#11
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Try an Gustard A18 ,has everything your looking for. I tried the topping D90 mqa but sent it back and tried the Gustard A18 and just can't believe how good this dac sounds, both use the latest AKM 4499 chip and both have measured at the top of the chain.
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#12
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Each of your components can be significantly upgraded. Are you looking to move your system performance up a level? It sounds like you are. Typically I have found you have to roughly double or triple the cost of a component to be assured of a significant improvement in sound. This is a bit overly simplified, but most of my components once were at one level of performance say $1,000, then $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 and finally $20K. I stayed for many years at each level. I have always looked for the next key component to upgrade. Contemporary DACs can be very good and improve at higher levels of cost. I think if you are looking to jump up a level then upgrading the DAC is a good choice. Set your DAC at the next level of performance. I would not worry about what formats of music you own so much as making sure it does contemporary formats. Streaming is here and is the future. My streaming now is better than my analog end ( so of course I ordered a new turntable). So after the DAC you can upgrade the streamer... an Aurender N10 would be a couple levels up (if that is a level you can reach later). Having stepped from a N100 to a W20se I can assure you there are very substantial improvements with each jump in streamer. It is like the analog chain... the closer to the source the bigger the impact it can have. But you need a really good DAC. I am not very familiar with the Mac lines, somewhere in there you would want to upgrade the preamp... probably first, amp last... but that is a personal preference thing.
One way to look at system performance is that of diminishing returns. I have not found that to be personally true. An audio system is like an scientific instrument, the higher the quality the more sensitive the system is to improvements in components. So for me, each increased level of performance have brought greater rewards and satisfaction, outstripping the ever increasing cost. A lot of people that have pursued high end audio have systems costing $20K, $100k and a lot more. Many are not “rich people” but normal folks that have upgraded slowly for decades to achieve the sound they enjoy. Anyway, kind of sounds like you may be in that camp... so if you think you are then I would go for a separate DAC.
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George Main: Aurender W20SE music streamer, ARC REF 9SE DAC / CD, Linn LP 12, Koetsu Rosewood SignCartrige, ARC REF 3 Phono Stage, ARC REF 6SE Preamp, ARC 160s amp, Sonus Faber Amati Traditional Speakers,Transparent Ultra IC & SC Library:Aurender N100, Ayre QB9 2020 DAC, Woo WA5-LE amp upgraded tubes, Focal Utopia HP, Sennheiser 800s HP, LCD HP. Last edited by George Prentice; 01-09-2021 at 03:58 AM. |
#13
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jojo, don't underestimate the quality of the DAC in your Accuphase.
I would carefully test a separate DAC in your system and compare it to the one you already own. A separate 3K DAC might be better, but not necessarily so.
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Stereo: Hegel H590, Grimm Audio MU1, Mola Mola Tambaqui, Burmester 948 - V3 & V6 racks, Vivid Audio G2 Giyas, REL Carbon Special (pair), Silent Angel Bonn N8 Ethernet Switch & Forester F1, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse IC and SE SC, Furutech Digiflux AV: Hegel C-53, Marantz AV8802A, Oppo BDP-203EU, Pioneer Kuro 60", Vivid Audio C1 & V1w's, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse, SE & E Second system (veranda): Halgorythme preamp and monoblocks, Burmester 061, Avalon Avatar, Sharkwire & Wireworld cables |
#14
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Exactly... truth be told, I cannot hear a difference between my dCS, the Accuphase DP-560 or the Accuphase DG-68 DACs.... if there is a difference, it's lost on my 51 year old ears.
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#15
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Quote:
The reality of things is such that the inner music lover is blind to the fancy boxes and their prices. Close your eyes and listen. I once deeply connected with a $300 DAC card inside a German high end headphone amplifier that I used temporarily in my system. It was silly to leave it there permanently but in retrospect, why not if it brought so much of that synergy we always seek. |
#16
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#17
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You'd have to spend at least double that to get something comparable. Accuphase makes some really good DACs
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#18
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Jojo maybe this is too much but a Bricasti M3 for about double your spend and you will be extremely satisfied
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ML CLX Art / Bricasti: M21SE & M28SE / Aurender W20SE / Nordost: O2 Full |
#19
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Quote:
+1. Extremely good sound and overall value for money as a result!
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Main Equipment: Kharma Elegance dB11-S, JL Audio F113v2 X 2, Block Audio Line & Mono SE Amplification, Bricasti M21 DAC, Antipodes Kala K-50 Server, Clearaudio Performance SE. Satisfy tonearm & Maestro Wood MM cartridge. Power: Shunyata Everest 8000, Sigma XC v2, Sigma NR v2, Block Audio PCs, Defender, ADDPowr Wizard Grounding: Shunyata Altaira CGS - 4 X Alpha CGS cables, Network : Supra Cat 8+, Twin (Nenon) Modified Buffalo GS2016 Switches, Keces P3 LPSU, Cables: Wireworld Platinum 8 USB, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse 8 Speaker cables, 6M & 1M Tubulus Concentus ICs, Other:Two PSI Audio AVAA C20, Multiple GIK products, Stillpoint Apertures, Stillpoint Minis and Ultra SS, Three 20 Amp lines, Furutech GTX - Gold outlets, Adona Rack |
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