logical steps up from DacMagic?


As Shazam wisely pointed out in an earlier post, I've got myself in a situation where the weakest link in my 'baby' system is my DAC:

Cullen-modified Sonos 90 >
Anti-cable coax IC >
Cambridge DACmagic DAC >
Nordost Red Dawn IC >
Jolida JD 302BRC >
Rega R5 speakers w/ Rega SC42 cables

So far, on my list to consider are:
- Bel Canto DAC2 (used, obviously)
- Benchmark DAC1 (used, non-USB version)
- Jolida's yet-to-be released tube DAC (I'm assuming a lot here)

A big part of me wants a Bel Canto DAC3, but I'm certain that would trigger a domino effect requiring the replacement of absolutely everything except possibly an IC or two. ;-) For that reason, I'd like to keep this upgrade to <$1500.

This in mind, are there other DACs that I should be trolling these pages for?
soundgasm

Showing 4 responses by soundgasm

Robr45, that's a great perspective. I've had the same sense - that I'm about to jump off a cliff here. Can you elaborate?
My confusion about the two stems from this passage in the Stereophile review of the DM posted online:

"The D/A chips are the same Wolfson WMB8740 24-bit DACs used in Cambridge Audio's Azur 740C and 840C CD players."

...but this is not so, apparently.
thank you all for your great comments. I'm taking them to heart, and will settle down and while I A) baseline my system and B) develop a reasonable vocabulary to describe what, if any, shortcomings I perceive. viva la musica!
I didn't realize that Cdface -- I thought the 840C had the same DAC as the Dacmagic. Hmmm....