DAC for Aurender N200
For past 2 years I have been running Aurender N200 into Musical Fidelity M6s DAC. The DAC is built like a tank and very versatile, but I must connect via coax since Aurender clock is superior to DAC clock.
Well, I am ready to upgrade DAC for SQ reasons and presently inclining to PSAudio MkII for US mfr, good reviews, good service, current bargain price.
Q1: What DAC (<$8k) would you consider an optimal match for the N200?
Q2: N200 has very few outputs compared with other streamers in its price class.
I know Aurender has always inclined to USB. All else being equal, is USB the best output?
@hickamore It will depend on the cables you are using and your personal sonic preferences. As you likely know, SPDIF leverages the Aurender's internal clock and then gets reclocked by the DAC 200's internal clock, while the USB chain only uses the DAC 200 clock. In my experience, I've found Coax to be more organic and harmonic sounding unless using a very high quality USB cable. Personally, being spoiled with great audio, I've only LOVED the Final Touch Sinope and Synergistic Research SRX USB cables in terms of USB, and I've otherwise largely been a fan of SPDIF. If you want maximum detail and a crisper, snappier sound, USB may be more your cup of tea, but it often comes at a slight expense of jitter and loss of midrange magic. If you are maxing out the chain with quality power conditioning and cabling, then Coax can deliver excellent dynamics and detail as well. Of course, SPDIF is also limited in the rate of DSD that can be used (DSD64, and at times DSD128), whereas USB can deliver up to DSD 1024. USB can also deliver PCM up to 768, whereas Coax typically maxes out at 192. That said, the human ear is unable to perceive anything greater than 192, with most not even being able to discern differences greater than 96KHz. |
