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PS auido Direct stream Dac

Hi I am looking to buy a Dac, now i have Cambridge Audio 851N network player.I am looking at the PS audio Direct Stream Dac with the Bridge 11 and the Holo  Audio May Dac KTE, I have a cd player ,but not many cds so most of the time it would used to stream Qobuz ,I also have a nice vinyl set up which i use about 1/2 the time. My ? does anyone have heard both of these dacs ,if so which sounds most like vinyl, I am 64  so I am trying to decide if these are worth the $ or should i just stick with the CA 851N ,any opinions will help .Thanks Lloyd
128x128bestbaker
tinear123
240 posts
 
Following up... @rbstehno ... 
1) YES, upgraded to Sunshine and ran continuously for 2 weeks 
2) NO, I2s which is clearly the best case for the DS
3) NO, I2s See #2
4) YES, used the DAC for 2 years with >1K hrs and see #1 for firmware
5) YES, followed Teds recommendations as they evolved over the years

Thus, In summary I can easily restate that the MAY KTE spanked the DS "in my system" and by no small margin.  However... as I have pointed out elsewhere that the synergy between components can be far more important than any single piece. 
philippe0
15 posts
 
Same experience, I confirm.
emarcano
22 posts
 
Hi. I also have a CA 851N. I think that it has decent SQ. Where it really shines is in terms of flexibility. Besides a streamer it also has all types of connections for input. In my case, I have an external drive with my digital music connected through one of its type A USB inputs. This works out great in that I don’t need a laptop in the system. Are there other DACs with better SQ with this capability? 
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