A lot to take in! I listen to solely R&R, loudly, large room. Current system is Tekton DI's, SVS SB 4000 sub, Audiolab 6000CDT, Benchmark LA-4 Line Amp and a Benchmark DAC3B, Peachtree AMP 500 First and only DAC so far. May try in in a secondary system soon, while looking at another, MAYBE. A lot of GREAT choices and suggestions, Thanks to all. Just want to share one thought, The Benchmark DAC 3B was a huge difference maker, WOW, just can't describe the audible difference, I could use all the terms, holographic, etc. But a huge difference, so audibly noticeable. I believe a lot had to do with their line amp (LA-4) 30 day free trial, Made in NY Very happy! Robert TN
Need help choosing a new DAC
With so many options for DACs these days, I'm having a hard time deciding on a new DAC. Currently considering a MHDT Orchid or Pagoda, Denafrips Pontus II, Benchmark DAC3, Schitt Yggdrasil, or Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE. I don't need any options such as volume control, BT, or MQA. I also prefer musicality over measurements. I'm currently using a SMSL SU-9, which will be moved over to my office system. I'm tired of moving it back and forth between systems. My bank account prefers the cost of the Orchid since the other options cost up to twice as much, but I can go as high as $2500. I mostly steam Qobuz thru a Raspberry Pi 4, but also use a Cambridge Audio CXC v2 CD transport on occasion. My preamp is a Don Sachs DS2 tube preamp going into a D-Sonic m3a-1200s amp feeding "Gunned" MMGs. I mostly listen to the Grateful Dead, rock, jazz, and acoustic music. Which DAC should I get and are the any others I should look at?