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Buying a DAC when you can't try it first

this is a generic "advice please" post.
I'm driving magnepan .7's with a primaluna evo 400 with KT150 tubes.
Most of my music nowadays it tidal streamed via a chromecast audio (CCA) with the optical output going into the DAC of a MusicHall C-DAC (its a CD player with a DAC that can be used by external sources).

I'm planning an upgrade path and leaning toward getting a DAC like the SMSL SU-9 or Cambridge DACMagic Plus and running the CCA optical through the new DAC. But i have no idea if those DAC's or something else at that price is going to improve on the musichall DAC (which some reviews say is a decent DAC).

Or should I ditch the CCA and separate DAC go the streamer route....but I'm worried that tying a streamer and DAC together limits upgrade path. However i am not totally against it. 

I'm just not sure if i even will hear anything measurably better than what I have so thought I'd reach out to you people for your thoughts and experiences. 

....sigh.

mid-fi-crisis

Showing 6 responses by mid-fi-crisis

mid-fi-crisis OP
71 posts
 
Ok. I've gone and bought it, plus some expensive interconnects. 
I'm not frothing about it actually.
Maybe a bit more resolving, the old setup in comparison sometimes seemed a bit fuzzy around the vocals but the bluesound seems to seperate everything a little better. 
So it's an improvement albeit quite marginal. 

mid-fi-crisis OP
71 posts
 
I bought Chord Clearway Analogue RCA's. 
mid-fi-crisis OP
71 posts
 
Forgot to mention, I could A/B test at the press of a button. Playing the same song through both sources and flicking the primaluna remote to select one input then the other.
In some songs the difference was negligible on others the bluesound was a bit more spacious, balanced, and resolving. 
I'm not disappointed, but I'm impressed by the low cost CCA and musichall c-dac combo.

mid-fi-crisis OP
71 posts
 
Thanks jjss49
Yes, the next step....
mid-fi-crisis OP
71 posts
 
Thanks soix I'll go buy one now.
mid-fi-crisis OP
71 posts
 
sorry....i bought the bluesound node 2i and some interconnects. No external DAC.
Yeah my local store is just 15mins away so BANG I lashed out.

i guess i need to spend more time with it but at this stage yeah marginal difference. I suppose the CCA output is close to bit-perfect and the musichall DAC must be ok,

on the plus side the BS2i is gapless and nicer to control
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