DAC for entry level system

It seems to me that you are looking for a DAC that will serve both the Arcam and the Squeesbox, and therefore looking for 2 SPDIF inputs. Is this true?

You right Mesch, although I hope to use the Squeesbox as the main source and not deal so much with CD's.

Since no one has mentioned it, I'll throw out the Emotiva XDA-2 DAC. I don't think that anyone will say that it's the best sounding DAC out there, but it does sound good and offers a lot of flexibility for the price tag of $400.

When I first got my XDA-1, I compared it to a few lower priced DACs such as the V-Dac, the little Arcam (can't remember the model) and one or two others. I sent them all back. Not because they necessarily sounded any worse, but because they weren't worth the sacrifice in flexibility.

I have the Cambridge Audio dacmagic and haven't heard anything that trumps it except the naim DAC, but I did a serious upgrade to the power supply.

Dacmagic 2 also doubles as a headphone amp and up samples to 24/384

Another good one is the schiit bifrost - well built, upgradable and built in America.

And finally there is the zdac, which has received good reviews, but I've never heard one (sadly)

Hope this helps

I am sorry that sterophile review was comparing Musical Fidelity M1 DAC to the Rega Dac not the $379 Musical fidelity V-DAC MKII.

The MF M1 DAC sells for $799.00. Much closer to the price of the Rega but still cheaper for people who want to buy new.

I just got my Rega and I still need time to really get a good grip of the dac as a whole.

First impressions so far this DAC leads me to believe that many of the reviews on the web are dead on. It has added some new details that my Marantz 5004 CDP missed ($350). Though clearly the added details are small.What it does do is add alot of body and fullness to music. Room filling body. It also throws a nice sound stage which is a big improvement over the Marantz on all recordings. Much less digital sound and the the way it presents music is nice and very cohesive. You can clearly hear voices and instruments yet they flow together instead of hearing things separate but don't seem to come together and make a song come together(Marantz).

I do think the bass is a little much. It does add bass that is not as tight. The bass was terrible with a cheap digital cord from Best Buy. A blue jeans cable has helped the bass and I guess a better cord would do more to help improve the bass. Note that I am in a small room which always held back my bass.