Digital front end for Macs


I have the McIntosh 2102 and the 2200 pre. I use both the Sonus Faber Cremona and the auditors for my speakers. I was using the MF trivista for my front end and was happy - but the transport went out. I really would like to go the digital hi-rez route, but things are still evolving.

My wife really likes the spinning discs so I will probably do that one more time while I integrate a server. I have been all over the map. Perhaps an Oppo 95 for a little while till I have a better grasp of things. I would still have an excellent Blue Ray player when I upgraded. Or I could do the Emotiva ERC-2 and then get the Berkley Dac :-)... or Benchmark... and then wait... or...

We listen to a lot of string music, pop, Jazz... Not a lot of classical. We are not in the high resolving camp if it diminishes listen-ability. Any ones experiences, especially familiar with our equipment would be appreciated...

audiotumbler
I liked the 1100 Mac which is using multiples of the ES9018 32 bit sabre Dacs. Just a bit steep at the moment. To get by on the cheap - I wonder if anyone has tried the erc-2 as a transport. What is an economical transport to go with a 1k to 1.5k dac?
If you pass up the Oppo 95, which gets great reviews, you might consider one of McIntosh's MVP series. Every few years, McIntosh introduces a new model making all previous generations obsolete. You can find plenty of used units on Audiogon at a small fraction of the new price. They combine
CD/DVD capability. Since it's McIntosh, you'll be able to sell it when the upgrade bug hits again.