Upgrading digital side

@audphile1 - I have heard so many good things about the MA3i, I would really like to audition one in my system. It would be an uphill fight to replace the incumbents that are here but even if it ended up close, the simplicity and ergonomics of the MA3i would be so appealing to me.  Similar thing with the Grimm but I like the display and remote on the Meitner even better.  I don’t think they do in home trials, but maybe a favorable return policy?

OP  I have been looking at the Grimm MU2, Bricasti M21, Mola Mola Tambuqui and the DCS Lina. 

Above DACs’ videos below. Videos contain people’s voices. If you hear systems’ sounds are strange, compare them to people’s voices (clear and clean). Mics don’t lie. What you hear from videos are true their sounds. Alex/Wavetouch audio

Wavetouch audio WT-95

Grimm MU2

Mola Mola Tambuqui

Bricasti M21

DCS Lina

Note:  be careful with SACD/CD players and transports.  SACD DSD will usually not output directly from the SACD/CD player through a standard interconnect.  Some kind of Sony copyright issue.  For SACD DSD (not CD), you are usually forced to use the DAC in the player...  For example,  I have a McIntosh SACD/CD transport and the SACD DSD is output through a special DIN cable to a McIntosh DAC while the CD PCM can be output through a standard interconnect.  I have ripped all my SACD to .dsf files and put them on a 1 TB MicroSD and play them through my streamer which connects through USB to my DAC.  Once you rip your SACD to .dsf files, you can play them through what ever DSD DAC you want. 

There is 1 device that can get PURE DSD out of a SACD player. It is the GeerFab D.BOB. I am taking this device tomorrow to my friends place to listen with his incredible Allnic DAC. Both of my Yggi+ OG and MIB cannot do DSD. I am selling both of my Yggi+'s to buy an Allnic. Nothing to do with SACD playback. 

I upgraded my digital system from an Auralic G2.1 streamer and sonnet Pasithea DAC to the Grimm MU2 and it was surprising to me the level of upgrade 

I would highly recommend it. 
 

I currently own a.... ..... Holo May KTE DAC. 

I am  looking to upgrade my entire digital side.  I have an extensive CD collection that I will continue to listen to as well as thousands of files.

 I know that the DACS I mentioned also stream, but I’m not sure that I want to be completely tied to Roon or Audirvana.  I like the idea of internal storage for my files.

Any advice on the best combination of the above (or something I haven’t looked into yet) would be greatly appreciated.

You are an excellent candidate for PGGB. Once you hear your redbook CD’s remastered to the format preferred by your Holo I guarantee you will not listen to your CD player anymore, and you will stream less. I am all in: In my system with my T+A DAC 200  DSD 512 remastered CD’s sound better than the 24/192 Qobuz streams for those albums that are available as such, and all those old wonderful CD’s that aren’t available as high res streams because they are not popular enough? Well it sounds like they all got re-done by Steven Wilson. I believe your Holo prefers PCM so that is how you would remaster them. Doesn’t hurt or cost anything to try it, just a little effort, provided you have a decent computer to run the software. Send me a PM. 

PGGB

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