Integrated and DAC vs Integrated with built in DAC

Tough call. I think the Peachtree would sound great. I also like the M1DAC and I suspect it will create a more detailed sound. I'm not a fan of the Marantz amps. I think you can do better for similar money. How about a Musical Fidelity M3 with the M1Dac? That would be a great combo with your X12s.

I thought about that too but read so many good comments about the Marantz...How do you think the MF combo would sound with the Dyns? For some reason, I imagined they could tend to the bright side...The Nova 125 is also tempting, lots of power and a supposedly very good dac but it is not really out yet. I would have to buy it without listening which makes this even harder. Thanks for the response.

DAC technologies change often. I would select an amp to match your speakers, then a DAC. Just my 2 cents..

I recently designed and sold a system around the Dynaudio Exite speakers with a Peachtree Audio I-Nova with excellent results. With the separate DAC, you would not be able to select different Digital sources via remote (in most cases). It is also rare to have more than (1) toslink input on most stand-alone DACs which is helpful if you are connecting a Satellite receiver and an Apple TV (since Sat has lip-sync delay using the coaxial connection). I guess I like the integrated amplifiers that include a built-in DAC. The Bel Canto line is also a superb choice for this kind of component.

Thanks for your comments. Almost there.