LAIV Harmony

@solarjam  @koestner

Thanks.... but ah a $3000 dollar preamp to control the volume of a $2700 DAC seems like a misappropriation of resources to me.  I too am running my PSAudio Directstream directly into m y amp.  I've tried a SS preamp to increase the gain which made it louder but it pushed everything forward. My preamp does have  a passive mode but not a remote which makes it a no go for me.

It looks like quality passive preamps can be had new for as little as $850 to $1200 which means the Harmony is really a $3500 to $3900 DAC.  Still less than the a Sonnet Pasithea (and a whole lot easier to remember the name  Harmony) but now there are more power cords and interconnects to deal with.

I'm sorry I took this post off the track of comparing how it compared with other DACs but while the Harmony looks fantastic and has great reviews for me at least it has drawbacks.

Check out the Schiit SAGA+ remote preamp for only $399 new. It's way better than its price may suggest.

@danager  Understand that no volume control is a no-go for your current set-up, but for those of us with more "traditional" audio systems, adding volume control to a DAC adds cost and another potential failure point in the unit.

https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2700495 @danager I beg to differ. I run the benchmark LA4 preamp with the $1500 orchard audio starkrimsom monoblocks and love the combo. It drives my B&W 805 D3 speakers. The benchmark is a kickass preamp and won't hesitate putting it in the system to run this DAC. BTW I have an order placed for the Harmony and waiting for it to ship.

Just listened to the Harmony DAC and I’m really happy it’s very quiet and sounds surprisingly good. For now it’s replacing my $9k DAC. Amazing.