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Looking for a DAC < $1500

Need two coax inputs to hook up my CDP and Bluesound Node2. Not too many out there with two coax inputs but found a couple on A'gon and trying to decide; Bryston BDA-2, Primare Systems DAC 30, and for just a little more, a McIntosh D100. If your money, which would you pick. Or should I just go with something new from Marantz reference line that plays CD (or SACD) and has a coax input. The goal is to take the digital glare from my CD player - a real midfi unit, and the Bluesound's internal DAC. Thanks.
kalali

Showing 3 responses by mb1audio02

mb1audio02
188 posts
 
" If your money, which would you pick."

I would definately go with the dac that sounds the best. 
mb1audio02
188 posts
 
If you need 2 coax inputs look at a Wadia di122.  It has 2 coax, 2 Toslink and 1 usb. ($1500). Its similar to the Ayre in that its just in another league than most of the others. This will be a stunning improvement over what you have now. 
mb1audio02
188 posts
 
" But, I'd love to hear from any fanatic out there that has done A/B comparisons to the Oppo 105, using newer DAC/chip designs."

I've compared the Oppo to other products. Its an OK starter component, but you can only do so much at that price point. Also, if you're not using it for video, a good portion of the cost goes into stuff you don't need. 

As far as comparing the dac chips, its extremely difficult to isolate just one small part of the player. More importantly, you're focusing on small things while ignoring the big ones. Have you considered anything involving the analog portion of the dac? It accounts for at least 50% of the sound you hear, and it usually makes a much bigger difference than the chip. I compared the Oppo to CD players that were 15-20 years old. Those players may not have a modern dac chip, but they do have exceptional analog stages. On Redbook CD, they made the Oppo sound defective. 
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