Any MDA200 Owners?
So a few weeks ago I upgraded my C2700 preamp to the C12000. I absolutely love it. The phono stage alone was worth the upgrade. However...I'm really missing the DA2 DAC in the C2700.
I'm considering the new MDA200, but the other piece of the equation is that my current streamer is a Bluesound Node. Definitely the weak link in my system. The Node's DAC, at least.
From all accounts, McIntosh doesn't really have a good streaming transport offering right now. Maybe they will down the road. But for the time being, I'm struggling with the decision of getting the MDA200 and just using my Node as transport for now (all I really stream is Qobuz) or looking at something outside of the McIntosh lineup that's both streamer and DAC, like something from Lumin, Aurender, Auralic, etc. My budget is pretty much the $4k price of the MDA200.
I sort of feel like a separate DAC is better in the long run, especially considering something like the MDA200 which can easily be upgraded if/when McIntosh release a DA3 module. But for ~$4k, is the MDA200 a wise buy, or are there better options to consider? Struggling between wanting to keep the system as "McIntosh-y" as I can and getting the best streaming option within my budget. Would appreciate any and all advice.
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