Bluedroog

That's very exciting to hear! Such is the availability of this DAC I'll be buying blind which is not something I like to do but I'd be surprised if I didn't like it, the idea of NOS really appeals to me. I want to use digital sources which just sound natural, an area where my Audiolab lacks.

Not had the pleasure as yet but this is top of my list of possible replacements for my M-DAC. Has anyone here heard one, would love to hear your thoughts?

I know the LS50 are very sensitive to what is upstream of them and no doubt they can perform above what you might expect treated with some good amplification. That said given what OP describes and talk of floorstanders I suspect he'll still be looking for more than the LS50s. Good speakers as they are I think they may not be the best fit for OP. Sure he's got them already and he could get more out of them but trading them in might be the smart move in this case. I know the reluctance, I spent a couple years getting my system upgraded with a nice pre and power amp combo with a view to getting some nice stand mounts such as PMC Twenty 22 and ended up selling my amp and going for the Opals. I don't regret it one bit.

I can't help thinking going for active studio monitors would suit you. Speakers driven by specifically chosen amplifiers for each drive unit tend to have far better control of the bass meaning you'll get nuances of detail even in the bass rather than vague bass. The active cross overs also tend to favour a more detailed sound which is exactly what they're designed to offer, allowing a clear window on the music, complex passages are less prone to get lost. I swapped out my passives for Event Opals which have proved an excellent purchase. The cabinets are tank like in build quality, cast from aluminium and curved designed to minimise cabinet colouration. They are superbly dynamic, big pretty deep for 2 way speakers (Claude Von Stoke mixed Who's Afraid of Detroit using Opals) and will play extremely loudly (if that's your thing) without distortion. Of course there is no need for a power amp being active. I currently use mine with a Croft 25 valve pre-amp and it works really well but have experimented with passive pre-amps and have loved the results, I'm looking to try a Tortuga LDR or Hattor passive now.

My current Event Opals are up their among the best I've heard. I won't be changing them in a hurry.

Audiolab M-DAC should fit the bill, I've only heard one once in a system I wasn't familiar with so hard to give an accurate account of it. I've got a second hand one coming this week to try, I'm upgrading from a very modest DAC so hoping I can extract a little more detail but really bough more for the features and I don't think there is a huge difference in DACs anyway.

Have you already bought the amp? If not I'd seriously consider going for active speakers and some form of attenuation for volume which could be a simple passive pre amp or DAC pre if you need digital inputs. I'm not sure if they'd come in to budget (speakers and amp budget) in your part of the world but check out the Event Opals, I owned mine for a few weeks now and the wipe the floor with the likes of the Kef LS50, really show them a clean pair of heel in every area. They are that good that even if that was your entire budget I'd go for them and use what ever make shift pre-amp you can get dirt cheap be it an old AV amp or integrated amp with pre-outs. That said the Kefs are very fine speakers but as mentioned they need decent power (not just wpc but also current too) to get them singing, also plenty of space and solid stands, they are quite fussy speakers. I'd still have a look at actives though as they have advantages in the cross over and if you look at studio aimed monitors you tend to find better value for money, more functional looks. Adam Audio and Genelec make some very affordable entry level models.

Oh yes I agree, it really depends on budget and what is availableof course in practical terms. There tends to be more choose of passive speakersat the budget end although it is worth pointing out many traditional Hi-Fishops won’t stock active gear with a studio heritage and studio gear tends torepresent better value. It really depends, on a very tight budget I’d probably lookat something like the Q-Acoustics 2010i and a Cambridge Audio with enough juicebut the entry level Adam Audio and Genelecs aren’t too deer and make for a veryneat system with some sort of attenuation.

My speakers, Event Opals accept balanced XLR or unbalanced TRS,I currently use RCA to CLR cables so running unbalanced in to the balancedinput. I think at some point I’m going to have to borrow some differentgear and try at home.

Very I am aware of that, always thought that was an odd decision by PMC, lazy even but probably dictated by a lack of resources but they have recently expanded production capability and the newer twotwo equivalents are fully active I believe. Besides Peter Thomas is very well respected and the principle remains, active equivalents are a better design, passive suits the hobby and consumer aspect.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Some have stated apreference but what do you think generally of the DAC / Pre vs. DAC and Preroute? It seems to really divide opinion, I suspect being a computer audio sitemore would lean to the all in one route? My pre-amp is a very capable unit butI really do need a DAC upgrade so not sure if I should just be looking at a DACor if it makes more sense to just get one unit that does it all since it issuch an expanding market.

That is a serious option too, the Croft isn't balanced which is no biggie but I've got a balanced itch I have fancied scratching, the Croft doesn't have a remote either but I have discovered one of the dealers will fit a module for that. I have wanted to try the DDAC NOS kit so keeping the Croft and trying that is one option I'm thinking of, there was seems something very neat about a DAC / Pre to actives.

I just read in a review of the PureDAC that it doesn’t retainthe volume from your previous listening session once switched off, while not adeal breaker that is something I’m sure I’d find annoying. Others I haveconsidered include the Benchmark DAC2 although some the pre section isn’t thebest, NAD M51 but USB lets it down, also M2Tech Young DSD, W4S…I’d really liketo get a few units on loan so I can try them in my system and also try them withand without my pre. I am very fond of my pre-amp, hand made here in the UK by aone man show, slightly quirky design and very non frills in terms of featuresbut I’d also like the functionality of a remote and fancy trying a balancedsystem.

Nice! Neber heard of the before and look to tick all the boxes and more in the price range I'm happy with too. I'll investigate that more, I don't think that is well known in the UK.

Thanks Shp - I notice the Mytek gets alot of chat on here so one I'll look at, Naim I'm not quite sure about, always felt they are a bit overpriced. The Ayre is something I'll keep my eye out for too, thanks for the heads up.