Streaming Dac $5000-8000


Hi there. 
I am after a streamer dac one piece unit  

ideally with a very natural sound, slightly warm midrange, and with good streamer app…

its for use on harbeth shl5 plus  

was thinking lumin t3.  any others to consider Like auralic Altair g2.1? Auralic Vega is a bit over budget  

moon seems to be well regarded, but they have a big gap between the 280d and 680d.   390 would be overkill as don’t need the preamp 

I like the luxman d03x cd player sound, but that doesn’t have a streamer  

thanks 
 

 

acdvd

Aurender A15 is $8K and has a preamp, the app is stable and sounds great, it also can be used as a streamer/server as it has USB output

Holo Audio May 'Kitsune' DAC with the companion Red DDC/streamer is $7K and is an even more flexible option as you can choose from many compatible apps

Lumin P1 at $10K is above your budget BUT it might be worth the stretch as it has even more/better features, for example the preamp function is truly 1st rate and the fiber optic input makes a noticeable difference - the P1 is what I use in my main system

Or you could blow your budget up completely and go for an MSB Discrete with renderer/streamer module for $14K and has a fantastic upgrade path, most importantly it is the best of the bunch sonically given your stated sonic preferences 

Because you mentioned Moon, Albert Sportis has a used 280D with the Mind 2 module in mint cond listed for $1800. I actually traded this piece as an upgrade to Esoteric N-01XD.  I was very happy with the Moon for the price point.  I upgraded my pre-amp/amps as-well and simply wanted a new DAC/steamer to match levels. 

Best of luck...

Awaiting the PS Audio PWave DS MkII arrival. It’s in that price range and the MkI was one of the highest rated. Anxious to see if some how it could improve upon the last FPGA update, which was simply fantastic!!

Take a look at the TEAC UD-701N, which is a streamer/dac/preamp for a little north of $4K. User reviews here: