DAC/Pre-Amp Advice
Hey all!
Currently at a crossroads in my HiFi adventure. I want to know what you guys would recommend as my next upgrade to my system. Here is the equipment I currently have:
Bluesound Node
Yamaha A-S1200
Sony UBP-X800 (Using this as SACD player)
Rega Planar 2 Turntable
Pair of B&W 704 S2
I have had the amp for around 45-60 days now, and I love the sound now that I have had time to burn it in. Mostly stream music from Tidal right now (trying out Qobuz), and play the occasional Record/SACD with the equipment above. I feel the only things I am really desiring in this system is some type of room correction, and subwoofers.
When looking at room correcting software, what all do you guys recommend? With new Preamp/DAC would I need it to support MQA, or would my Node be able to take care of that? Budget is around $2500-3000, but I'm open to frankly any other suggestions. If you guys need any other info please let me know, looking forward to the discussion.
I'm going to just go DAC and subs. The preamp before the integrated probably is not a road I will go down, as there could be a lot of negative aspects.
Thank you all for you help on this. I've boiled it down to the 3-4 DAC's all mentioned in here, and I'll update this thread when I pull the trigger on one.
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I’ve never tried 2 subs, so I don’t know what I’m missing, but adding one sub really helped, and my floorstanders do pretty good bass. I listen to Classical and there are so many low level percussion effects that many composers use that one could appreciate in a concert and now I can approximate at home. I would start with one sub and see how it goes. You can always add a second later |
I have the C-658 and have been using it for a year or so. I currently use it with a FirstWatt F6 as a streamer, DAC, phono stage (MM cart) and believe it to be the best bang for the buck out there. I also have the HDMI card installed and run a Panasonic UB9000 through that. It all sounds great to me. I previously used the C-658 with Rogue M-180 tube amps, a couple vintage power amps (Onkyo M-504, Sony TA-N80ES), all going into Focal Kanta No.2s. I have compared the DAC to an Auralic Altair G1 using a Yamaha CD-S1000 as a transport and I believe there is a slim line between the 2 devices as the G1 does add a little to the overall listening experience but again, at a significant cost increase. Are there better DAC/preamps for function and sound? Yes. But, IMHO not for the same monies.
I was considering selling mine but since I hooked it up to the F6 I may keep it as part of a 2nd system. It certainly is versatile. |
We recommend you consider the miniDSP SHD (or Flex) as a pre-amp DAC with Dirac Live. With Tidal as the digital source going into the miniDSP SHD via LAN. The digital signal remains bit-perfect through all the DSP / Dirac Live processing. This signal is then delivered over the I²S Bus to the SHD’s internal DAC and premium analog output stage, ready to drive and use your Yamaha A-S1200 as a power amplifier.
Please check out our Tech Blogs: https://deercreekaudio.com/tech-blog and our Tech Videos: https://deercreekaudio.com/tech-videos-1 Deer Creek Audio is an authorized miniDSP dealer.
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