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Upgrade DAC Power Supply, Streamer, or ?

This is a bit long but I wanted to give as much info as possible. My current system: Van Alstine SET 400 amp, Van Alstine T-10 RB tube pre-amp, Denon HEOS 2 streamer, Merason Frerot DAC with factory wal-wort power supply, Salk HT2-TL tower speakers.  I would say this system is slightly warm of neutral, open and detailed. I enjoy listening for long sessions with no fatigue. I've been streaming through Tidal for a year and rarely play CDs or Vinyl anymore.

The external Merason DAC was the most recent addition and works well with the Denon streamer bypassing its internal DAC by using a coaxial cable. It was a noticeable improvement vs. the Denon's internal DAC. 

The Denon HEOS 2 was my entry-level streamer and it does sound good. The only thing I have to compare to is my Wiim Ultra which is also a fine unit with good SQ and features.  The external Merason DAC was a noticeable improvement to both streamers.

Innuos Zen Mini Mk 3 with the Innuos LPS are a reasonable price on the used market and praised for sound quality and also for the SENSE App.  It would also allow me to put my aprox. 1300 CDs on the internal SSD and help with physical down-sizing. I'm not sure if the internal DAC of the Zen is as good or better than the Frerot, but it appears I could bypass the internal DAC using the coax. output.

So which would give me the most bang for the buck by upgrading; the Frerot power supply, or streamer to the Zen Mk 3 ?  I am MAC based and technology is not my forte.  Budget is $2000 or less.  Thoughts and recommendations are appreciated.  Thank you.

 

 

foamcutter
kmcong
89 posts
 

I would try upgrading your power supply for your dac to an lps. I upgraded to a Teddy Pardo LPS on my Node 2i a few years ago and was shocked at how much it improved the SQ! Not a direct comparison by any stretch,  but an example of how much difference a good power can make.  I recently upgraded my streamer to the Eversolo T8 which also uses a LPS. 

kmcong
89 posts
 

I would try upgrading your power supply for your dac to an lps. I upgraded to a Teddy Pardo LPS on my Node 2i a few years ago and was shocked at how much it improved the SQ! Not a direct comparison by any stretch,  but an example of how much difference a good power can make.  I recently upgraded my streamer to the Eversolo T8 which also uses a LPS. 

fire_water's avatar
fire_water
238 posts
 

I used to have an Innuos Pulse but then after I obtained an Accuphase DC-37 Processor/DAC I upgraded to an Innuos Pulsar and the SQ is extremely noticeable.  I recently reached out to Sean Jacobs who designs the power supply for Innuos and he will be making me a proper power cord to replace the Innuos factory cord.  If anyone understands power supplies it's him! I'm actually thinking of having him build me a power distribution block for my system. Anyways, streamers make a significant difference regardless what others might try to tell you but a really good DAC coincides with a really good streamer.

mtraesbo
47 posts
 

Re using the AI-bots. I am using Gemini and Microsofts co-pilot and are copying the respective answers forth and back. It actually helps a lot in understanding what to prioritise. They starting themselves the dialogue about pure stats vs audiophile and "there is more to it than just numbers" :-)

Innuos, I have both the Pulse mini and Zenmini Mk2 and a LPSU. I am very satisfied particularly with Sense, which I prefer to Roon. I have started using Tidal Connect for convinience, but that gives some problems. My systems are having challenges figuring out, "who is in charge" and now and then I am unable to access any of them. 

knotscott's avatar
knotscott
1,387 posts
 

On a well evolved system, power supply upgrades from a cheap wall wart to a well designed PSU offer a logical refinement.  I’ve done mostly DIY power supplies, but have never upgraded to an expensive brand name unit, so am not sure how much more you gain by going that route vs a more generic upgrade. I suppose it depends on the system.  My view is that a good generic linear regulated PSU upgrade might allow you to do both upgrades, which could put you further ahead for money spent. 

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