I am really sorry to say that a budget of $1.5k won't get you much in sound quality. So in reality just go with your Cambridge and then save your money to go up the line. I started with a Lumin D-2. Then went to the Lumin A-1 and their flagship X-1. Each step was a significant improvement in SQ. I now have the Lampizator Pacific. I hope I am not raining on your parade because everyone has to live within their budget. All I am saying is don't expect much at that price point. Good Luck. It is a long journey.
Best streamer/DAC for up to $1500
I almost bought the Qutest. Even though it is still in my shortlist, I am thinking maybe I should go for the integrated solution of a streamar/DAC combo. My budget is no more than about $1500 MAX. MQA is not absolutely necessary. XLR outputs are preferable.
I am deciding towards a Cambridge CXN V2, unless someone here suggests an alternative.
Sound quality is obviously the most important criteria but right up there is also reliability too (at least 6+ years of trouble free reliable operation).
Any experiences ?
Thanks in advance.
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DO NOT get a DAC/streamer combo. Both technologies are progressing so fast it makes no sense to have one tied to the other. If I’m you, get an iFi Zen Stream with their better linear power supply and a Musician Pegasus R2R DAC. In the future you can insert an optical connection between your router and DAC for only 80 bucks that will likely improve your sound even further, but that’s probably a topic for another thread. In the meantime, here’s a review of the Pegasus from a very reputable site, and I also own the Pegasus and can confirm his observations... https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/musician-audio-pegasus-r2r-dac-review/ Hope this helps, and best of luck. |
@cakyol Perhaps I'm wrong, but haven't you previously stated digital is only ones and zeroes and all digital should sound the same. I apologize if incorrect
If I'm correct, are you now saying you're willing to experience or at least explore whether your previous contentions are indeed correct?
I'd also recommend separating the two pieces, far more choices available to you. |
@cakyol : this thread is pointless. I have a very strong feeling you either are not looking for such thing, or you already know what you are getting. What did ASR crowd tell you when you posted such question? Let’s be frank this one time, and one time only. Namely, did you look at the typical China DACs touted by ASR? Things like Topping and similar |
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Well, the Pegasus does look interesting at it's price point ($1100 according to review). If coupled to the iFi Zen streamer would meed your budget. I have not heard either so can't make a recommendation, however maybe one could get home trial. I know this is true for the iFi Zen unit (Audio Advisor) which I am considering to pair with my DAC. I am with those that recommend separating the streamer from DAC.
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I settled on the NAD C658. XLR balanced. I only use the DAC. BluOS interface is troublesome but depending on your music source, there are work-arounds. I paid under $1600.00 All in all, it does well. BTW, you'll have to find the best dB and unfortunately NAD won't let you "set it and forget it". Each time you use it, you'll have to adjust the setting. as it defaults to -20. dB when turned on. In my system, I have to adjust to -9 dB. Small inconvenience I wish NAD would fix with a firmware update. |
Do you know what kind of sound quality characteristics you’re looking for? At $1500 I would be looking at ~$500 or less for a good, lower priced streamer like an Allo USBridge Signature or SOtM sms-200 Neo + ~$1k DAC. It opens up far more options for you to achieve the sound you like. If you can stretch a bit into the $1500 - $2k range, a used Lumin D2 would be a nice choice to look into for a streamer/DAC combo. There’s one on US Audio Mart right now for $1799 asking and one on Canuck Audio Mart for $1975 CAD. I haven’t heard the D2 per se, but I owned their flagship X1. Great package that’s solidly built from a well-known and resourced parent company, a breeze to set up with a nice app, and superb sound. Enormous soundstage, exceptional clarity, nice even tonal balance, smooth and liquid with a bit of warmth. It also employs leedh processing, a slick digital volume control algorithm that is supposedly lossless and works very well, so you use it directly with a power amp. Warranty is transferable as well. Worth looking into. |
Coveats for Musician Pegasus given by a reviewer are noted here FYI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH0MY044X8Q&t=180s Schiit had a pretty solid Dac line starting from $199 Modius. SS is wide with decent depth and good image. I also find it really rounds the edges well and give non-fatiguing sound that I could listen for hours. Reviewers find it competing well with the highly raved $699 Bifrost 2. Then if you desire something even better, consider $1,299 Gungnir. |
@cakyol - Given that source components costing around the $1500 mark generally have an inadequate power supply, which impacts their performance, I have taken a different approach in my streaming solution For me - it makes sense to have the least number of componnents in the audio chain
This may seem a little "extreme", i.e. using cables that actually cost more than the streamer,
Unfortunately, my cables are an advanced DIY design, so they are not "generally available". HOWEVER - Zavfino is a brand that produces excellent value cables like
The Bluesound Node 2 combined with great cables, punches way above it’s price point without the need for an external DAC, I realize it does not have XLR outputs, but XLR only really provides any benefit when long cables are used in very noisy environments - home audio seldom falls into that arena I do not make my recommendation without having experienced many different cables used with my Node 2 over the many years I have owned Bluesound product
FYI - I play content from
The Node 2 + the Cables recommended above is within your budget - with some wiggle room to spare Good luck with your quest Regards - Steve
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@cakyol - FYI - the Bluesound products also has tone controls built into the software interface You can customize by the selected player e.g.
To access select Settings - Player - Audio - Tone Controls from the interface software I opted not to go for the Vault because it only has one Hard Drive - My NAS has two mirrored RAID disks, which are great if a disk fails - just pop in another disk and the RAID asoftware rebuilds the mirror You should buy "server grade" hard drives - they are far more reliable Advantage of the Vault - you can load CD’s directly - but I use my computer, which also has access to the NAS, which I also use to purchase downloads - no more CD’s for me Regards - Steve |
My choice for the Mojo 2 is because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the product, as well as the fact that one of the the mojo 2 tone control bands is around 20 Hz, which is the low/subwoofer bass region, which is almost equivalent to the ’loudness’ settings which used to be available on older products and not on the newer ones, which I sorely miss. That is in fact one of the most important reasons I flipped to a Mojo 2 from the Qutest, which is considered to be a better (and more than twice as expensive) DAC. I am obviously giving up my XLR output requirement but I promise I will keep the wires very short :-) Thanks on all the suggestions. |
Something to consider with a budget of $1,500 is the miniDSP SHD, you get superb core audio performance, true active balanced XLRs, and system flexibility. Then with Dirac Live and you have a game changer. Dirac Live resolves the soundstage with improved clarity and intelligibility with all instruments and vocals. With the room correction aspect you'll experience deeper and tighter bass free of resonances throughout the listening area, with greater transparency and the removal of distracting artifacts. The miniDSP SHD is a good example of a streaming high definition digital audio processor with excellent DACs. Dirac Live uniquely combines frequency response correction as well as impulse response (time domain) correction in the digital domain. Fixing time domain anomalies is an impressive advancement for any audiophile system.
The only downside is the increased complexity and effort needed to fully integrate Dirac Live. So having excellent dealer support is important. Deer Creek Audio is an authorized miniDSP SHD dealer.
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The Innuos Zen Mini Mk3 is available in your price range and has been very favorably reviewed. I’m considering its big brother myself (Innuos Zen Mk 3). You can then later add the separate power supply for another 650.00 to step it up a notch. You can rip CDs to its internal hard drive, which is another plus...
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