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Options for $1k or less DAC?

Hi Everyone,

My current setup:
Spotify Connect -> HiFi Berry Dac w/ hifiberryOS -> Bottlehead Crack w/ speedball -> Sennheiser 6xx 

I'd like to replace the hifiberry with a better DAC and switch over to Amazon Music HD to get increased quality of 24/192.  I recently purchased a S.M.S.L Sanskrit 10th MK II was was *floored* by the difference in sound between the 2 setups. 

My expectation is that the differences are mostly related to DAC with Spotify already streaming at 320bps.  The differences that show up between streaming services / quality is likely minimal.

My requirements are minimal to start with:
USB input
Analog Out
Nice to have:  Filters, more than 1 output.

So, where do I go from the Sanskrit?  

  
martinman

Showing 1 response by yyzsantabarbara

yyzsantabarbara
5,026 posts
 
Today, I am using this DAC with the Benchmark HPA4 preamp.
https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/matrix-audio-mini-i-pro-3-third-time-s-a-charm/

It sounds great with my headphones, Meze Empy + Topping A90 amp. I am going back and forth whether I like it on my uber revealing 2 channel system. This DAC will eventually go back to headphone duties so it does not matter

It has the following features and very good sound for $899 MSRP (I bought for $749 on Black Friday)

- 7 filters with graphics to show the frequency curves
- Beautiful screen that shows album cover
- MQA
- AirPlay2, Wifi, Ethernet, Android connectivity via Bluetoooth codecs such as AptX-HD and LDAC
- Remote
- Coaxial, Optical, IIS LVDS, USB Audio, Bluetooth and Streaming
- ROON READY (soon)
- Headphone (never tried it)
- Preamp and volume control (I do not use it)
More to discover