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Higher End DACs

I am looking for a DAC (potentially streamer&DAC) to be paired in a mcintosh system (c1100/611). Its my first foray into digital streaming and I have no need for a CD player.

I see a lot of love for Esoteric, however, most seems to be around their transports? Are they not as renowned for pure digital streaming and/or standalone DACs? I see DCS (for instance) often referenced for standalone DACs - how does Esoteric compare?
ufguy73
ufguy73 OP
51 posts
 
thanks for the thoughts, so far, all.

many of these brands don't have local dealers to me - when you get into this class, are dealers willing to ship units to you for you to listen in the context of your own system?  Curious how else one goes about narrowing the field and/or making a significant purchase decision, given I often see system synergy being a deciding factor for making an informed choice.
nekoaudio's avatar
nekoaudio
489 posts
 
Dealer restrictions vary by brand, but in general manufacturers do want to make their product available to as many people as possible, as long as the means of doing so makes sense.

Your best bet would be to reach out to a non-local dealer you can trust, to see if something might be possible. Options may also vary based on the cost or size of the product.

The dealer may also be able to provide you with more specific recommendations based on what you're looking for in terms of functionality and sound quality.
ufguy73 OP
51 posts
 
Anyone have any US dealer recommendations for DCS/Esoteric and the like?
rego
378 posts
 
Contact Crescendo Fine Audio for DCS Products, located in Wheatridge,
CO.
Some customers doing business are located out of State so do check into
what accommodations may be possible.
Also DCS does offer a Network Bridge as described at darko.audio.
https://darko.audio/2019/08/dcs-network-bridge-is-affordable-excellence/
mikelavigne
2,246 posts
 
i have a dac at the tip top of the dac food chain, the MSB Select II with mono powerbases. it has amazing performance and price to match.

but if i was wanting to get streaming at the top of the heap i would focus more on getting the tip top server; which is what i have.....the SGM Extreme server. you can match the Extreme with a number of great dacs not as spendy as my MSB and still get really fine streaming performance. i love how Quboz and Tidal sound on my system.

the Extreme is clearly the best performing server, and has excellent support and is very future proof.

not much on Audiogon on this server; but here is a link to a thread on another forum, and a link to the Extreme home page.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-cr%C3%A8me-de-la-cr%C3%A8me.27433/

http://taikoaudio.com/product/sgm-extreme/

it’s awesome and has taken the top level server market by storm.
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