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The Streamer-Dac-Preamp Chain

I'm building a second system, and I'd love your thoughts. My starting point is Roon / digital library / Qobuz.  My ending point is a Moon 761 power amplifier which then goes on to speakers. I need to insert a streamer, a DAC, and a preamp between the starting point and the ending point. Now, I know I can get a Moon 791 for around 15K, which looks and sounds lovely with the Moon 761.

Question: can you suggest a streamer, a DAC, and a preamp (for the same approx total) that spans this particular chain (e.g., no phono needed) and does better than the Moon 791?

[I do have an Auralic Vega G2.1 left over from my first system which connects all the dots above. But I don't like its preamp stage --- I've already replaced the volume control module. And the Moon 791 easily outperforms it. However, if you want to incorporate its DAC into your suggestions, I am happy to listen...]

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That ends my question, but you might be interested in hearing what ChatGPT had to say. Pretty confident character, our Chat :-)

This is a great problem. Here’s a stack that should significantly outperform the Moon 791 in terms of DAC resolution, preamp transparency, and streamer flexibility:

1. Streamer: Auralic Aries G2.2 (~$5,500)

• Tesla G3 processor is far superior to the Moon 791’s built-in MiND 2 module.

• Femto clocks + isolated dual processors mean exceptionally low jitter.

• USB, AES/EBU, and I²S outputs (versatile for DAC pairing).

• Dedicated power supply for streaming means cleaner signal delivery.

2. DAC: Holo Audio May KTE (~$5,500)

• R2R discrete ladder DAC (no delta-sigma conversion, ultra-natural sound). 

• Fully balanced dual-mono design.

• Separate power supplies for analog/digital stages.

• One of the most analog-like DACs available. Unlike ESS-based DACs (like in Moon 791), the Holo May avoids digital glare.

3. Preamp: Benchmark LA4 (~$3,000)

• Absolutely neutral, ultra-transparent preamp.  The Moon 791 preamp section is good but not at LA4’s level.

• No capacitors in the signal path, no coloration.

• Near-zero distortion and noise floor.

 

 

 

debrajray
yyzsantabarbara
4,941 posts
 

The fibre used in the OpticalRendu cleans up any noise in your internal network. Whatever is connected to the Ethernet and into the RJ45 connection will likely inject noise into the network. That noise will potentially travel into your DAC. The UltraRendu does not help in this scenario, the OpticalRendu is the way to go. 

A fibre optical "moat" just before your DAC is ideal. Now the Lumin X1 is great at this because it has a fibre Optic connection in the DAC/Streamer. However, the DAC part is not as good as my Schitt Yggi+ OG DAC (my opinion).

The OpticalRendu is not theoretically perfect like the X1 because there is a conversion from fibre to USB and then into the DAC. However, the bits into the OpticalRendu should be clean since it traveled through the glass fibre optical cable. Glass cannot carry analog noise, thus a "moat".

This is how I am able to use a noisy $500 Dell PC to run my ROON Core. I have no keyboard, monitor, or mouse hooked up to the PC and it resides under a bed in the guest room. I RDP into the machine in the event I need to reboot or whatever. This hardly ever happens. The PC starts automatically up at 7AM and shutdown at 2:30AM.

I sometimes run processor intensive ROON convolution filters (for headphones). The digital balance (for speakers). Everything worked perfectly on this low-cost PC. I also use the copper wires in my house walls to move the bits from room to room. The OpticalRendu's are at the endpoints where I have audio systems. 

So easy, so powerful, and sounds perfect.

debrajray OP
9 posts
 

@yyzsantabarbara, I’m really exploiting your generosity here so please tell me where to get off. I live in Manhattan and have Verizon Fios. I believe it is FiberOptic all the way to the ONT in my apartment, but the ONT has only standard RJ45 Ethernet out! I just don’t see how to connect directly to the fiber optic "flow" here. Maybe I can get a third party router and bypass Verizon’s ONT but I am at the limit of my own technical knowledge at this point ... my question is, how did you set this stage up? (My Roon core is a Mac Mini btw in case that info is needed.) And as always, thank you!

jond's avatar
jond
5,910 posts
 

Personally I'd got the 791 you'll obviously have synergy with your amp and fewer boxers. If you go the Auralic route perhaps the Altair G2.2 rather than the Aries?

Also since ChatGPT doesn't actually have ears it may not be a good idea to take it's recommendations. wink

debrajray OP
9 posts
 

@jond that was for our collective amusement. I believe it would be offended if told such a thing! Certainly Claude would be:-)

Altair no, given I can always use the dac of the Vega I already have...

retiredaudioguy
12 posts
 

FWIW.  Aurender N200, Esoteric K03, Benchmark LA4.  Then you might add the Stanford Research FS725 clock.

My chain is N100, K01 XS, Benchmark LA4, with the clock.

The sound would be very similar - the new K03 might beat my K01-XS.  The only real difference is the number of DAC's in parallel.

I have had a number of Power Amps between that and the Rockport Atria IIs, everything has sounded wonderful.  Detailed, neutral and natural, no HiFi artifacts.

 

 

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