2. digital
  3. 1050798583

Upgrade AVP or buy outbd DAC for improved 2 ch.

I am upgrading the analog section of my integrated HT system(Aries 2 TT; Aesthetix Rhea phono stage).I would also like to improve the sonics of my digital playback. I am debating whether to upgrade my Proceed to an AVP2 and play the Rhea through the analog bypass or bag the Proceed altogether for 2 ch and go for a tube preamp such as the Aesthetix Calypso and a stand alone DAC such as an Audiomeca or a Chord 64. Am I selling the DACs in the AVP2 short? The AVP upgrade is $2500. If I went to a full function preamp as opposed to the phono stage alone and got a used Audiomeca or Chord, that would probably run me a little over $3000. The Janus, Aesthetix full function tube preamp in fact has a HT bypass which would allow the signal from the Proceed to pass through the circuitry of the Janus during video playback. This has been a vexing problem and any help would be appreciated.
128x128stew3859
3 responses Add your response
stew3859's avatar
stew3859 OP
119 posts
 
Audioengr, when you say you recommend getting a better active line stage, do you mean better than what is in the AVP or better than the Aesthetix Janus, which I was contemplating?
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
I have an AVP in my reference sytem, as well as a Mark Levinson #38 Pre with my mods. I have compared the AVP to passive line-stages that I built to see how good it was. The interesting thing is that the stock AVP is actually very close to a line-stage. It is not quite as detailed, but is actually more dynamic with most amps than a passive linestage. The amount of detail that is lost is actually quite small. However, my modded ML#38 blows it away in spades. It has all the detail of the passive linestage and the dynamics of an active pre. I would reccommend getting a better active line-stage for 2-channel audio.
rsuminsby's avatar
rsuminsby
152 posts
 
I own an AVP and just ordered the AVP2 upgrade. Can tell you in a few weeks what I think, but I'm very optimistic about the quality of its digital processing, based on the trickle down effect from the ML No.40. It's not just the quality of the DAC, it's the software doing the digital processing as well that's going to determine the overall sound quality. For me, an added plus was getting HDCD decoding with the AVP2 upgrade.

I've gone the route before of using a seperate preamp for analog, but I missed the simplicity of a single pre-pro for all functions. That's one thing that appealed to me about the AVP, its true analog pass through.

And don't forget that the AVP2 adds some HT benefits, such as 7.1, DPLII, improved bass management, etc.

Like I said, ask me in a few weeks, since I've taken the plunge for the AVP2.
Log in to respond
More to discover
80x80
Meitner Audio MA3
80x80
Esoteric Grandioso K1XSE
80x80
Esoteric K-05XD