narrowing down my decision


I've narrowed down my choices for my CDP upgrade and am looking for some advice to give me that final push so I can just pull the trigger already.
System is a Cayin TA-30 w/B&W602 monitors, primarily used for classic rock.
1) OnixXCD88/MusicHallMMF25 w/level 1 mod
2) Audio Mirror or Bel Canto Dac with my existing player as transport.
Last time I discussed my upgrade path most people were leaning towards a DAC, but if there's anyone that has had experience with any of these units, especially with push-pull tube amplification, I'd love to hear about it. Also, are the low four digit price tagged DACs like the Tri-Vista, etc, really all that much better than "budget" pieces like the Audio Mirror, Bel Canto, or Benchmark?
ethanh

Showing 1 response by clio09

If you buy the Audio Mirror once you listen to it after it has broken in you will not consider it a budget piece. You will consider it a great deal. I used mine with a Cary V12i 50 watt triode push-pull amp and it worked fabulously. My transport is an Alesis ML9600 modified by TRL. So in terms of $$$ my digital set-up might be budget, but in terms of sound it plays like a lot more than that.

Also, should you decide to uprade the DAC in the future the Audio Mirror can be taken to an entirely different level with TRL mods which I had done to mine. I was actually able to compare the modded unit to a stock unit I had. You can read the review here on Audiogon. I saved me a lot of money versus buying an DAC of equivalent sound quality.