TenaciousD

I spoke with Matthew at Bel Canto Designs today. He tells me that all I need to plug and play with my Mac Mini is the Bel Canto S300iu. It had a USB DAC onboard. However, by bypassing the $200 USB DAC which is onboard and plugging in a more expensive external DAC I may get better sound quality. . . or I may not. Probably depends on the DAC. Matthew was very helpful and I think Bel Canto has a first class operation. Many thanks to everyone for their help and direction.

Thanks for the input Rick. I had a chance to listen to the Beethovens to my satisfaction before purchase. IMO one of the best speakers available in their price range. I found them to be warm and inspiring. Very very musical. I'm prepared to do some tweaking. I may post back in the speaker forum if i can't get them where I want them.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I plan to call Bel Canto tomorrow to get the scoop. I'll report back with the information they give me. To reply to MM's question. . . my speakers are Vienna Acoustic Beethoven's. I just picked them up last week and have not had a chance to hear them in my own home yet because I am still shopping for an amp and a source. This is my first dedicated system for listening to music and i plan to take it seriously. I'm very much a novice, but I'm ready to learn. I do not live in a major metropolitan area so demoing equipment is not an option. I'm going to be relying on the trial and error method, but I plan to stick with quality components and I'm not going to get into any rush. This site is fantastic. It is providing exactly the information I was looking for. I'm a fan.

Hi everybody. This is my first post. I'm in the process of setting up my first "real" 2.0 audio system. I'm debating on the right components. I'm considering buying the Bel Canto S300iu integrated amp. I'm also planning on buying a Mac Mini for the system. I know the Mini can be plugged directly into the Bel Canto using the USB DAC connection. I'm wondering if this particular pairing is going to sound as good as an external DAC with either the same amp Bel Canto amp, or another amp. What is the argument for having an external DAC? Any advice appreciated. -D