DAC / Streamer Recommendations

spooks1982

Well-known member
Jun 9, 2015
22
13
10,525
Visit site
Hi all,

After a long absence from Hi-Fi I've been putting together a good system but I need a source for my digital music collection and also something to stream it with. With my last system I was using a Chord 2Qute DAC and a Mac mini via USB however that required access to a remote desktop session via a TV/Laptop to access my collection. Not very practical!

I was going to go down the Chord Route again but I believe in order to integrate the streaming capabilities I'd need the DAC and another box (chord or non chord). I've read some good things about Auralic, specifically the ALTAIR G1 (£2000). This would give me a single box solution at a reasonable price. However I'm just wondering whether or not it will be a match for the rest of my system which is:

PMC Fact.12 speakers
Teddy Pardo PR1 Pre amp
Teddy Pardo 2x 100W Mono Blocks

I'm familiar with PMC having owned the Twenty.23 in the past and have used TP Power supplies on previous Naim kit. I was so impressed by the Teddy Power supplies I thought I'd give their amps a whirl. Obviously the speakers are massively more expensive retail but I got them at a very good used price on the bay.

I could look further up the Auralic range but the next model up is the Vega G1 and that is 6k! A bit to much to swallow as my system is getting very expensive as is.

Any advice on the above or recommendations would be gratefully received!

Cheers!
 
There's always the Auralic Aries G2.1 at £4100 however this is only a streaming transport requiring a DAC.
I have no doubt the Altair G1 will be a very suitable match to the rest of your very nice system.
Otherwise there's the Naim XS 2 or Cambridge Edge NQ (but this is also a preamp)
 
Good digital isn’t necessarily that expensive, and unless you like the idea of “playing” with DACs I’d definitely suggest looking at streamers with a DAC.

Naim, Linn, LUMIN, and Auralic all have their adherents, and one of the most important things is the ease of use of the app and the ergonomics. I always thought a screen with cover art was a great feature, until I moved to a Linn DS controlled by my iPad, when I realised they were pointless! Some buttons on the device can be helpful, but if you can wait for the iPad connection to ‘wake up’ it’s not vital.

The LUMIN D2 is £1895 and had a glowing review by Andrew Everard in Gramophone, October 2020 edition. The Naim ND5 XS is another basic model with very good sound. Linn DS models are great imo, but are costly brand new. A used model is often half new cost or less, and they have a transferable five year warranty. An Akurate is the level I’d suggest with your kit.

If you want a mix and match, then a modest Bluesound Node 2i at £399 plus a Chord Qutest DAC might appeal, and both items reportedly respond to power supply upgrades. The app by Bluesound is well thought of and the device supports more streaming services than most.
 



 

griff500

Well-known member
Dec 27, 2017
1
0
1,520
Visit site
Thanks all... I am thinking that I am going to get the Auralic Vega G1. That should be more than enough for my needs! Just need to pay for the thing now lol :).
That's an excellent choice. If you want the Vega G2 instead, which is better, then I might know where a very nice ex-demo is located.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts