Upgrade Hint 6?

Op amps are cheaper than discrete circuits for a reason...

Does a violin measure as well as the latest Benchmark model? I’ve had components that measured amazingly well, and they also sounded completely mediocre.

Two amps that I once owned measured really well and the cheap one gave sibilance and loose tubby bass while the other one, in the exactly same system with the same tracks, did not.   

Unfortunately the Topping DX7 Pro employs op amps

So... it also measures nearly as well as the latest Benchmark and better than some Chords and Myteks.

There are many levels of Op-amp quality and the best ones are competitive with top-shelf discrete circuitry. 

Unfortunately the Topping DX7 Pro employs op amps.  

Good idea jl35.  I haven't tried that comparison, thanks.

Hah hah haaaaaa $400? Forgive me for not agreeing. Many years ago, I bought a used Adcom DA700 for $250. it was great, I used it for years.. Even returned a $2300 new raved in TAS and Streophile DAC since my $250 toy was just as good. But... Finally last year my dealer loaned me a SACD player he thought I would like. $7000. Well yeah it was better than my old DAC. So I went and bought one. I still use a 1990's five disc changer I paid $40 for on eBay.. (the Toslink to the DAC cost three times the cost of the CD changer) and golly the sound is very very close to the $7000 playing directly (vs the 5 disk via Toslink to the $7000.  
So maybe the"$400" comment might apply to what the person writing it would be willing to spend..??

Yes, where accurate-measuring (flat response, SINAD and jitter below hearing threshold, channel separation above hearing threshold etc.) DACs are concerned, $400 gets one state-of-the-art performance from the likes of the Topping DX7 Pro. I recently compared a Chord Qutest ($1895 when released not long ago, and favorably compared to some $6K DACs by some owners) to a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital ($399) and the latter was very much the former's equal, arguably just a hair better. 

Now you might default to the claim that my system isn't resolving enough to hear the difference. Well, it's at least a couple rungs above anything powered by a Hint 6, so certainly resolving enough to apply to this thread. Oh, and I can still hear to nearly 20kHz as I'm in my early 30s and have been careful about hearing protection. I can easily make out the differences in Sabre DAC filter settings for example.

Had I bought the Qutest and expected a landslide victory, I'm sure that's what I wouldn've heard. I've made such mistakes in the past - not bothering to A/B the shiny new toy to its predecessor. Psychoacoustics is a powerful phenomenon and I'm now convinced its what drives the current DAC market, that and DACs that are full of distortion, measure poorly and thus sound different...and different is refreshing for some, and therefore "better."

When you use other sources, such as CD, is the Hint everything you want it to be ?

Also maybe the Node isn’t sending a high quality low jitter signal to the Hint 

Historically, the DAC section in the Parsound integrated has been a weak spot.  While the new HINT 6 uses a different DAC chip (ESS), it is likely that they haven't upgraded the DAC circuit itself.  Anyone have direct experience listening to the old HINT DAC side by side with the new HINT DAC?

Good question.  When I stream music from my Bluesound Node 2i I do not discern a noticeable difference between the Node DAC and the Hint DAC.  Since the Node is relatively inexpensive I figured maybe a DAC upgrade would be warranted.  

why are you assuming the DAC is the weak spot in the Hint ? 

"DACs really don't get any better than what can currently be bought for ~$400. "

I didn't know that. 

OP, don’t be surprised to find disagreement among audio people.  Calling Schiit multibit DACs colored sound is not true.  And as one who’s owned three of them I think I know a thing or two about their sound.

Sorry, but I’ll also have to disagree with the $400 dac theory as well.  But one does need decent gear in order to hear improvements.  Good luck with your search.

You'd be much better off selling your Hint and putting your $$$$ toward separates or a better integrated. That or just enjoy what you have.

DACs really don't get any better than what can currently be bought for ~$400. The technology peaked years ago and what's available now are basically two types: highly-accurate, near-perfect-measuring DACs (that can be had for a couple hundred), and DACs that color the sound in some subjectively pleasing way, with rolled-off highs, distortion, poor channel separation, etc. 

The Schiit Multibit DACs fall into the latter category - colored sound. 

It's hard to say, really.  I'm assuming you'd connect the outboard dac into the Hint and hope for an improvement?  That would depend on if your speakers are capable of presenting additional detail and resolution.  Also, the Hint is said to be on the slightly warm side soundwise, so a slightly warm sounding Bifrost or Yggy might push things too far into the warm category to hear an improvement.

Then there's the cables.  The DAC in the Hint is pretty respectable, I'd say you're at a point where you'll get diminishing returns.  As long as your speakers are up to snuff, I'd say just call it a day and stop researching new purchases.  If you are bound and determined to get something else, you'll get more differences from getting a second pair of speakers that you can swap in when you get bored of your sound.