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Clock vs Streamer advice

Hi,

My current system is/was

Aurender N100H>Bricasti MC1>ARC Ref6 Pre>PS BHK 300 monos>B&W 803 D3

I sold the Aurender to try a different streamer and am temporarily using a MacBook to run Roon straight the the DAC through USB. I currently don’t have a huge budget. I emailed a local shop that has a used Melco N1Z to demo at home. I am going to try it out. I also want to try the Bricasti M5 streamer to see if there is synergy with my DAC.

I also came across the Mutec MC3+USB and Mutec Ref10 Nano combination in a similar price point, but I won’t be able to demo this.

If I have to pick between using a mac>Multec MC3+USB and Ref10 Nano>dac and the Melco>DAC option, which do you think will improve sound more. I’m still pretty new to this hobby and can’t currently afford the Melco and Multec combo.

zpatenaude37
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,286 posts
 

I wouldn’t bother with the Bricasti streamer. Their DACs are very good though. 
Depending on your budget, you can pickup a used Lumin U1 or U2 (the big boy vetsion, not the mini). Or look for a used Aurender N200. With a good USB cable into the Bricasti that will be the combo to beat. 

zpatenaude37 OP
34 posts
 

Thanks for the advice, so you are suggesting a better streamer will outweigh a computer->clock->dac?

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,286 posts
 

I believe so. There’s no going around the noise the laptop generates. Not optimized for streaming. Too many things running, fan, etc.

On top of it all, it’s inconvenient. A good streamer should be all you need. If you feel the need to add a reclocker, you can tackle that later. 

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