Any better DAC then dCS Scarlatti?

Pubul57....I suspect you are right, but to quote the Troggs: "I wanna know for sure"...

Suffice I am auditioning the MPS5 next week.

Am definitely mid mulling when it comes to the next upgrade. It is an interesting problem to have...where should one focus about $30k...

1. Avalon TIME (currently have Indras)
2. DAC – as above.
3. Interconnects, Cables, Power Chords (e.g: MIT Oracle), FINITE stands
4. Mixture of 2 and 3 to budget

And it is far from easy to assemble the foregoing to audition in my system to validate the extent of difference....

Cheers!

I think there is no way you will be unhappy with any of the DACs or Players you are considering, I would expect all of them to provide you with the best the digital format has to offer. Doesn't seem you can wrong, but for $$$, but that is of relative importance. The only thing that would keep me from making a move just yet, is the future of hi-rez downloads and the connectivity requirments for future music servers - then again, things may not change as fast as one would think, and I do have 1000s of CDs.

Hi Wflm,

Would you need to change amps if you change speakers, even if they are still Avalon models? I have found that a change in speakers usually caused me to first embark on finding appropriate amplification, if the amplifiers I own at the time of change do not mate properly. I would also add that in my setups, the change of preamp has returned the most dramatic difference, following the speaker/amp combo. Digital setups have varied but the differences are not normally that dramatic or drastic. I currently own the dCS Paganini synchronized with an Esoteric rubidium clock and the MPS5, among others. Differences are material, significant and I have more than one on hand for preference and choice, keeping my other gear constant.

Classicjazz - I am using Spectral monoblocks (DMA360v2) and preamp (DMC30SS); they should be able to step up to the challenge of driving the TIME.

Appreciate your perspectives on the DAC choices - intriguing to see the state of the art approached from rather different (as you describe orthogonal) vantages.

Thanks again.

Wflm, Based on your list, you should definitely start with the new speakers. Seeing where you are at, there is no way you would be disappointed. The Indra to the Time will be such a tremendous leap.

The Spectral may be a very good match, but don't be wed to your amplifier. Go listen to several others, and bring 1-2 in for home demo once the speakers are broken-in. If you can't find a better amp, then that issue has been settled. The amplifier is the key to Avalon speakers. This cannot be overstated.

Next you can find the perfect DAC that is synergistic with your speaker/amplifier interface. If you stay with Spectral, then you would probably want something not as crystaline, such as DCS, Playback, EMM, Weiss, etc. If you go with a new amp and preamp with more midrange presence but not the final word in clarity, then the DAC might be Wadia or Esoteric.

Cables should come last to fine-tune the sound.

Enjoy the journey.