DAC/Pre-Amp Advice

Alright guys, might have had a bit of a breakthrough, so let me know if this is something you guys know of and recommend, or if I'm off my rocker.

I'm willing to make the concession initially of my phono stage not having DSP, but I could always add it back in later with a phono stage that has a built in ADC. One that seems to get very good reviews is the Parks Audio Puffin. They have the option to get one with either a SPDIF out or Toslink out.

Have my UHD Blueray player connected to my TV, and run ARC to the Node 130. Connect Node 130 to ethernet (look into LPS upgrades and EMI filtering). Connect Node 130 to MiniDSP SHD Studio via USB. Have the turntable connect via Parks Audio Puffin to the MiniDSP SHD Studio via Toslink/SPDIF. Connect SHD Studio to DAC via AES-EBU. (I haven't found any DSP's that provide RC with an I2S output sadly. If anyone knows of one please let me know)

Is there too much risk of added noise here? I know that was brought up earlier in one of my posts. @soix in the DSPeaker unit you linked earlier, can that USB port be used for Audio in? I wasn't able to discern on their website/manual.

I appreciate you guys a lot, I know I have made it difficult on myself because of the Yamaha amp, but I fell in love with just about every aspect of that thing when I first listened to it. 

I think you are right on the C-658, it is definitely going to be and upgrade from the Node, but I think it will most likely be my fall back option. I'm interested in doing a bit more research before throwing in the towel.

Owner of a C-658. It's an upgrade if you're planning on using DIRAC and have the need for two sub outputs with digital crossover - which can help ease the load of an amp (which is my primary reason for keeping it at the moment).

This unit increased in cost by quite a bit throughout the pandemic. For $2,000 there's a whole lot of competition out there in respect to streamers, especially on the used market. I feel like my Node 2i and MHDT DAC were more musical if I were to be completely honest. Definitely good that you're doing your research. Great thread btw. 

Is there too much risk of added noise here?

BRP>TV>(Node) + (TT/Puffin)>MiniDSP>DAC>Yamaha= Yes, there is a risk of too much noise.

BRP+ TT + Node + TV>(DAC with built in DSP)>Yamaha= less risk, less $$$, hopefully better SQ

@toro3 

I appreciate you chiming in with your experience with the NAD. The unit itself has everything I want, there is no question about that. The price given what it has is also pretty impressive if I'm being honest. It seems like the QC on the unit however is less than ideal. Some people, like @kota1 and yourself have had minimal issues it seems. Others I'm reading have to constantly reset the damn thing every couple of weeks because of BluOS malfunctions, sound distortion, and a myriad of other issues. It's sad because I'm happy someone out there designed a product for exactly my use case, but there isn't frankly any competition sub $5k that I'm seeing, and the unit itself could only be a temporary piece in the long run anyway. 

I'll wait to hear more feedback on my proposed MiniDSP solution, but lets say I ditch BluOS to go w/ something that supports Roon. (I'd prefer to stay away from HEOS/PlayFi/MusicCast. Frankly have had bad personal experience w/ both HEOS/PlayFi, and have heard of headaches w/ MusicCast) Does that open any doors? The things that aren't going to change in my system are the speakers, the amp, and the turntable, everything else is fluid and if I need to make concessions in a different direction so be it. 

Maybe I’m reading you incorrectly, but you can most definitely bypass BluOS and use Roon on the C-658 (and NODE). This is what I’m doing. Using the C-658 as a Roon end point and a Roon Nucleus (previously a MacBook as a Roon core).

I haven’t had to reboot the C-658, but I have experienced volume issues with the sub output with DIRAC not engaged. I’ve also experienced some clipping issues, but this was remedied by using Roon’s headroom management. In terms of DIRAC - mixed results and mixed emotions. I’ve found additional room treatments to be more my preference.

If this unit fits your needs, I’d say go for it, but I’d purchase from a dealer with a good return policy. In respect to the streamer itself, there’s better out there at this price point, but many fall short in features - especially if the NAD’s features are needed for a given setup. The one reassuring aspect is that this unit is continuing to receive updates which could potentially address the issues I mentioned.

Initially I thought your Yamaha was strictly an amp, but it looks like it’s an integrated. With the C-658 you’ll be putting a preamp in front of an integrated.