DAC recommendations

If you can, try and listen a Lampizator DAC. You will get best of both worlds…

I use an older Lampizator Gen4 Level5 and kept it against an Aqua LaVoce.

newer Lampizator models should be way better, mine looks more like a pré production model, still it sounds so beautiful, piano sounds like a real

piano, voices are lifelike, bass is big, soundstage fill

the whole room. The only DAC I listened to that would make me trade it is a Accuphase DC 1000 but it’s 25k and out of my budget.

Gentlemen. Do I need the land line connection to the router to get started with Qobuz. 

No.

I’m not just looking to spend more money jjss49. My previous system lasted 25 years because I bought quality equipment. I’m looking to do the same now. I’m not a person that wants to continually tweek my system.

glad to hear 👌👍

I currently have a cheap dac and a more expensive dac and would like to improve that segment of the sound. Speakers are great and amp is wonderful. Dac I’m not thrilled with but it’s good , just not great. So I figure I can take a chance at a higher end model.

here is my take on this... you have a cheap dac and a very very good performing expertly modded dac/streamer... the fact you cannot hear the substantial sonic quality difference between the two is very telling -- this is because of the poor quality how you have chosen to currently feed both of them -- the streaming service, the interface, and thus resulting poor quality digital feed into either/both units you own

you are focused on the dac, but the dacs you have are like having a toyota and a mercedes but you are feeding both lousy gas, so they both run badly

I have no aversion selling something if it is not acceptable to me, Zu speakers for example. As far as front end, Cambridge got great reviews and is used as a reference for Steve from Decware whose living is based on quality sound. I will also give Qobuz a try. I wouldn’t think that high resolution Apple could be too different from high resolution Qobuz, but I will find out. 😀🙏🏻

you don’t just have a factory cambridge cxnv2, you have a modwright modded unit... correct?? ....  dan wright has substantially improved the power supply, isolation, AND output stage of an already well-regarded, capable factory unit....

good you have an appointment to install hardwire ethernet... but your cambridge has a wifi plug-in module, it can pull in qobuz via wifi - i can assure you that you will....

1) hear an improvement streaming from qobuz via the cambridge using wifi (compared to apple music/airplay), then....

2) the sound will improve further when you connect into the cxn2 via hardwire ethernet... and then

3) it will improve further when you get an etherregen or eno filter to clean the ethernet feed

have fun... if... after 1, 2 and 3 are done, and you still want to try a terminator or a holo may, then your money might be more wisely spent at that point

Thanks Soix and jjss49. Sweet. I will get Qobuz up and running tomorrow. Just got word from the landlord that we will run the line tomorrow or Wednesday. Only hiccup is he has an outdoor system running off of it, Sonos, and there’s a million wires. Not sure what’s open to use on the router. His audio guy will have to come and hook it up. At least Qobuz will be Wi-Fi’ed. Friday I will order better tubes for the dac. Still may replace Topping with the Venus 2. Not sure I need to go as speedy with the Terminator to get very good sound. There’s always better but the old diminishing returns adage is applicable here! Thanks again 

Alright. Amperex tubes ordered. Qobuz tomorrow and then a holding pattern until I evaluate sound. Thanks again for the advice and voices of reason. 👍