Minimalist PMC AML:1 based setup - opinions needed

For the money, if it is pure "technical" quality you are after then Benchmark DAC1 is hard to beat and has gained wide respect as an excellent DAC (jitter immune), a great preamp (but NO remote - so caveman design for modern times) and it comes with a world class headphone amp to boot. So no need for a preamp if you can handle the inconvenience of manual volume control or can accept the poorer performance of "digital volume control".

What sounds subjectively better will be a matter of personal taste - so I can't really help there. Benchamark has a tightly focussed soundstage that is generally narrower than anything else (great image between the speakers but less soundstage width/size overall unless it happens to be on the recording - if you like all your music to sound "big" then DAC1 is not for you)

Don't go for that Squeezebox solution because it isn't 24bit/96khz compatible. The transporter is superior to the Linn Majik for less money. If you want the best of all worlds, maybe go for an Olive Melody + Belcanto DAC3/ Benchmark DAC1.
I own the DAC3 and it drives my active speakers well. Many people on the forum seems to prefer the DAC3 to the DAC1 if driven direct without preamp, some attribute it to the larger power supply.

Happy hunting!
Alexander

Can the Transporter be connected directly to a power amp or active speakers?

Can the Transporter be connected directly to a power amp or active speakers?

yes it can.

Well i have had 2 transporters one heavily modded and one stock,i also had benchmark dac 1 and a stello dac here.
I then got the oppotunity borrowimg home the Linn sneaky DS ( under majik ds) and to my utter suprise it completly wipped the floor with the stock transporter, compared to the modded one it was closer but the linn had one major strong point and that was it puts weight to the music, not just more basss but getting weight og the music right, it was also more transperant and simply worlds more musical and tunefull

I now have the majik ds and its simply no comparison to the transporter .

I curious to if the gentelmens above have actually compared the two.