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Aurender A15 or N200 with Mac C2700

I recently purchased a McIntosh C2700 and am pairing it with a pair of MC611s driving a pair of Harbeth SHL5+ HD speakers. Speakers will likely be changed to SF Serafinos or Amatis down the road For streamers I have narrowed it down to an Aurender N200 (and would use the DAC2 in the C2700) or the Aurender A20 and use its internal DAC. Is the DAC in the A15 much better than the DAC in the C2700? Are the other components in the N200 a step up from those in the A15?

 

Thanks

lewl28

Showing 1 response by jeffreyw

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jeffreyw
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@lewl28 

I'm a big fan of Aurender for their streamers. I believe the DAC in the A15 is comparable to that in the C2700. Before I went the A15 route new, I would purchase a used Lumin X1, which would be slightly higher than the A15 retail price. The A15 is not in the class of the Lumin X1. 

The Aurendern N200 is a great streamer, but you would be spending $6K on a streamer going into the DAC2 module, which probably plays into the $2.5K class of DACs. Maybe try the Lumin U2 mini into the C2700 to get a flavor. If it doesn't float your boat, go the streamer/DAC route and unload the Lumin, you should get a reasonable price for the U2 unit.

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