I own and really like the Bricasti M3. Used within your budget. You can pick one up with a network card well within your budget on a used market. A good streamer like the Aurender N150 or N200 will be an improvement over the inbuilt network card but the option to use this DAC without a streamer either with Roon or Audirvana (both are subscription services) and Qobuz or a free Mconnect app with Qobuz will most likely hold you over without buying a streamer until you can add a really nice one. Bricasti is spot on accurate and lacks nothing plus it includes two Clock modes and 4 filters that will allow you to tailor the sound to your liking.
As a side note, Bricasti M3 in my system sounds better than any of the following DACs I’ve tried: Chord Cutest, Chord Hugo TT2, Bryston BDA-3, Mytek Brooklyn, Benchmark DAC3 HGC, PS Audio DSD MkI,
(Another) DAC Recommendation Request
Hey All:
My system:
- Belles Aria Integrated Amp
- Schiit Gungnir (1) multibit dac
- Cyrus cd/t
- Friz Carbon 7 SE Mk2 speakers
Getting ready to add a streamer/server (probably Aurender N150), but have been thinking that my dac is a weak spot. The Gumby’s mid-range is spot-on for me and the pairing with the Fritz’s produces sufficient bass for my needs, but the Gumby feels lacking, even a little harsh, in the higher frequencies. So, the ask: can anyone recommend a dac that will add some better detail and color in the high end?
Seeing the Schiit Yggy+ GS2 and the Denafrips Pontus 15 each going for <$2K really whet my appetite, but a recent audition of a friend’s Yggy LIM left me underwhelmed as did the audio comparison portion of a YouTube review (caveat emptor) of the Pontus.
My budget is <$3,500, and, TBTH, I really don’t want a massive piece of equipment that’s going to run really hot and dominate the living room (WAF). I’ve gone down the rabbit hole on this and have now researched many dac’s without coming up with a satisfactory solution.
Thanks for your insights.