Best Dac for a Shanling and squeezebox?

Muscalal
You will be a happy camper!

Eastern Electric Minimax DAC is pretty amazing - especially in tube mode, IMHO.
Art

The monarchy doesn't compliment the dac-it compliments the source. If the dac accepts a 96k signal, it would improve your source.

Thanks Guys.

it looks like the Wyred 4 Sound for me.

another nod for the Wyred 4 Sound DACs... i LOVE mine. bettered my MF Tri Vista 21 and Weiss Minerva.

I recently purchased the new Hegel HD10 DAC and I am very pleased with its performance. I am using it with a 2nd gen Apple TV connected with an Audioquest toslink cable. The Hegel gives me a really nice warm sound with great separation and a well defined soundstage. I haven't heard too many DACs, but the Hegel is getting some good reviews.

Thanks Cerrot and 2bgeorge.

Unfortunately the more I look in to Dacs the more confusing it is although the wyred4sound does seem like a good investment.

Does anybody know if the Monarchy DIP would compliment the wyred4sound ?

Musicalal
I do not think so, and it gives you flexibilty and the option of putting multiple devices into your DAC with diffferent types of cables.

I would spend $400 on the Monarchy DIP (and you need an additional digital cable) and use the monarchy as an upsampler and clock. I put one between my squeezebox and berkeley dac and it wade an incredible difference.

Steve N.
thanks for that suggestion.

I am using it wirelessly.

The Shanling was reclocked as part of the upgrades but I guess the sqeezebox would need reclocking too.

Are there any Dacs that would achieve low or zero jitter.

I heard something about a Lampizator.

Have you heard of it?

2bgeorge
thanks I was looking at the wyred4sound as it seems to get good reviews and has multiple inputs.

I just wonder about whether the multiple input would dilute the sound improvement.

If you are using the Squeezebox and an expensive DAC, this might not be a good marriage unless you put a reclocker in-between. Most DACs dont deal with jitter very well and you probably will not get better than CD performance from it without a reclocker.

Consider a DAC that includes async USB input instead, unless you have to use wireless or have a long distance to cover. A Mac mini running headless on your rack connected to the DAC by USB cable is a nice solution. You can use iPhone, Ipod Touch or iPad to control everything.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Wyred4Sound DAC 2 is $1499 if you want to stick to your budget you could always buy two.
I have the DAC 1 hooked up to a Logitech Squeezebox as well as my CD palyer and it sounds great.