CB3874 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Hello, I've just recently acquired a Rega Brio-R, a pair of Transparent Audio The Wave speaker cables, and a pair of Wharefdale Diamond 10.2 speakers. I'm using a Fiio D3 as a temporary DAC with some old Monster RCA interconnects & a Dynex Digital Optical Audio Cable hooked up to my late 2009 27" iMac to play a large library of lossless & HiRes tunes. What's a good DAC & RCA interconnects to partner up with the Rega & the Wharfedales? I'm passing on the Rega Dac, because I don't like the USB option only doing 16 / 48 (the max is 96 on the iMac thru SPDIF) and I have a growing number of albums @ 24 / 192 I want to play. I plan on using a Transparent Audio USB or an Audioquest Carbon cable. These are the DACs so far I've seen (not heard) that interest me : Schiit Bifrost & Gungnir (if I can scrounge up some extra scratch) ifi iDac & iUSB Emotiva XDA-2 & ProDAC (not out yet, in late Feb / early March) Music Fidelity V-DAC II HRT Music Streamer HD Any suggestions, input, opinions, recommendations on the listed DACs or not would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Link to comment
Audio_ELF Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I know you don't like the USB on the Rega - but why not the Rega DAC plus MF V-Link or HiFace? And if considering the price range including Rega DAC - the Musical Fidelity M1 DAC should be in your list, as well as Audiolab M-DAC. Also, though its not available yet, Arcam irDAC has potential to be a good buy. Eloise Eloise --- ...in my opinion / experience... While I agree "Everything may matter" working out what actually affects the sound is a trickier thing. And I agree "Trust your ears" but equally don't allow them to fool you - trust them with a bit of skepticism. keep your mind open... But mind your brain doesn't fall out. Link to comment
CB3874 Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 Just saw this : Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies headphone amplifier with built-in USB 32/192K Digital-to-Analog Converter Wowie Zowie! Link to comment
maximum kahuna Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Do you have any requirements (other than hi-res usb) that might rule out one or another? Do you need multiple inputs? Is the Emotiva larger form a deal breaker? Can't speaker to the Gungnir but I have both a Bifrost and an Emo XDA-1 and like them both. The list contains high quality dacs. I suspect that in your system they will sound more alike than different. Ultimately you may find subtle differences (preferences) in the sound that only you can answer by direct comparisons. Family Room: Panny TCP65S2, Panny BDP-55, DTV HR-24, SB Touch, Schiit Bifrost Multibit, Yamaha RX-V3900, Emotiva XPA-3, Rocket NM 550's, Rocket 150's, X-CS, UFW-10, Harmony 700. Computer Room: Dell laptop, Uptone Regen Amber, Schiit Bifrost Multibit, Decware SE84C+, Zu Omen, ALO National, Mr.Speakers Mad Dog headphones Link to comment
CB3874 Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 That's my primary requirement. I would like something that has no volume knob, or any knob for that matter. I would prefer to control the volume primarily on the Rega Brio-R. Link to comment
maximum kahuna Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 You can set the volume and leave it. That's what I do with my XDA-1, set it max and leave it there. At this price point, the good news is you have lots of choices...the bad news is you have lots of choices ! It would be hard to go wrong with any of the choices. If you really want to find the best one for you, you're going to have to do head-to head comparisons and send the losers back. Family Room: Panny TCP65S2, Panny BDP-55, DTV HR-24, SB Touch, Schiit Bifrost Multibit, Yamaha RX-V3900, Emotiva XPA-3, Rocket NM 550's, Rocket 150's, X-CS, UFW-10, Harmony 700. Computer Room: Dell laptop, Uptone Regen Amber, Schiit Bifrost Multibit, Decware SE84C+, Zu Omen, ALO National, Mr.Speakers Mad Dog headphones Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now