLAC, AAC, DSD...
Decoding: Dolby True HD, DTS Master Audio...
Streaming: DLNA
That will be an interesting piece. I think that streaming is the wave of the future personally. I think that we will all have nice streaming devices in hi rez and a great DAC.

Guys, I've tried to find the firewire Maxtor server grade hard drives, but can't figure out which one to get. I understand that Seagate now owns them, but there are multiple types on their site. Which one is server grade? Also, aren't they the ones with a great disc drive? Can't see that one either. I am ready today to get the disk drive (Steve said it has to have the sampling deal from the internet built into it) and the hard drive to start ripping my CD's...thanks all.
Ctsooner, Try Newegg... Look for drives that are said to be "Enterprise".... Be aware that Enterprise-grade drives are often quite a bit thicker than standard drives... E.g. 15 mm for Seagate 2.5 inch internal HDDs.

G.