Hi @jpearson3131 I second the thought that the Mac is not the best. Much clearer, more resolving components from many companies. Also, most DACs stream as well. I have a Tambaqui DAC very top line, but later adding a separate Auralic Aries G2.1 streamer madee a big improvement. Also I, have an Altair G1in a vacation home, and it is awesome, so I would assume that the nicer Altair G2.1 would be great. I think easily better than the Cambridge. GTT sells al the Auralic stuff and Bill has good advice. An Audionet Watt integrated would blow the socks off the McIntosh. He could also describe the differences in the Altair and the Vega DACs, since they seem to do similar things.
Streamer/DAC - Where is the value?
I currently have ($10K) Olympica Nova II speakers, ($11K) McIntosh MA9000 integrated amp and a (~$1.5K) Cambridge Audio 851N network player. The weak link here seems to be the Cambridge unit.
I'm prepared to upgrade my streamer/DAC situation and my budget is about $4-6K. Although there are SO many options out there and it's tough to tell where I'll find the most value. My assumption is that the DAC is going to play a much larger part in sound quality than the Streamer. I play music primarily through Tidal. I don't have requirements for server storage or any other sophisticated source capabilities.
Many of the network players come with a pre-amp which I am assuming I should rule immediately. That pre-amp would be taking a share of the overall budget. On the other hand I was thinking maybe I should buy separates. I could max out the DAC and get something good enough for the streaming. Or even continue to use the Cambridge if I really wanted. Having a beautiful screen on a good looking streamer would be nice but seems like lower priority in terms of bang for buck.
Curious to hear people's thoughts. Are there any specific units anyone would recommend as either an all in one network player or as separates? The Auralic ALTAIR G2.1 seems like the ideal all in one but it's at the very peak of my budget.
Thanks!
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Lots of great suggestions for a DAC and streamer. I won't add to the confusion, although I'm partial to separates and Denafripts and Aurenders. My comment is regarding your speakers and amp. I recently heard (auditioned) your speakers with MAC. While I'm sure there is better, it was a very nice combination and something I would definitely hang onto for awhile. Your priority should continue to be the DAC/streamer as you originally asked about. |
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Aurender N200 or Lumin T3 both punch well above..... Aurender N200 is not Roon compatible where as Lumin is. This isn’t the first time I’ve typed I was never going to use Roon until I did. Software interface is an integral experience part of the joyous experience. As creepy AI is when a playlist or album is finished paying Roon (Heck most of ’em) plays something so similar you’d think you selected it to play next. There are sooooo many threads on Agon about DAC(s), Streamers or all in ones. I bet a blueberry pie you could find over 3141 mentions of Qubuz run with Roon. As @lalitk mentioned it could well be other parts of your set up. Your room, units, cords, internet path into steamer, your power and power supplies matter. What’s the power cord of the Cambridge Audio and what’s it plugged into...... It is no secret a better streamer will likely deliver better sound especially if you use high grade ethernet cables, switches, filters and all the goodies. With the ones and zeros this makes a considerable audible difference.
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