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Arcam irDAC vs W4S dac 2 vs Bel Canto Dac3

I`m currently running the Arcam dac with no real complaints except that it may be outclassed by the rest of the system. I was just wondering how the other two dacs mentioned in the title would compare with the irDAC. I realize the Dac 2 and Dac 3 were much more expensive when introduced so this may not be a fair comparison but the Arcam is 3-5 years newer  so that may level the playing field.
It would be great to hear from former or current owners with hands on experience. 
The rest of the system consists of Moon CD1 as transport, Node2i streamer,  Krell KRC-3, KSA-50s pre and power amp and Spendor S8e speakers.
michael_f
ianrmack
227 posts
 
what’s your what’s your budget?
what are your goals?
sounds like you like your dac. Why change?
michael_f OP
1 posts
 
I`d be looking at a budget of around $1000 at the most. I just upgraded from an integrated to separates and the difference was huge to say the least, just looking for more of a good thing if that can be achieved given the budget.
I do like the irDAC very much, before settling on it I compared it to an Audiolab M-DAC and Rega DAC. That was an apples to apples comparison as all three dacs were in the same price range more or less. The two dacs that Im considering were significantly more expensive when current.
ianrmack
227 posts
 
you have so many choices.
again, depends on your goals.

the odds of others knowing how those 3 dacs compare in the context of your system are remote at best.

mytek Liberty?
used benchmark 2?

bel canto 3 is OLD now.
i had a 2.5 five years ago.
its fine, does the job. But you also don’t need volume control or pre functions.

spend extra $200 and find a used chord Qutest.
wait six months and buy an external,power supply for it and you’re done for 5-7 years.

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