Does the 'Buck' Start with the DAC?
Wow , David you have a budget of 20 to 30 grand for a digital front end ? What fun that would be though some here suggested a Shiite dac and Bryson CD player can’t be beat and anything spent over that is getting on a fast train of disminishing returns . Though I much prefer a server IE ripped CDs over streaming myself here’s one fairly easy example to highlight the critical importance of both source and dac . This past summer we had a Bluesound vault and a Innous MK 3 with out board dacs for comparison and I can tell you the differences in musically performance was striking. Anyway have fun . |
@in_shore I currently have approximately 6K in my streaming source (components + LPS). And 4.5K in the DAC. Based on what I am hearing within my own system as well as auditions, it is going to take a sizeable jump in spend to justify the upgrades on both fronts. Much, much more on the DAC front. Unfortunate, but also a reality. |
@jaytor - I use the Acoustic Zen MC-2 silver AES/EBU digital interconnect cable, because everyone recommends AES/EBU provides the best sound quality. I was surprised (and pleased) at how great the Yggy improved the sound of my system - would never have believed it had I not tried it. No matter what all the reviews have raved about it, compared to all the $25,000-$50,000 Dac's. |
Maybe check out dCS Bartok? It has both dac and streamer https://www.stereophile.com/content/dcs-bartok-da-processorheadphone-amplifier Otherwise, as a pure guess, I would start with 20k dac and 10k streamer. |
