Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD


Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp
Matt, sounds awesome. I'm sick of the snow. Just a pain, lol. I'll call you later if I have some time as I've upgraded a ton and I think I'm about to do it again. lol....it's YOUR fault Matt ;)
Everyone sick of the snow and rain? If you want to do your part to slow this trend, I recommend that you turn your vehicles engines off when they are parked. If everyone did this, it would eliminate more CO emissions than 2 coal power plants. If we don't have a grass-roots change of these behaviors the weather will just get worse and worse. It should be mandated that all personal vehicles be hybrids for instance. We have mucked with Mother Nature big time and she is letting us know.

By the time we have political will to stop this trend, the salmon runs will die out as will most other critical foods from the sea. The reefs are dying at an alarming rate and the small organisms are declining. Weather disasters will become daily news (they already are actually) and will prevent any world economy from being "normal". Growing regions will fail and crops will have to be relocated, like California. Next thing you know, we will be buying our produce from Canada.

If you believe that global warming cannot possibly be due to man because of all of the cold weather and snow in the east, you don't understand climate.

Okay, I'll get off my soap box now.

Steve N.
Thing is climate has always changed drastically throughout geologic

The other thing is we know things we do today can impact climate.

The other thing is we can control the second but not the first.

If you choose to do nothing about something that you do have control over that is known to be desctructive, you are either a fool or making money off it somehow.

If you choose to do what you can well, then you might still be a fool in the end but at least you tried.
If you are not a climatologist or scientist at NOAA or NASA, then you only know a tiny bit about the subject. These are the experts and it's time we acknowledged that. Believing that there is nothing you can do anyway because you are just one person is a recipe for disaster and the eventual extinction of man. This is not an exaggeration. Global warming is currently the #1 threat to mans existence, as well as many other species on the earth. This is acknowledged by at least 80% of the worlds climate scientists.

Steve N.