Where to invest the most in the "digital chain"?
Dear All,
I'd love to get everyone's opinions on where best to invest/invest the most, in the "digital chain".
Using my current "basic" system as an example I have very good Internet service into a very good router with the stock PSU on a dedicated power conditioner strip with an ifi AC iPurifier. From there I have Audioquest Pearl Cat6 to a Cisco 2960G with an upgraded Russ Andrews Power Cable. There follows another AQ Pearl Cat6 to an English Electronics 8Switch with an ifi iPowerX. From there I have the Chord C-Stream Ethernet to my ifi Zen Stream with a 15V ifi iPowerX. Then a Wireworld Chroma 8 cable to an ifi iPurifier3 into a Zen DAC v2 also with ifi iPowerX. The EE8, Stream and DAC benefit from a power-conditioner/surge protector and a pair of AC iPurifiers.
I've got a SotM iSO-CAT7 on order which I am intending to put between the EE 8Switch and the network transport with a dCBL-CAT7u into the network transport.
Phew, that was a lot of words!
My question is, and this applies to all systems as a generic question, where is it best to invest the most? Should the best Ethernet cables and/or switches and/or isolators be first in the chain (i.e. from the Internet source) or at the end of the chain (into the DAC/Music Streamer/Network Transport)? Similarly, where should the best power supplies be placed? Or does it all matter equally?
This is purely about the digital chain, I'm well aware that great speakers and a great AMP with good power and speaker cables make all the difference too!
I'm interested in opinions and I will of course experiment for myself.
It sounds like you are at the starting levels of hifi. There aren't that many dacs for £1000. A lot of the models audiophiles recommend cost $3k or more. I have decided to be happy with what I have and wait a few years before upgrading. Then I may be able to find a nice, used dac for a good price. If you want something now the Okto Dac8 has gotten great reviews and it has a streamer built in. Could be a step up for you.
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In the interests of transparency I've spent the last several hours listening to a number of pieces of music that have passages of silence as well as single instruments and acoustic vocal tracks - with these on repeat I've slowly removed a number of components from the "digital path". The end state I have landed on is that the Wi-Fi circuit in the Zen Stream is more than good enough for a low noise signal (hence removing the Cisco 2960, EE 8Switch and SotM iSO CAT7 and assorted high-end Ethernet cables). The connection between the Zen Stream and the Zen DAC v2 is now just the supplied USB cable and an ifi iPurifer 3. Removing the iPurifier and re-adding it yielded the most noticeable improvement in SQ with audible noise on an MQA Studio recording of Adagio for Strings without the USB filter, and near-perfect silence with it added in. It is worth noting that I have recently upgraded my Wi-Fi router to an ultra-powerful TP-Link DECO XC80-5g which reaches every corner of my three-story house with rock-solid high-speed connectivity. I have my eye on several potential upgrades to the Streamer and DAC in the near future, with a preference for a Streamer that supports Qobuz natively as well as Tidal with MQA decoding. I appreciate all the responses, even the hostile ones as they are always a test of ones self restraint ;) |
I purchased DB Audio modified Mac mini and his DAC with all options. I also have an Audio Research CD player. The Audio Research and the DB Audio system are close but my preference goes to the Mac mini + DAC. I have used a streamer linked to the inboard DAC in my Classe pre amp and its not even close. My opinion is much like the rest of this stuff, don't use any weak link. There is no substitute for top quality across the entire chain.
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@slbjbb now that is super interesting, thanks for the insight! |
