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Full featured balanced dac/preamp advice

There doesn't seem to be too many units on the market that feature a balanced dac/preamp, AES digital input, analog RCA input, balanced outputs and remote control. The Bel Canto 2.7 dac checks all of those boxes. All opinions on that unit would be very welcome. I'm leaning towards buying one at this point. However I don't want to rush this purchase without exploring all of my options. Benchmark made one until recently but it appears to have been discontinued. Guess there is a chance I could find a pre-owned one. I think Mytek has one but I have heard Bel Canto is superior. All opinions greatly appreciated
milkdudd
milkdudd OP
63 posts
 
Thanks for all the responses. I should have mentioned that the $2,500 price that the Bel Canto goes for is probably at the upper range of what I can spend. Unfortunately that rules out the fine suggestions except the Matrix. I could be wrong but I don't think the Matrix has the AES input. One other contender is the Newprime DAC-9. Seems like a lot of bang for the buck for around $800 but obviously not in the league as some of these others discussed
milkdudd OP
63 posts
 
trump350, are you overall pleased with the 2.7? Maybe you could give me a heads up if you decide to list it for sale.
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,510 posts
 
PS Stellar Gain Cell was designed with every one of those features included except for i2s and 2 coax SPDIF instead of AES/EBU input.
You are still much better off with a seperate, upgradable DAC IMHO.
ghdprentice
6,510 posts
 
A good question, however I have never heard any components that would warrant a choice on the basis of inputs and output (USB under certain circumstances) versus the sound of the component. The difference in the sound of the different components was far greater than any difference in which interconnect type would make. To optimize components... once you have the components you like then optimize for the best connections. 

hgeifman
2,113 posts
 
I own the Bricasti M3 DAC and like it very much.  "The M3 utilizes two independent linear power supplies for the analog AND digital processing to insure low noise and superior isolation".   Bricasti recently released the MDx Upgrade Board.   This upgrade improves the sound quality and is an example of Bricasti Customer Support.

And, it sounds great.  Recommended.  
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