If I am you I am thinking kick ass high end pre/pro that is geared towards musicality. Reclock the toslink signal with something nice with the money left over. Proceed avp2, casablanca, bel canto, halcro, etc. Everything else stays the same.
Best USB DAC/Preamp Under $4000 New?
So I would like your help in compiling a list of the best USB DACs under $4K that can also serve as high end preamps with HT bypass. I am thinking that this will be a more desirable route than buying a DAC plus a separate preamp for my music needs. But feel free to weigh in otherwise! Current gear:
Dynaudio Contour S3.4 speakers
McCormack DNA-225 modded driving these
Adcom GFA 2535 (4x90wpc) driving center and rears
Integra DHC 9.9 pre/pro
Source: 1TB external drive playing lossless AIFF files. Signal path; external drive via USB -> laptop. Laptop out via USB -> M-Audio Transit USB, output via Toslink -> pre/pro where D/A conversion happens.
My belief is that the DAC in my pre/pro is a weak link, which is why my 2-channel audio sounds bright and fatiguing. I also believe that the Integra's analog section is sub-par, which would of course reduce the effectiveness of passing the signal after the D/A conversion has been performed by any expensive USB DAC.
So for my 2-channel needs, I need a nice preamp with an HT bypass so that my Integra can still handle my multichannel HT needs, while my music gets handled by some form of DAC/preamp combo. I can go the modded Squeezebox route instead of the USB DAC route. But I would like to skip this and go directly to where I know I will eventually end up anyway...
So far, these are the only contenders in my price range that I can find, for a piece that combines a nice preamp circuitry with HT bypass, plus a high-quality asynchronous USB DAC:
1. Bel Canto DAC3
2. April Music Stello DP-200
Please weigh in with other contenders, or if you believe the better route is to go with a separate DAC and preamp, feel free to weigh in on that (cuz the Ayre QB-9 looks pretty sweet to me, but it is a stand-alone USB DAC. Thanks fellas!
Dynaudio Contour S3.4 speakers
McCormack DNA-225 modded driving these
Adcom GFA 2535 (4x90wpc) driving center and rears
Integra DHC 9.9 pre/pro
Source: 1TB external drive playing lossless AIFF files. Signal path; external drive via USB -> laptop. Laptop out via USB -> M-Audio Transit USB, output via Toslink -> pre/pro where D/A conversion happens.
My belief is that the DAC in my pre/pro is a weak link, which is why my 2-channel audio sounds bright and fatiguing. I also believe that the Integra's analog section is sub-par, which would of course reduce the effectiveness of passing the signal after the D/A conversion has been performed by any expensive USB DAC.
So for my 2-channel needs, I need a nice preamp with an HT bypass so that my Integra can still handle my multichannel HT needs, while my music gets handled by some form of DAC/preamp combo. I can go the modded Squeezebox route instead of the USB DAC route. But I would like to skip this and go directly to where I know I will eventually end up anyway...
So far, these are the only contenders in my price range that I can find, for a piece that combines a nice preamp circuitry with HT bypass, plus a high-quality asynchronous USB DAC:
1. Bel Canto DAC3
2. April Music Stello DP-200
Please weigh in with other contenders, or if you believe the better route is to go with a separate DAC and preamp, feel free to weigh in on that (cuz the Ayre QB-9 looks pretty sweet to me, but it is a stand-alone USB DAC. Thanks fellas!
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