Dac for Naim Nait XS + B&W CM7

[jimmy.cross]

Hello,

my system consists of a Naim Nait XS + B&W CM7 + Cambridge Audio DacMagic. I am considering an upgrade of the DAC, which was recycled from my previous system. The main reason is that I can feel some harsness in the high-end which probably comes from the DAC.Additionally, some rock music can sound a bit clinical sometimes.

I am a bit lost about where to start looking. My budget...I would say in the range £300-£600. The important part is the sinergy with the rest of the system.

Any suggestions to start auditioning?

Cheers!

 

[brandmartyr]

Hi,

I've recently been auditioning DAC's and was really impressed with the Rega DAC, which felt as though it complemented the naturalness and the neutrality of the Naim Nait 5i.

However, what was quite interesting was that I took along my current and relatively new Arcam rLink to the dealer as a point of comparison (they didn't have one) and used it to compare against the Rega Dac, and the Arcam rDac.

I think both myself and the dealer were astonished at the performance of the Arcam rLink compared to the twice as expensive rDac. In our opinion, the rLink offered more in almost every respect - more openness, more depth, more pace and more focus than the rDac. The Rega Dac in comparison and to its credit bought with it some added warmth and detail at the high end.

However, I think our conclusion from this was that the £150 Arcam rLink is nothing short of fantastic value and I'd recommend anybody thinking of upgrading or changing their DAC to give it a go.

 

[jimmy.cross]

Interesting! And between the Rega Dac and the Arcam rdac? Could you feel a clear difference between those two?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

If you have a Naim Nait XS, I reckon you can afford a £950 DAC. A DAC I like a lot is Wyred4Sound DAC1 (made in USA).

It's a DAC based on ESS Sabre 9018 32-bit/192khz chip. It's analoge stage is totally discrete and use JFET input transistors; a total of 88.000uF low ESR capacitos are used for filtering (all by passed with film capacitors) and the rectifier bridge uses 35A schotkky barrier diodes, and; Dale resistors, polymer and MKP capacitors are used in critical . Very nice build quality indeed!

The DAC1 is very neutral. Dynamics are superb, with outstanding transient attack; midrange is detailed, clear and natural; top end is nicely sharp, airy and open, without being overbright or harsh, and; bass lines are tuneful.

 

[Anonymous]

If you can't afford the W4S DAC1 and you can spend up to 600 pounds, there're few choices in UK. Musical Fidelity M1DAC and Rega DAC are the best choices.

About the harshness, it may be controlled by adopting more warm and sweet top end loudspeakers. B&W and Naim are not good partners for my liking.

 

[Shanka]

Hi,

I recently uditioned Rega DAC , MF M1 DAC and Audiolab MDAC and found little between the Rega and Audiolab but felt the M1 Dac fell short, I also found this again when just comparing M1 DAC and MDAC.

I would think these are the 3 main contenders at your price point and would audition all 3 if possible, also when demoing I would also advise doing tests with both usb and coaxial as they perform slightly differently depending on which is used.

I will probably be getting the MDAC but the best performance I have heard DAC wise was the M1 Clic which was surprising as the M1 DAC, I would put at the bottom of my list from the above.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[jimmy.cross]

Thanks for all these comments!

I have found the Rega DAC and Arcam rDac in my city (which I will borrow to listen to at home), but not a single reference to Audiolab's Mdac. I am peculiarly interested in the treeble comparison between the Rega and the Audiolab, as my system is somewhat sensitive to over-excited high-frequencies.

And the bass? Is one of those two clearly performing better in the bass range?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, I had a similar problem and get what you mean about music sounding too clinical. I did a fair bit of research into it and found the PS Audio dlink 111.

Retail is around £900 but they can be found 2nd hand/ex demo.

Might be worth a listen : http://www.psaudio.com/products/audio/media-players/dliii-dac/

 

[jimmy.cross]

It looks good! A bit out-of-budget right now for me. I noticed very few providers offer it in Europe though.

 

[Jeronimo]

@ jimmy.cross

I hope that you did some autioning in spite of the fact that some may be a bit out of budget right now. I'm very interested in your findings then, because I'm planning to partner my 7NT's B&W and Rega Jupiter CDP to the NAIM Nait XS. Very soon I have the opportunity to audition this amp at home against a sec. hand Vincent SV 236 hybrid /Exposure 2010S2 DAC and Exposure 3010S2 integrated.

According to my local dealer the NAIT XS is one of the best partnerings to my 7NT's within my planned budget (up to Euro 1.800,--/GBP 1.400) while having the best upgrading possibilities. I expect therefore the NAIM to come out on top. Nevertheless, your comment on the slight sharpness of your system concerns me. Was replacement of your DAC the solution for your 'problem'?

Current amplification: Classé CAP80 integrated and Van Medevoort Pa222 power amp. These go well with the 7Nt's but I feel there is so much more to gain from these speakers.

Kind regards, Jeronimo (Netherlands)

 

[busb]

I'd give the Rega & M-DAC some consideration. The fairly new Beresford Bushmaster is worth considering but is mail Order only but is considered to be excellent VFM. The M-DAC is very good indeed.

 

[busb]

I'm very happy with my M-DAC, especially now it has display dimming - very dynamic sounding without harshness, fab imaging & good detail. It is also very well supported by the designer who answers questions & provides firmware updates on the PFM forum. He's currently working on a cheaper version which he hopes will sound better, a matching M-PAX PSU that will have analogue inputs & M-Amps. The beauty of the M-DAC is that it will drive a power amp directly either by phono or XLR outputs. It's volume control is digital & has full remote control. I drive my amp's power amp section directly from mine. It can be set to disable the volume control if dsired for when connecting to a line input of a pre or integrated amp. It's at the top end of your price range - I'd recommend investigation.

Although I have not heard one, Rega's offering is cheaper & is highly rated. The Joker in the pack is Beresford's new Bushmaster that's cheaper still but is sold through mail order only AFAIK but probably worth researching. Dacs are definitely a moving target & appear to just get better so I'd tend not to buy 2nd hand ones unless at bargain prices.