New DAC or New Streamer?

So late to this…I’m a budget guy so buying a $6,300 Aurender N200 is out of the question, and will continue to plug a DAC directly into my MacBook Pro (which was a gift). With the $$, my path leads me instead to upgrade to a Mytek Liberty ii (replacing an IFI Zen DAC 1) and add 2 REL S510 subs. My hope is these other purchases will provide better bang/buck.
My perspective.  Thanks.

We did a recent shootout of the aurender n20 which is a big step up over the 200

the 432Evo was far better sounding and has a built in ripper

our servers are modular and upgradable

dave and Troy

Yesterday I was comparing the Sonore OpticalRendu streamer with the streamer inside the Lumin X1 DAC. I was using fibre on both, and the fibre came out of my Ubiquiti Network switch or on the second test, an EtherRegen B > A.

The sound was relatively the same, except that the X1 was bit louder. After adjusting for volume, I preferred the OpticalRendu by just a bit because I thought the sound was a bit more refined. Overall, the X1 is a killer package. I wish I had 2 of them for simplicity and great sound.

Both are excellent streamers, the Optical Rendu is relatively cheap, and I think can compete with most streaming competitors.

I have fibre optic streaming using ROON to 3 rooms in the house and 4 DACs, using 3 OpticalRendu’s and 1 Lumin X1. These are all talking to a ROON Core running on a tiny cheap PC hidden behind a door in an office. The streams are all excellent. Fibre is the key to this setup.

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As a side note on the Lumin X1 connected direct to amp and using the LEEDH volume control and external Lumin remote control. I am testing this out now to see if I can forgo a preamp. The key for me for a DAC driving an amp is how does it sound at low volume. The LEEDH is the best sounding DAC direct to amp I have heard though the Benchmark LA4 preamp connected to the X1 seems a bit better.

However, I will use the X1 connected directly to the amp because it is excellent, not the best I have, but excellent, nevertheless. It has a built-in streamer that is almost my best, and the DAC is my fav, over a Musetec 005 and Benchmark DAC3B. I have now eliminated quite a few boxes by going with the X1 for my Livingroom system.

@audiotroy   What model EVO and in what way was it better than the Aurender? The only one I could afford would be the EVO High End model.

@fthompson251, I think that upgrading the streamer is a great long-term investment that will pay off immediately and form a solid foundation for whatever DAC you use now or move to in the future. It took me a while to realize the importance of a high quality streamer, but now I view it as important as the DAC, amplifier, or speakers.

I’d had a few Auralic Aries models (Dual Femto, G1, G2, G2.1) and was very happy with my G2.1 until at some point I visited a friend who had a Taiko Extreme. When we went from the Taiko to the G2.1, the Taiko made the G2.1 sound not just bad—broken! It sounded very digital, strained, processed, unnatural, edgy and grainy, in comparison. It was not a subtle difference in any way. The G2.1 was sold immediately and replaced with an Aurender N20.

When I first plugged the N20 in place of the G2.1, my jaw was on the floor. The sound quality improvement was on par of upgrading the DAC to a model costing several times more. I have to admit that my Auralics all sounded pretty much the same to me, but G2.1 vs N20 was night and day, as were G2.1 vs Taiko. The N20 sounded so effortless and analog that I could not tear myself away from the music. There was no glare or edginess that I could pick up on, and there was no loss of detail. I listened for hours without skipping a single track on my playlist. It all just sounded like music, and not a digital representation. I was totally blown away, and now a firm believer in the importance of streaming.

Fast forward to December, I had the pleasure of meeting Dave/@audiotroy and doing the Aurender shootout he mentioned above. We put a 432 Evo Aeon Mk 2 (which was not even the latest version—the latest is is the Mk 3) against my Aurender N20 in the same setup. Despite the Aeon’s much lower price point ($7,800 vs $12,000,) and to my surprise, I heard what Dave heard—the Aeon came out ahead. It did not make the N20 sound broken—it held its own—but it did make it sound flat and lifeless in comparison. The soundstage on the Aeon, the spatial cues, and the dimensionality were dramatically better. The only thing I think the N20 did a bit better in was the slightly deeper and tighter bass. Overall, however, going from the N20 to the Aeon felt like an upgrade; going the other way felt like a downgrade. I did not miss the slight loss in low end extension when listening to the Aeon. With the N20, however, I did miss the Aeon’s soundstage and imaging.

I am not affiliated with Dave's company, do not get anything from posting this, and am only sharing what is my honest impression of the Aeon. The only reason why I have not sold the N20 is because I also want to hear the Master version of the Evo; once I do, the N20 will be for sale.

Hope this helps!