Next Best Upgrade for Tidal MQA?
@anzaanimalclinic Appreciate the suggestions. However, the Innuos Zen Mini is really overkill for my situation. I have no need for a CD ripper or onboard storage. I also have no need for Roon as long as the network streamer can stream Tidal directly. Seems like I would be paying for a lot of features I won’t use and have no present interest in getting into. Again, I pretty much exclusively stream Tidal (and Tidal MQA when available). I have no digital or physical media collection whatsoever, other than some legacy SACD/DVD-A (that I may sometime deal with later through my Oppo 203). If the network streamer is the single next best upgrade, I need to find one that is more focused on what I do. |
@bruxesq here's a perhaps slightly out of the box possibility. Check out the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120. That will give you an integrated amp with home theater bypass, streaming, and room correction all in one device for about $2k. You could biamp your speakers by running the preout to your Parasound and sell the Node and DAC. |
@jnehma1 Thanks for the suggestion. Given that the TDAI-1120 would replace my DAC, Streamer, and 2 channel Amp (and I could sell all 3 to mitigate costs) - I started researching the TDAI-3400 (the bigger bigger brother in the series). Found interesting comments by the OP in this thread: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/lyngdorf-tdai-3400?page=3 OP said he moved on to a MyTek Manhattan II DAC after living with the Lyngdorf for a year. His quote was that the upgrade in sound to the MyTek was “profound” and that a stand alone streamer sounded better. That gives me a lot of pause. |
@bruxesq That Mytek DAC is $6k on its own so not even close to a valid comparison against an integrated amp / DAC / streamer / room correction device for $6,500, much less the $2k TDAI-1120. And the room correction, depending on your space, could make a much bigger difference than the DAC. To top it off, that guy you’re talking about ONLY used the Lyngdorf as a DAC. That’s like buying a BMW to use as a heater for your garage. Of course the Manhattan sounded better. What streamer, preamp, and amp was that guy using? I bet they cost more than the $500 price difference between the Manhattan DAC and the Lyngdorf that does it all but was (crazily) used only as a DAC. I haven’t tried the Manhattan to compare but I’ve got the 3400 and I find it to be absolutely amazing. It’s probably the only technologically advanced device I own that just works all the time and does everything I need. It also sounds incredible and puts out 200w into 8 ohms or 400 into 4 ohms. If you went with the 3400 you could also sell your Parasound... |
