@mike4597 you’re on the right track with replacing the streamer. As to non-PRC options, Aurender is awesome. If you don’t need Roon, a used Aurender N10 is going to be amazing.
Start with Upgrade to DAC?
I am ready to set out on an upgrade cycle to my system, which consists of the following, over the next couple of years:
* Rogue Audio RP-7 Preamp (Upgrades: Rogue RP-9 or McIntosh C2800--C2800 includes Phono preamp and DAC)
* Odyssey Kismet Monobloc Amplifiers (Keepers!)
* Lounge Audio LCR Gold phono preamp (Keeper!)
* Fyne Audio F-702 Speakers (Keepers!)
* Definitive Tech Supercube 6000 (Vandersteen Sub Three or Paradigm XR11)
* Schiit Bifrost 2/64 DAC (Schiit Yggydraseil or ????)
* NAD C568 CD Player used as transport (Schiit Urd or ???)
* iFi Zen Stream
*iPad Pro for Apple Music
* Ice Age Audio OFC Power Cords
* Audioquest and mostly Morrow Interconnects (RCA & XLR)
* Performance Audio Speaker Cables, using Mogami W3104 Speaker Wire
I am thinking that perhaps the best place to start would be the DAC, with the idea of moving from the Bifrost 2/64, which I like, to the Yggdrasil (model TBD) DAC, which has gotten superb reviews that speak to sound quality characteristics that are of concern to me. Budget for DAC upgrade is about $2500. OR, should I go for room correction capability?
I recently replaced a highly-rated 100 wpc tube amplifier with the Odyssey mono blocs, and I was stunned by the improvement in sound quality, definition, and imaging, but I think there still is some room for improvement.
Thoughts and recommendations most welcome.
Showing 9 responses by audphile1
In my opinion…both the streamer and the DAC are your weak links. There’s more to be squeezed out of that schiit with a good streamer. So it’s kind of a wash but… |
Long but interesting video by Rob Watts covering a lot of ground on DACs, sources, cables, power supplies. |
It’s very simple - anything in a signal path will affect sound quality. There are no exceptions to this rule. These components that are in a signal path…CD transports, Streamers, DACs., tubes, speaker cables, interconnects, digital cables .,all make a difference. |
@mdalton I didn’t call you a pig. It’s the impossible process of trying to convince you that you’re wrong that I was referring to. You know…the saying…never try to teach a pig to sing; it will waste your time and annoy the pig… Not the same as calling you a pig rather telling others that they’re embarking on a never ending journey.
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The reviewer rattling out such statements as you had posted above is nothing but a description of what the streamers should be like in an ideal world. It’s nothing but an opinion. Read that sentence again. The earlier pig reference must have set the stage for this LOL… ”all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. This applies to everything including streamers.
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@yyzsantabarbara the ask from the OP was about non-PRC units |