I don’t really like the C2500 DAC and currently use the OPPO 105D but i want to get away from it, and thought a music streamer with built in DAC would be nice. I’m seriously looking at the CAMBRIDGE AUDIO - Azur 851N Network Player. Anyone have experience with this unit or have other suggestions?
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@roddyboy, Azur 851N would be a great choice. They are currently beta testing Tidal streaming (big plus). I used to own 851N, the SQ is pretty good and a great value considering it’s asking price. Most online vendors offers 30 days return policy. The other option is to consider is Aurender A10. You get streamer/DAC and very decent preamp all in one chassis. It also does full MQA decoding as well. I know you’re trying to stay within a budget, but these two components are worth mentioning considering the current industry trend of one box solution of DAC/Streamer. http://www.bricasti.com/en/consumer/m1.php http://nadac.merging.com/product/merging-player |
I have no Mac experience, so take this with a grain of salt. For network connectivity, I use a Bluesound Node. For DAC, I use an Ayre Codex. I have no complaints. Another DAC's I would recommend is the Schiit Gungnir Multibit and Yggy. To me, DAC technology is going to improve exponentially, so buying the 'best' (and usually, 'most expensive'), is an effort in futility. Plus, I like how Ayre and Schiit offer upgrades to their equipment. B |
Stereo5, The big issue i ran into was the firmware upgrade. I spent 4-5 days working with Mcintosh support and Media Bridge Support to remove the downloaded firmware to no avail. Glad i decided to return it before it was too late only to face the other issues you described. This is why i’m looking for suggestions from you audiophiles in this forum.. |
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