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Mid Range Streamer DAC recommendation help requested!

Good evening,

In looking for a new one box music streamer /DAC  I am striking out as far as the actual in store, "seeing, listening and buying" process is now a little bit harder to find.  

 Two of our local brick and mortar A/V stores have closed, Axpona is postponed until 2021, and the big city stores are now curbside delivery or online only.   

For now I am hoping to share this discussion with the Agon experts here to get your thoughts and feedback regarding a few possible good music streamer / DAC candidates.

I am looking for a  good quality Streamer/ DAC  that should provide years of good, enjoyable music service.

Some of the  Brands /models that I have read about as being good mid range devices are listed below:

Bryston BDA 3.14
Cary Audio  DMS-550
LUMIN  T2
Mytek  Brooklyn  Bridge / Manhattan

Please share your experiences (good or bad)  if you have had some extended / operating listening time with any of these components!   

Some of the criteria that I would hope to find would be :

1. Very good sound quality,    
2. Reliable, durable,  (something that does not break down during streaming or need  frequent tweaks or updates)
3. Future-proof, (as much as is reasonable) 
4. A product that is fairly easy to operate, and also fun to use.
5.  Right Jacks and plugs for the key connectors.  (Do not need a headphone jack or TT connector at this time).
6. Good quality  DAC chips, with equally high specs for playback PCM and DSD levels, etc.
7. Should function perfectly with ROON, Tidal, MQA, Qobuz, etc.

Not interested in the multiple box / PC route as I am not an IT person.  

PS 1: There may other Streamer DACs that should also be included  in this list ,and please suggest those in your reply email.

PS2: The output end of the music is through Legacy Amps and Legacy Focus SE speakers.

PS3: I will pursue some type of  digital storage in the future, maybe like a Roon Nucleus or equivalent. 
Hopefully that future NAS will mesh perfectly with the new streamer  DAC.

Thank you very much!

Dan


  








dan2019
surfmuz
399 posts
 
Teac NT-505... I have one for about five months... bought it directly from Teac USA with %40 discount...Installed firmware upgrade right away... SQ is just amazing and so far no complaints, except original app won’t work stable, but this is not a problem, cause Linn apps works with it just perfectly.... highly recommended. 
jaudio1
121 posts
 
I know the bryston is very good and sounds incredible.  Has a very long warranty as well.
big_greg
6,623 posts
 
I don't think you'd go wrong with any of the devices you've listed.  I've heard the Bryston and Lumin and they both sounded fantastic.  I owned a Mytek Liberty DAC and for me it was too analytical.  The Bryston and Lumin both have a fuller sound that is easier to listen to and sounds more "analog".  The higher end Mytek may be different, but usually brands have a certain sound signature.

I think the TEAC NT-505 mentioned by the previous poster will tick all your boxes.  It sounds great and is more affordable than most of the items you listed.  
sgreg1
612 posts
 
I know you said single box and you are not techey. But don’t rule out the pc route into external dac. The pc is always updating on auto pilot, unlimited storage, backed up and portable. External dac can in most cases outperform internal dac’s that come with streamers. For upgrade in dac you just replace it instead of the entire single box. Schiit has dac’s with at home upgrade and slide in slide out circuit board upgrades.
mrklas
441 posts
 
"Mid-range" streamer is the question to me... 

My interpretation of your ask is the key component is the DAC - the ways in which you provide source content to the DAC, streaming, CD transport, NAS, etc.

My journey has led me to Moon 280D, it also has streaming capabilities.  This is an upgrade from my initial streaming journey was facilitated by Bluesound Node 2i.  

The MiND Controller App is very good - able to access Tidal, Qubuz and the like.  It works with my NAS easily.  The Bluesound App is more familiar to me and I view it as better.

I purchased the unit primarily as a DAC - because I could use the Node 2i as a streamer.  Streaming may become a common feature on mid-tier and higher DACs going forward.

The sound quality of the Moon DAC versus the Bluesound DAC is significant.  The details in the music come through with details that are effortless to observe.  I noticed many additional details in comparing the same song sequentially.

Good luck on your journey
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