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.
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- 122 posts total
Latik so correct on network optimization! I'd trust the knowledgeable steamers in their recommendation of Acoustic Network Muon for top grade filter. My own situation is different as my streamer uses Windows based motherboard, so JCAT Net XE serves as my ethernet optimizer/filter, sure it contributes to my preference for the Sonore bundle vs new streamer straight into dac via less than optimized usb in streamer.
One of the more value oriented propositions some have tried is optical conversion via two generic FMC. I didn't find this to be entirely satisfactory in my setup. |
Among the few I’ve auditioned, my recommendation would be to try Network Acoustics ENO or MUON (for higher performance). The market is flooded with noise filtering devices but ENO and MUON passive filters does more than addressing the noise, they excel at enhancing your musical engagement. I used ENO first with Aurender N10, and later with N20; both of these streamers benefited from ENO + ENO Ag LAN cables. |
Learned a lot here as I’m still in relative diapers when it comes to streaming, but even at this relatively early stage it’s so clear how much everything matters, and matters ALOT. Those who choose to say this or that component is more important are just kidding themselves. As with most things in audio, my experience is ultimately the chain is only as strong as the weakest link, so to think the DAC is most important is just silly to me because everything before and after it matters. What really amazed me was how much better my streaming sound got when I upgraded to a better streamer.
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@lalitk thank you for the insight really appreciate it. |
- 122 posts total