Higher End DACs

Well in this case the source is the servers at Tidal or Qobuz and to add a little perspective I am not trying to sell anything if the OP ends up with a mega buck T+A or a NAD C658 as long as he is happy with the sound then it’s all good.

@asiufy @djones51 @rgmd11 @kren0006 @lalitk @thyname @4425 @hgeifman @audiotroy 

(and everyone else who has taken the time to post on this thread!)

thanks so much for the responses to my latest post enquiring about 'fit' of many of these units with my existing system.

I REALLY appreciate how respectfully and considerately some of you are raising current 'limitations' (maybe I should use the term 'considerations')lol) of my components wrt to some of the higher end DACs and players discussed.

Of course there are several factors that have driven my current setup, ranging from SO aesthetic approval, familiarity over the years with those brands/models, hearing them sound very pleasing to me with various analog sources, etc.

As part of the spirit of my post was to learn more - I would be curious to understand which Mcintosh components (or if its all a mismatch with my B&W 800's) I have that would be considered the primary mismatch (perhaps its all of it, as the ethos is just fundamentally different between Mcintosh/B&W and transparency/detail/resolution that the highest of the high end sources are looking to achieve) - and, particularly, what is it about them each that would be considered 'limiting', in this context?

Is it they are overly rounded off/colored?  for the amps, is it they lack power/headroom?  I would love to understand this better.  For example, it was noted the T+A SDV 3100 preamp might be a 'better' fit than my existing than my c1100 - why?  what characteristics make it a better fit?  if the 611 power amps are not great for this - why?  I am not arguing at all that the Mcintosh components are the right for this level of digital, just trying to sincerely understand why they are not.

Also, this part of the discussion got me to thinking - one of the things that people seem to potentially like in the analog world is 'musicality', sweetness, warmth, etc....is it fair to say that components that may be excellent with even some of the nicest turntables and tonearms out there aren't necessarily going to excel in the world of digital playback - and vice versa?

Or is the audiophile principle of 'transparency' just a universal truth and a set of downstream components from various sources (whether they are digital or analog sources) that achieves that transparency is what one wants for both analog and digital.

Finally, I just would like to thank everyone again for such great perspectives, considerations, and input....This IS a journey for me.  Some of my specific questions above are also about understanding where I am with my current system, what level of digital component quality and spend offers me as phenomenal performance as I can get with my current system, if I wanted to evolve beyond current limitations how I should view what those limitations are, what would need to change to overcome current constraints, and how something that 'fits' now and offers that 'as phenomenal performance I can get' within my current system and yet still provides a tangible pathway for upgrade if I got that route (without feeling like I 'wasted' money on a lesser component, now, that doesn't match with a potentially upgraded system later). 

Unless your reference is unamplified acoustic event, there is no universal truth. The first poor performance in the chain is microphone choice and then placement...
your Mac stuff is fine, you don’t need to throw the baby out with the bath water. Go listen to and better yet borrow a variety of DAC’s and or streamers.

An activity I strongly recommend, especially for those who already know it all, is an aural workout session at 2L Recordings ( The Nordic Sound ) downloads bench - many formats with same microphones and placement..,,,

My whole system is *only* a $20k system, but the Tidal difference between MQA and non-mqa in my system is very noticeable to me.
If OP has any plans to ever stream Tidal, I stick by my statement that not having a dac that supports MQA would be a dealbreaker, especially at these levels of cash outlay.
That is not to say that other things don’t sound good, but come on, if he/she talking about spending $20k plus on a digital unit, do you really want to miss out on Tidal’s top sound quality offerings?