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New DAC or New Streamer?

This should be fun. After I pay to get my amp upgraded at VAC next month  I plan to either upgrade my DAC or Streamer next. I should have enough for that by late spring/early summer. I'm retired so I save some each month until I have what I need. My system is in my user profile. But to keep this simple my current DAC is the Dinafrips Venus II I got a year ago. (I also have the Hermes DDC)

My streamer is the Cambridge CXN V2 via coax to the Hermes-> I2s -> DAC which is also 1 year old. I was just getting into streaming then and knew little about it. I have learned a lot this past year, a whole lot.

I think the bottle neck is leaning more toward the streamer. It seems the DAC is pretty good, I know there are much better DAC's out there but it holds it own I think. Maybe not? I cannot afford the likes of DCS, Lampizator, etc.

The next planned upgrades are a Terminator II DAC and Aurender N200 Streamer. Both are $5000-$6000. (Unless I go for the Terminator + DAC that is $7500 but I am not sure it is $2500 better than the Terminator II)

So, since both will get upgraded a year apart, which should I go for first? Which would provide the biggest upgrade?

Thanks. Happy holidays to all.

128x128fthompson251
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,882 posts
 

I believe it all starts at the top of the chain.  I think spending money on a great preamp is one of the best moves you can make.  I think the source is equally important.   
 

I bought the N200 knowing it won’t be the potential bottleneck if I upgrade my DAC.  
 

 

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,169 posts
 

More impact with a-quality dac for sure everything starts with the dac good or bad .

I own desfrid gear and heard them all, dont overlook the  Excellent 

T&A dac 200 for $6900 a great piece of technology with HQ player built into the design when used with Roon which was built into Roons programming .

a great addition .

jl1ny's avatar
jl1ny
419 posts
 

I’ve learned not to underestimate the value of a really good streamer. I started with a Node 2i then worked my way up to an Aurender n100sc and now a Aurender n10. Each jump was an significant improvement over the last. Not to mention that Aurender is a fantastic manufacturer. 

 

lollipopguild's avatar
lollipopguild
133 posts
 

This year I upgraded my entire system.  The source used to be the same Cambridge as yours, and is now Innuos.  As I've also bought new speakers, amp and DAC, plus cabling, it's impossible for me to accurately state where the improvements begin and end.  Needless to say though that the SQ is 100x better.

My point is that everything between the ethernet port of your router/switch and the input of your DAC matters a hell of a lot.  To state it's only 1s and 0s is to frame it in too binary a statement.  You need to understand the digital signal is actually an analogue representation of a digital signal, along with noise and jitter issues.

 

testrun
234 posts
 

When I started done this path I was also thinking of the solution as streamer and DAC.  As I learned more I added in a separate music server (hardware).  I think it is important if you have a large music library (> 2TB+) and use Roon. In the end I moved from a Mac book PS Audio direct stream DAC w/ bridge (streamer) to a Small Green Computer i5 w/ 4TB SSD (music server), Bricasti M3 (DAC), w/ network card (streamer).  Integration with my library and Qobuz is seamless, system response time is near realtime and most important sound quality is great at least with my setup in my room.  Any streaming issues experienced before went away(ie - interruptions, search delays, etc.  Bottom line don't underestimate the value of a physical music server if using Roon.

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