+1 for the Cyan2. And there are plenty of other good options out there in the $1-2K range. I made a similar move with my office system: Bluesound Node 130 w/PD Creative power upgrade > Cyan2 > Arcam SA20 integrated > Maggie .7 w/ silver jumpers and silver tubes instead of fuses + REL T5/x. Adding the Cyan2 DAC was an undeniable improvement over both the Node and Arcam internal DACs. Once you hear it you can't go back! My office system is a step down from what you have. I am not familiar with the M6si or its DAC but I am confident you will get a nice bump in SQ with the outboard DAC. I think your only question is which DAC will have the improvement/synergy you seek in your system? The only way to know for certain is to try it and you could resell the used R2R if it doesn't deliver the gains you are seeking.
Standalone DAC upgrade from onboard integrated
It’s about time I posted, I’ve been following long enough. I want to bypass the onboard DAC (Burr Brown) in my new Musical Fidelity M6si integrated with a standalone DAC to drive my Magnepan 1.7x’s. Budget is $1-2k. First issue: can I realize an appreciable improvement over the onboard DAC in the M6 with a unit in that price range? Second issue: I love the detail, clarity and imaging I get from the Maggies, but I don’t want them to get too clinical with a new DAC. Hence, I’ve been looking mostly at R2R typology to keep the “musicality”, perhaps at the expense of some precision. My listening tastes are mostly jazz, classical, with some vocals thrown in. Sources are about 50% streaming, 30% vinyl and 20% CD. Other components include Blusound Node, Marantz TT-15/Clearaudio Virtuoso and a 5 year old Marantz CD player. All insights or suggestions welcome.
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- 38 posts total
- 38 posts total