I was using a Parasound HALO integrated, with DAC and phono. Great all in one. Lots of power and very good sound. I found the DAC to be on par with the Chord QuTEST (side by side, about the same) Parasond was paired with KEF 500 floorstanders, and made those speakers sing. There is one for sale on Audiogon right now for about $1,500. Can't go wrong. It's well built and has 180WPC. I have since upgraded to SimAudio 740/860 and a seperate DAC- because I upgraded the speakers to KEF REF 5's. Parasound has a newer version out now- but sonically the older model (about 3 years old) sounds just as good if not better than the newer version.
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@jjss49
I’ve seen this line of thinking over the years. Personally, I believe about five - ten years ago the better digital converters began to sound like music. I agree that a bad dac permanently installed in a good amp isnt ideal but in most cases you arent prohibited from adding an external dac. Here’s where I see the flaw in the argument. If you think something sounds good today, then it sounds good. Dacs dont erode over time like a tube, they will within operating parameters always sound as good as when you originally chose it for apparent sound quality reasons. To fully reveal my biases, Im not convinced that the ever increasing bit rates and dxdsdxyz mega resolution of month is improving the musical reproduction but YMMV. The better ladders/R2R dacs seem to be extracting the best of the format to my ears. Improved renderers/transports appear to have been a revelation in recent years. i have two digital setups that I really enjoy both fed over ethernet by an Innuos Zenith mkIII. In one setup, the Aqua La Scala/Linq is very nice and in anothe the inboard dac in my Boulder 866. They sound different but equally musical and I feel Im leaving nothing on the table. In fact, the dac in the 866 is good enough that Boulder is launching a new preamp in the 800 series based on the dac found in the 866. It features analog inputs, digital inputs and a sophisticated headphone section. How good is the output stage, thats where most of us should focus. In short, if it sounds good to you, it is good. My 2 cents. |
just a sidenote on soix’s comment re the hegel h360 the newer 190 390 590 series specifically improves the dac section of these 160/360 prior gen units the amp sections are virtually the same, if not, highly similar this does raise the question of the wisdom of buying an expensive unit where one part (the DAC) might become outdated before other parts (linestage and amplifier) -- such is the challenge of figuring out how to spend money wisely in high end equipment... no clear answer |
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/a-sonic-landslide-the-boulder-866-integrated-... A friend who also has a 866 emailed me a link to this review. |
There’s a Hegel H360 integrated on US Audio Mart for $3250 ($5700 retail) that delivers what you’re looking for sonically and includes a good DAC as well. Pair that with some Joseph Audio Profiles ($7000/pr) or even LSA 20 Statements (discounted here to $4500/pr ($7k retail) and includes nice speaker cables) and you’d have an excellent-sounding system that soundstages like crazy for well under $12k. Hope this helps, and best of luck. |
Thanks to all who have given suggestions so far. My budget is about 12k for speakers and amp With DAC new or used. The room is 13x 20 fully treated with GIG panels and bass traps. I do have a pair of REL 7ti subs if needed. All my listening these days is from a vault with my cds loaded and streaming. |
I use a Lyngdorf 2170 in my downstairs system. I run my stock Oppo 205 out to the Lyngdorf via coax and it is substantially superior to using the internal Oppo DAC out to the Lyngdorf via XLR. As has been mentioned above, with Lyngdorf integrateds you also get Room Perfect. At the price of used units, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better integrated with an internal DAC. |
Mark Levinson 585.5 I listened to lots of amps. This blew them all away https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/review-mark-levison-n585-5-integrated-amplifier |
First post and I don’t want to start a war! Why buy an amp that will be great for many years with a built in DAC where the technology changes must faster when you could have separates? I buy dumb TVs with a Roku so I can upgrade the Roku without replacing the TV. The panel is the same and I pay $100 for the Roku that is similar or better In performance to the “smart” in the TV. |
Hegel H390. Excellent DAC that includes streaming. The cheif designer’s attitude on reliable connectivity sold me. they wrote their own Apple Airplay code to improve function. They do not & [supposedly] will never have wifi or bluetooth. Network cable only. Yet streaming control can still be wireless via your router. I control Amazon music HD on my phone or ipad over wifi and the Hegel pulls the stream from the router via the cable. The net result is a MUCH more stable connection. My all too common streaming dropouts (due to wifi dropouts) have been a thing of the past since introducing the Hegel. My phone still suffers wifi dropouts but most often they are resolved before the streaming buffer is consumed resulting in no loss of music playing. No need to comment on the SQ of the H390 or it’s DAC. So many glowing reviews. Thought I’d add something a little different that made a huge improvement to my listening pleasure. |
Yes, I do! Gold Note IS 1000 Deluxe. Not only with an excellent built-in DAC but also with an excellent phono stage and awesome streaming capabilities including “Roon ready” status. I have owned this piece (which is really quite beautiful) for about three months having down-sized from expensive separates and am very pleased in every respect. |
