The benefit of standalone streamers and DACs are largely dedicated power supplies and better isolation / less noise. Also, both technologies get refreshed at different intervals based on innovation in the market, so some people like keeping things separate to make upgrading individual things simpler.
Regarding clocking, even if a DAC reclocks a streamer’s signal, I’ve found that the better the streamer’s clock, the more accurate outcome results because the reclocked signal is often even better than if it was given subpar timing / info.
For DAC/streamer combos under $5K, look at the Eversolo DMP-A10 and the Aurender A1000. I am an authorized dealer for both, and I can say that I am thoroughly impressed with the Eversolo DMP-A10 for the price and sonic performance, as well as its usability. The Aurender A1000 comes close in my opinion. It may actually be a tad warmer, but not as resolving and transparent as the Eversolo. Both have a really pleasant, harmonic tone and natural presentation which surprise me. Some of Aurender’s higher level digital/analog combos can sound more Hifi-ish if not paired properly with gear and cabling. The two units I mention, however, seem to work with a number of electronics and cabling combinations.
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If you use a USB connection between the Streamer and DAC then the DAC reclocks the signal, if you use SP/DIF or AES then it does not (a bit simplified). But as Bliss said, you get better isolation and power management etc with separates all other things being equal, but also you can choose to upgrade either the DAC or Streamer. This is really useful when upgrading your system. Also, honestly, quite a few combined units have a great DAC but not so great a streamer. If you buy a combined unit then you can’t replace one part. Sol for instance Aurender tends to have great streamer sections and not so great a DAC (I hear the A1000 is better) and dCS has great DACs but poor streamer.
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I would caution anyone spending $4k on a streamer to think twice about Eversolo. Support is non existent. They have no sense of urgency when they release bad firmware. May look great but wait until you need them to fix bugs.
Waiting 6 months for them to fix USB recognition of McIntosh amp's DAC.
They only care about volume sold , not the end user. They suck as a company.
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I would take my Vault 2i anyday over an Eversolo. It always works. I also have an Aurender N200. Unmatched support which is what you absolutely need with a streamer. You may never need them but they remotely logged into my machine and fixed my Playlist that I messed up. Worth the money.
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All great info for sure…looks like separates are the way to go…
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Look for a used Bricasti M3 with a built in network card.
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+1 @testrun Bricasti M3 with network card. One less ac cord one less cable from a standalone streamer to dac. Less is more.
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Well, I have an Ayre Acoustic QX-5 Twenty Streaming DAC, and it's absolutely superb!!! So, I highly recommend very high quality DACs with built-in streamers. Happy listening.
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Bricasti M3. But network renderer, not a streamer. Meaning it is a Roon endpoint or can be used with mconnect but doesn’t have its own UI.
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I'm a fan of the Matrix Audio DACs with built in streaming. They have different models starting under $1,000 and going up to about $10,000 with many stops along the way. The different models I've used sounded just as good from the integrated streaming as they did from a really nice external source from Aurender or Lumin.
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DACs are a very personal choice, and what are the odds that a combo unit has the best DAC for your tastes and a streamer with excellent performance and the user interface you like best? I’d put those odds at close to zero and there will be a significant compromise somewhere. Go with separates.
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I have been reading about the Audio Analogue AADAC, the Bluetooth looks like it’s really good…so your smart phone is the streamer…it has a good volume control so you don’t need a preamp…anyone have any experience with it..
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Yes, I have owned a sub-$5k dac with streamer. Moon 280D is an excellent solution.
There's trade-off's and benefits for combined units - I chose Moon 280D based on how it sounded and my goals (at the time). I currently have Moon 791 which is a pre-amp with a built-in DAC/Streamer and phono stage. I love it and again there are trade-offs I've made that I think are well worth it.
My advise is listen to as many different options as possible then evaluate based on your goals. And consider if you will be using software like Roon or not it creates another option.
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There is an argument for both combined and separates. At home, I am wanting the best and my MM Tambaqui definitely benefits from a stand alone streamer. I have upgraded (changed?) the streamer several times and they all sound different. But at my vacation home, I run a much more modest system with an Auralic Altair Streaming DAC. It sounds quite nice, is simple and rock solid on the network, and appropriate for where it is.
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Bryston BDA 3.14 comes in at about $4.1k
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I have been reading about the Audio Analogue AADAC, the Bluetooth looks like it’s really good…so your smart phone is the streamer…it has a good volume control so you don’t need a preamp…anyone have any experience with it..
Bluetooth and a smartphone as a streamer??? No…just, no. Bluetooth has limited bandwidth and smartphones absolutely suck as streaming sources.
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@soix
0k thanks…
so many streamers out there…
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Recommend used Auralic Vega G2.1
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@ullogu1
A friend brought over a Auralic Aries G1.1 and when in airplay it would cut out for a second, randomly, when in Quboz it played great…
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LUMIN — I have used / owned the D-1, D-2 and T-2 in two quality stereo systems in my home spanning 10 years. High quality construction, constant updates, great support. Had to have the T-2 serviced - damage was my fault, but they still covered it under warrenty.
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Meitner MA3. Around $5,000 used.
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@rizzo1234
That is a good idea, and I have been thinking about it seriously….my system is very detailed and that dac probably would be a good match…I have a New Ontech Dac07 I bought from 11 stereo where I could trade it in and get 80% back on trade for the MA3…or find a used one and keep,the Dac07 as a spare..what to do lol
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@ronboco
UI with my Ayre DAC? Well, I use my Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty Streaming DAC in conjunction with a Roon Nucleus Plus Music Server (Tidal, Qobuz, 4GB of storage) via an ethernet cable. I us both my Andriod cell phone and an iPad for remotes. I hope this answered your question. Happy listening.
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@kennymacc
Thanks for your reply. I was actually wondering if Ayre has their own UI that comes with the QX-5 twenty. I haven’t looked on their website yet.
Regards
Ron
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@akg_ca
thanks for telling me about the Moon products…have you compared them to any other dacs and streamers? My first research they sound good..
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@ronboco
So sorry, Ron. I'm not very technically inclined. I really didn't exactly understand what you were referring to when you mentioned "UI" (User interface) LOL. The only info I could find was that the user interface of the DAC consists of buttons, a control ring, and a display. You can also use it's remote control. You can also use software applications to control the DAC (I'm not familiar with this, as I don't use it). Hope this answers your question.
Ken
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