2. digital
  3. 163765-154374

DAC upgrade?

Hello, I was hoping to get some insight and opinions on upgrading my DAC. I currently am using a Rotel A14 integrated amp and am using the internal DAC of the Rotel. I can't seem to find any specifics regarding the DAC other than its an 

AKM 32-bit/ 768kHz Digital to Analog Converter. The amplifier is powering a pair of Totem Staff speakers and do most of my listening with digital lossless media (ALAC, FLAC) output from a Mac mini and using Audirvana.

I certainly do not consider myself an audiophile but I do enjoy good sounding music. Do you think upgrading my DAC would be beneficial? I wasn't wanting to spend too much on a DAC but was wondering if something like the Schiit Modi multibit, Topping D50 or comparable would provide a better/different sound?


Thanks in advance and look forward to your comments.

downingp

Showing 7 responses by downingp

downingp OP
7 posts
 
I think, at this point anyway, I am leaning towards either the Topping D90 MQA or the Gustard A18.
downingp OP
7 posts
 
I appreciate all of the comments. As I am more of a casual listener, it sounds like I may be better off just sticking with what I have.
downingp OP
7 posts
 
After a quick search, there does seem to be some good reviews on the Gustard A18. There also seem to be comparisons between the A18 and Topping D90.Any thoughts regarding these two DACs?
downingp OP
7 posts
 
@soix Thanks again for your responses. I would definitely say I am more than a “casual” listener as I like to sit down and will listen to an album start to finish. I don’t, however, find myself critically listening when I am listening to an album.
Regarding one of your other comments, would my personally ripped CDs into lossless FLAC/ALAC sound just as good, if not better, than streaming cd quality tracks from Tidal/Qobuz?
downingp OP
7 posts
 
Sounds like I have some further research to do; although suspect either the Gustard or Topping will provide better sound quality than what I have.
I suspect I could open up a whole can of worms when asking about Tidal vs. Qobuz. The consensus seems to be Qobuz for sound quality, Tidal for content?
downingp OP
7 posts
 
I have been playing around with the settings within Audirvana and am currently up sampling to frequencies around 384 kHz. In a sense, is that producing a better sound?
downingp OP
7 posts
 
Yes, I have sysoptimizer turned on and set to extreme.
More to discover