Upgrade to AMR DP-777 SE or look elsewhere



 My AMR DP-777 is broken, and I have the opportunity to fix it with an upgrade to DP-777 SE.  The cost would be about $1400 (upgrade+usb->spdiff converter+coax cable).

 However, DP-777 SE version is old: 2015. It might be a better idea trashing the AMR, and  spend $2000-$3500 and get something modern, like Shitt  Yggdrasil,  some used DS Direcstream Jr+BridgeII, Metrum Onyx, etc, 

What's your opinion?. Go the cheapest option (upgrade the AMR DP-777 to SE  version and add a decent usb->spdif converter), or burning $2k-$3.5k to get a modern DAC?. 


DAC's usage: 50% vocal jazz, 15% pop, 15% rock,  10% electronic, 10% all the rest. DSD is irrelevant for me, my library is 80% redbook and some high-res files 24/96, 24/192. The source is a laptop with files in a NAS, amp goes with valves, and I want nothing sounding digital or fatiguing after many hours of music in the background. 


;-)


 



cortes

Showing 3 responses by in_shore

Well spend the money to get it fixed then what ? what could be next to go wrong ?
 My opinion the Schitt Yggdrasil analog 2 dac is a screaming good deal and a better dac in my opinion of the following three that I have owned. I moved on from PS Audio Direct stream dac senior purchased new in November 2017,  Denafrips Terminator purchased new in February of 2018 and a tried out used Metrum Level one Pavane that I borrowed.
i am quite happy now using a CEC TL2N transport and the Yggdrasil analog 2 .




  • Cortes Im not one to flip through audio components like this however I became disappointed with the PS Audio dac and it’s parter Direct stream player which I purchased new in 2017.

Ps Audio are still dealing with screen glitches in both these components and after listening to the Denafrips a friend brought over it was clear the Denafrips was the better performer at a couple grand less then PS Audio and yes current Redcloud was installed. On top of that the second hand value of a four month old $6000.00 dac in perfect cosmetic condition is surprising low , equally for the player,,...The Denafrips Terminator was sold over a minor technical issues I had with it and the fact Denafrips did not have any North American representation ,.

Regarding the Yggdrasil, i never paid attention to anything Schitt ever produced , the name was enough to turn me off however learning who the principles heading up this company were did spark some interest.
After the experience with PS Audio I wanted better value , glitch free along with performance that fit my listening biases . I took home a dealer trade in of a Metrum Pavane to try and liked it and almost kept it however I wanted to look around more .
 The Yggdrasil mk 2 I had no idea about only that it was a revision of the original Yggdrasil dac and the dac wasn’t on my radar at all .
it just so happen during a online purchase I made with pick up at the sellers home we chatted and listened to some music , he had a top of the line CEC transport and the Yggdrasil mk2 dac my search was over for now ,.
Well i don’t know what to think about what you read about Schitt components, I like their dac ,.
 


Cortes I’m certainly no authority on dacs, I find the influence of dacs like speaker choices , just personal taste . 

The Denafrips Terminator paired with the PS Audio Direct stream memory player really surprised me , I wasn’t expecting the Terminator to better the PS Audio dac . My buddy was just curious if the pin layout of the l2s connections were compatible with each other and secondly just to hear the Denafrips in a system with speakers .
I immediately liked the terminator , it easily compared well with the PS Audio and surpassed it with far better instrument separation laying out the sound stage much differently and to my liking .

There was an annoyance with the PS Audio components with screen freeze ups not often but on occasion along with the fact the Denafrips was less money .

$6000.00 US for the PS Audio , Denafrips $4500.00 USD delivered to your doorstep including top rated support and a pretty good warranty, 

I did get cold feet over Denafrips not having any North American representation also using it with the PS Audio player for unknown reasons the Terminator would reverse channels upon first start up , I would have to go through the modes to reset it each time I wanted to listen to music .
As for this Chinese design and built component , I give them high marks and finally try your best for in home trials from dealers or manufacturers dacs are a personal taste.