DAC for Aurender N200
For past 2 years I have been running Aurender N200 into Musical Fidelity M6s DAC. The DAC is built like a tank and very versatile, but I must connect via coax since Aurender clock is superior to DAC clock.
Well, I am ready to upgrade DAC for SQ reasons and presently inclining to PSAudio MkII for US mfr, good reviews, good service, current bargain price.
Q1: What DAC (<$8k) would you consider an optimal match for the N200?
Q2: N200 has very few outputs compared with other streamers in its price class.
I know Aurender has always inclined to USB. All else being equal, is USB the best output?
I already had a CEC DA5 as my DAC, which went perfectly with my CEC TL5 CD transport. I then went the 'whole hog' with digital and purchased the Aurender N200. I couldn't be happier with the N200/ DA5 combo via usb. Not to say that there are better alternatives but I'm too busy enjoying the music to experiment! :-) cheers, Paul |
Seems like this topic pops up every few weeks so I'll toss my Canor, DAC 2.10 into the mix. For $4K it's is as good if not better than all but the very hiend Mola Mola, Berkeley, DCS and Meitner pieces. I listened to a bunch in the $3-$7500 range and the Canor was superior in almost every way to the others including Weiss, PS Audio, Benchmark, etc. The separation of musical instruments in the soundstage is what floored me. Zero grain, no digital remanence whatsoever. I am partial to tube DACs especially in a highly resolving setup and this Canor has been a terrific addition to my system. Definately worth a demo. Just my experience... |
@hickamore, my suggestion would be to audition the best DAC that you can afford and that sounds good to you. Streamers don’t mean a thing unless they’re sending the bits to an equivalently capable DAC. |
@adasdad Right, that is where this thread originated. I have researched every DAC mentioned, about 30 of them, and compiled my short list. Plan is to audition those available new within my budget, and if unsatisfied, try those on used market offering quick turnaround in case of dissatisfaction. That said, the bar is pretty low for audible improvement on my existing "legacy" DAC. |
