My advice is to make sure that you get yourself a 24 bit machine. My Stan Warren modified 24 bit MSB DAC has sonically beat up quite a few ot the older 20 bit Levinsons, Thetas and Krells. Stan's work definately brought the MSB into a completely different league, but I think the 24 bit chipset has some serious sonic advantages that the older 20 bit chipsets did not have (regardless of the manufacturer). BTW this is my 9th digital front end in 14 years, and for the first time I am actually content with listening to digital (as opposed to always craving analog, with it's inherent sonic qualities that been so lacking in my digital front end...until now).
New DAC versus higher end used DAC?
Does anyone have direct experience comparing the previous generation of high end DAC (especially Muse model 2 plus, Meridian 563 and Timbre TT-1) with newer units like the Bel Canto (1 or 1.1) or the PT-3A.
I'm trying to upgrade my front end by spending as little as possible and some of the non-24/96 DACs which were very well received can be bought for1/4 of their original price. Or am I being foolish, are the new units so much better that a new $700 unit outperforms what was a 2-4K one three or four years ago?
I'm planning on using an ARCAM Alpha 7se I already own as transport (it has the same transport as the Alpha 9se). I have the Musical Fidelity A3cr amp and pre. TMC White and Yellow interconnects Analysis Plus oval 9 and 12 in a biwire run as speaker cable to Magnepan 1.5/QRs. Power is filtered by a Monster HTS-2000 and I have a mix of Stealth HAC, Kimber PowerKord and Dedicated Audio pds one power cords.
Help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
I'm trying to upgrade my front end by spending as little as possible and some of the non-24/96 DACs which were very well received can be bought for1/4 of their original price. Or am I being foolish, are the new units so much better that a new $700 unit outperforms what was a 2-4K one three or four years ago?
I'm planning on using an ARCAM Alpha 7se I already own as transport (it has the same transport as the Alpha 9se). I have the Musical Fidelity A3cr amp and pre. TMC White and Yellow interconnects Analysis Plus oval 9 and 12 in a biwire run as speaker cable to Magnepan 1.5/QRs. Power is filtered by a Monster HTS-2000 and I have a mix of Stealth HAC, Kimber PowerKord and Dedicated Audio pds one power cords.
Help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.