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Any Input Appreciated - Your Thoughts On The Best $1500.00 (street price) DAC


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If you don't need a preamp, and crazy specs, I would look at the Border Patrol-se. Probably what I would get if I invested in a preamp-less DAC. 

SERVER CLOSET (in office directly below living room stereo):NUC 7i5BNH with Roon ROCK (ZeroZone 12V on the NUC)>Cisco 2690L-16PS switch>Sonore opticalModule (Uptone LPS 1.2)>

LIVING ROOM: Sonore opticalRendu Roon version (Sonore Power Supply)> Shunyata Venom USB>Naim DAC V1>Witchhat DIN>Naim NAP 160 Bolt Down>Chord Rumor 2>Audio Physic Compact Classics. OFFICE: opticalModule> Sonore microRendu 1.4> Matrix Mini-i Pro 3> Naim NAP 110>NACA5>KEF Ls50's. BJC 6a and Ghent Catsnake 6a JSSG ethernet; AC cables: Shunyata Venom NR V-10; Audience Forte F3; Ice Age copper/copper; Sean Jacobs CHC PowerBlack, Moon Audio DIN>RCA, USB A>C. Isolation: Herbie's Audio Lab. 

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7 hours ago, TubeLover said:

The Pontus is at or near the top of my list.

 

Since he desires simplicity for his streaming, I'm also pondering whether to just have him go with a Lumin D2, one box, and done, and with a built in app.

 

JC

Probably something like that is your best bet. IMO, the DAC is only as good as your streamer. The DAC is not the source, the streamer is. I recently got a all in one Matrix-mini-i Pro 3 for the office, and despite it being a great dac, preamp, Roon streamer for $899, it was just that much better after connecting a microRendu 1.4 via Moon Audio USB with a Teddy Pardo power supply and opticalModule before it. So unless he also wants a stand alone streamer that's not a number of small boxes such as the rendu series, then built in with the DAC would be best (like what Naim do with their streamers as well). 

SERVER CLOSET (in office directly below living room stereo):NUC 7i5BNH with Roon ROCK (ZeroZone 12V on the NUC)>Cisco 2690L-16PS switch>Sonore opticalModule (Uptone LPS 1.2)>

LIVING ROOM: Sonore opticalRendu Roon version (Sonore Power Supply)> Shunyata Venom USB>Naim DAC V1>Witchhat DIN>Naim NAP 160 Bolt Down>Chord Rumor 2>Audio Physic Compact Classics. OFFICE: opticalModule> Sonore microRendu 1.4> Matrix Mini-i Pro 3> Naim NAP 110>NACA5>KEF Ls50's. BJC 6a and Ghent Catsnake 6a JSSG ethernet; AC cables: Shunyata Venom NR V-10; Audience Forte F3; Ice Age copper/copper; Sean Jacobs CHC PowerBlack, Moon Audio DIN>RCA, USB A>C. Isolation: Herbie's Audio Lab. 

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3 hours ago, GregWormald said:

 

 

Additionally, digital seems to exacerbate my mild tinnitus. So I was listening for the lack of digital's negatives for me.

I have this issue as well. Like I said above, it's not just the DAC but the whole replay chain. You can't just get a good DAC and run a pi into it - the whole chain needs to be considered, from modem on back, but the streamer and its power supply and cabling are especially important. Consider the streamer as your stylus and/or cartridge.  

SERVER CLOSET (in office directly below living room stereo):NUC 7i5BNH with Roon ROCK (ZeroZone 12V on the NUC)>Cisco 2690L-16PS switch>Sonore opticalModule (Uptone LPS 1.2)>

LIVING ROOM: Sonore opticalRendu Roon version (Sonore Power Supply)> Shunyata Venom USB>Naim DAC V1>Witchhat DIN>Naim NAP 160 Bolt Down>Chord Rumor 2>Audio Physic Compact Classics. OFFICE: opticalModule> Sonore microRendu 1.4> Matrix Mini-i Pro 3> Naim NAP 110>NACA5>KEF Ls50's. BJC 6a and Ghent Catsnake 6a JSSG ethernet; AC cables: Shunyata Venom NR V-10; Audience Forte F3; Ice Age copper/copper; Sean Jacobs CHC PowerBlack, Moon Audio DIN>RCA, USB A>C. Isolation: Herbie's Audio Lab. 

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