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Is my DAC my weakest link?

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this sort of thing. I recently bought the following system used:

Thiel CS2
Rotel RC-1070
Audionics BK-ST 140 (BT-2)
NAD 5000
Music Player II DAC

It sounds great and I am very happy with it. I am wondering, though, whether the Music Player II might be outdated. I know everything is old (hopefully some of it in a classic sense), but I have been wondering whether more recent technology might have greatly improved DACs. Would it be worth it to invest in a more recent DAC, and if so, what price point would be roughly commensurate with the system? (i.e. no need to improve the DAC beyond the capability of everything else).

I stream Tidal HiFi through Audirvarna Plus to the DAC.

Thank you for your insights!
ryunosuke13

Showing 2 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,677 posts
 
If you are looking for a good, inexpensive power conditioner, I recommend Furman with SMP and LiFT. The least expensive unit is still pretty good and a relative bargain compared to pricier brands:.


https://amzn.to/2Un9dql

The biggest drawback of this unit is the lack of multiple filter banks. For that you need to move up the ladder in Furman units, or Shunyata or what have you, but given how expensive they get, it's cheaper to buy several Furmans. :D
erik_squires
16,677 posts
 
The issue with DACs is that modern one's (< 10 years old) do much better with Redbook (44 kHz / 16 bit) playback than old DACs.

If you can hear a big jump in sound quality when you go to high resolution, that goes away with most DACs today.

I like Mytek, Schiit is also an inexpensive option which works really well. Topping is an absolute bargain if they fit your budget better.
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