What are your top 3 favorite DAC or DAC/Streamer devices?


Just wanted to find out what everybody is using and why? I guess I will start.
1. Schiit Bifrost/ Bifrost Uber/ Multibit. These devices sound great and are affordable.
2. Ayre Codex- Great Dac, but costly.
3. Bluesound Node 2. Budget Swiss army knife audio- as it can be a preamp/DAC/, wirless bridge to your digital library and streamer.

Which DACs, streamers or combo devices do you use or like?
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DAC:  Totaldac Twelve SE

Streamer: (a) Innuos Zenith SE and (b) Totadac Server.

NAS: Innuos Zenith SE
Very happy with Mac Mini dedicated as a Roon server, HDMI out to Oppo 105.. Oppo balanced outs to Adcom/Pass 750, balanced out to  ATI 4002 Signature, into Bryston Mini T's. Lots of bang for the buck, and the Oppo is awesome with Blue Ray and DVD movies. IMHO.
Moving from PS Audio Directstream to Lampizator Golden Gate..I never look back. Right now the weakest link might be the Auralic Aries.
Auralic Aries (Femto) into a Lyngdorf TDAI 2170.
Aries Mini w/ Mytek Brooklyn DAC+
Above streamers w/ Wyred4Sound DAC2se
I have heard wonderful things about the Schitt, Naim Atom and Music Fidelity dacs / all in one components.
a little off the thread, but, has anyone tried the Aune B1 portable for use with a phone?
My Wadia 9 classic decoding computer is a beast! Never heard anything like it. 

Combined with Rasberry Pi 3b Moode 3.8 HAT Hifiberry digi+ Pro (modded) and the Lifatec ST Optical toslink cable  :)  Christmas has come early my Friends. 

My old dac was also no slouch, The Theta Gen V-a with ST Optical input. And right behind it the Theta VIII series 3. I could happily live with either.

But the Wadia is on a different plane. 


Lumin U1 to PS Audio Direct Stream, via USB with Intona and iFi Micro, is the best I’ve heard so far.

Others I’ve heard:
Roon/ROCK on Intel NUCi5 > PS Audio DSD;
Synology NAS/Minimserver > PS Audio DSD;
Logitech Transporter > Audio Note DAC;
Squeezebox Touch > Audio Note DAC;
Mac Mini > Ayre QB-9

Transporter > AN 4.1 DAC is prob close behind the Lumin/DSD.

There are others I just don’t recall all the combos.
1) TotalDac with dCS bridge
2) Mytek Manhattan II with network bridge
3) Monarchy M24

These are my 3 favorites. I am not suggesting that the M24 is as good as the other two but it is not completely embarrassed either. 

Bespoke Server build with Win10 Memory Player software suite -JRiver23 (fed by NAS with and ENO Ethernet filter block), feeding a Lampizator Golden Gate with superclocked USB. The MP suite come with clock mapping, auto-slot loading, IDEAS 1, 2 and 3, Stealth mode and tweaked MSConfig.

I also have a dual boot SSD alternative for Win2016 Server with AO, tweaked BIOS and MSconfig and using both Jriver 21 and Roon/HQP.

The fanless Server has lots of bespoke tweaks as well as all linear power supplies. I think I will also build a 2nd server with a Gamer mobo to further enhance the Roon/HQP interface.

Divine digital.

NAD M51 $600-800 usd price.  Excellent value. Frequently compared  to Bryston bdp 2

Aune  T1se tube dac. Very good value at 200.00 USD used price. 
I currently run
Antipodes DX3/Rowland Aeris DAC+PSU.
I heard the Border Patrol SE DAC at AXPONA. For its price point it sounded terrific. I don't recall the source being used, however.

Quad VA-One...EL84 Class A PP with Bluetooth,USB,Optical & Coaxial inputs...Compact,stunning build quality & wonderfully voiced...
I currently own all three of these

Lumin S1 Streamer/DAC combo
PS Audio Directstream DAC w/Bridge II Card
Auralic Aires Mini Streamer/ DAC combo

Naim Atom - Fantastic Sound

Bluesound Node2 - see above

Oppo 205 - great product

all via dCS Bridge/Debussey/Rossini Clock/Ayre K3x


Aurender N10, Antipodes to a good DAC using USB.

Raspberry Pi with DietPi OS and Digione HAT board outputting S/PDIF to a good DAC.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio