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Help in choosing first higher ended dac?

I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger on the new Bricasti M3 dac. I know this is all subjective to ones own ear's! But since this is my first dac and after months of research I'm ready! I'm curious to what your thoughts and choices would be at this price point. The M3 goes for 5k or 6k with the network card.

My current gear is rather modest. Have an Anthem mrx720 pushing PS audio m700 monoblocks. An Oppo 203 for streaming Roon from laptop which includes Tidal and Qobuz. And to play CDs of course. 

The plan is to connect the dac directly to the amps. Sell the Anthem and maybe add a preamp in the same price point or add it to the kitty to upgrade speakers down the road. And if I went without the network card I would need a network player/streamer.

Your thoughts will be much appreciated! Hopefully I didn't leave anything out! This is my first post, so be gentle lol!!
✌️
jimfinn2112
14 responses Add your response
tomcarr
1,523 posts
 
That's a lot of money for a DAC, IMO. What speakers? Also, don't forget the room and setup. Any room treatments? If you haven't already, order Jim Smith's book Get Better Sound. It is invaluable. Remember, your setup and the room will give you 50% of the sound quality you will hear.

Tom
jimfinn2112 OP
25 posts
 
The speakers are Ascend Acoustics towers with the raal ribbon tweeters. The room is not treated with panels or traps, but is kind of naturally treated with rugs and bookshelves and so forth. I've used arc to measure till I can't measure anymore lol. It's been a really cool learning experience! I've been moving away from ht towards a 2 channel system. I decided I wanted to hear the music the best that I could afford! 
thecarpathian's avatar
thecarpathian
4,470 posts
 
What is your opinion of the Ascend towers?
jimfinn2112 OP
25 posts
 
I like them a lot! They were hard to get setup in my room. I measured and moved for months! I have them running full range these days and the more bits they get the better they sound. I got to hear a pair of Spendor D9s and while they may have been better it wasn't by much!
thecarpathian's avatar
thecarpathian
4,470 posts
 
Thank you. Been eying these for a while...
rpw
47 posts
 
How was the D9 bass response compared to the Ascend?
jimfinn2112 OP
25 posts
 
The D9s bass was better, but I don't know if it's 8K better. I would have liked to hear them in a better system and room for sure. 
aberyclark
1,355 posts
 
Whats your opinion of the M700 monos?
jimfinn2112 OP
25 posts
 
They've been great. I remember being told on the Ps forums that I really wouldn't notice the difference until I had a really good dac connected to them or a preamp. I'm going to find out in the very near future!
soix
9,591 posts
 
I think you can try a Metrum Adagio from HiFi Heaven for 30 days.  I would definitely recommend giving that a try.  
jimfinn2112 OP
25 posts
 
I'll check it out. I've heard that name before but have never read anything about it. Do you have experience with it?

justjames72's avatar
justjames72
66 posts
 
Or give the Metrum Onyx a try as well as that is what I run and it's fantastic paired with a Metrum Ambre (streamer)
jimfinn2112 OP
25 posts
 
That's funny! I'm working with hifiheaven to get the Adagio and Ambre in a combo deal!! From what I've heard all the Metrum gear is amazing!! Can you elaborate on the sound of your setup and some of the dacs you've owned in the past and how they compare?
justjames72's avatar
justjames72
66 posts
 
Honestly, I were you- I would email Metrum directly. I would beT they would work out a deal for you that's cheaper than hifi heaven as they are selling at the list price (because I think they have to).

I am fairly new to the hi-fi world and really only have the DAC in the Rotel 1572 and the Bluesound Node 2i to compare with the Metrum Onyx.

And as you can imagine, the Metrum blows those out of the water. I also use Roon as well.

I run the Metrum equipment via XLR with McIntosh MA6600 > B&W 702S2. 
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