Suggestions for a top flight streamer/Dac around the $2000 mark?

Unfortunately the Teac doesn't have a digital out.

Oz

Unfortunately the Teac doesn't have a digital out.

That may or may not be a negative.  If you have a top of the line DAC already and want to use it, then obviously it's a negative.

I considered buying a streamer only (Lumin U1 Mini) but my thought process was that having it all in one box eliminates a power cord, a set of interconnects, and that DAC technology is somewhat mature now, while streaming technology seems to still be evolving.  

The TEAC sounds better than my BlueSound Node 2 did using my Auralic Vega (which was a $3500 DAC when new) as the DAC.  I don't miss the transition from the DAC in the TEAC from the Vega.  I'll never know now, but I doubt the U1 Mini / Vega combination would have been better than the TEAC and it would have been more expensive.

I feel like I got more bang for my buck with the TEAC and am very pleased with the sound quality.

The Teac is a giant killer for $2k. Teac is parent company of Esoteric, regarded by many as the leader in digital technology.

Lots of Esoteric tech creep down into that $2k product. Virtually everyone on Agon or other forums who has gotten one raves about it


Dual monoural AK 4497 dacs, dual toroidal transformer, fully balanced and XLR outs, excellent analog output stage, full MQA support, dsd512, LUMIN software app, and on and on ....

What are the names of these "giants" that have been slayed? How did you conduct your evaluations? What were the results? Please also share your complete system makeup.

The Teac is a giant killer for $2k.

@big_greg You are correct when you state: "I’ll never know now"

A proper comparison would have been helpful.

There are too many variables to: "doubt the U1 Mini / Vega combination"....

It takes effort, but the learning and growth from it are worth more than the weight of ’the components’.