Digital for Rega Elex-R?

[KSP]

Hello,

I have an Elex-r and Q Accoustic 3050 speakers.

i would like to atach a quality Dac/source in the setup.

options: node 2, rega dac-r, pioneer n50a. Rega's dac would be driven by mu cd player, tv or airport express in short term.

Help me choose?

cheers!

 

[rainsoothe]

Imo, Cambridge Audio CXN sounds excellent, if you want a long term sollution. Haven't heard the Pioneer, I don't like the Rega (or didn't, when I heard it years ago).

 

[jonathanRD]

Hello,

I have an Elex-r and Q Accoustic 3050 speakers.

i would like to atach a quality Dac/source in the setup.

options: node 2, rega dac-r, pioneer n50a. Rega's dac would be driven by mu cd player, tv or airport express in short term.

Help me choose?

cheers!

What cd player do you have? and what's the long term plan?

 

[Nelis87]

Onkyo ns-6130 or 6170 and yamaha wxc-50 are also great options. Heard the pioneer, onkyo and cxn and to me the difference is sound quality is negligible. All sound great. Went for the Pioneer because it matches my Pioneer amp.

 

[jonathanRD]

Research will unearth some great reviews for the Node 2, Rega, Yamaha, Pioneer and CXN, and you will find praise from posters on this site for all of them at their respective price point.

But they all offer different options, hence the question what cd player do you have and what is your long-term plan (based on your comment for the AEX short-term)?

 

[KSP]

Cd player: yamaha cdx-497

long term: probably no cd quality streaming, rather spotify + buying cd or hd track digitally. I do not have an extreme cd collection.

i do like a warm sound btw.

 

[manicm]

Research will unearth some great reviews for the Node 2, Rega, Yamaha, Pioneer and CXN, and you will find praise from posters on this site for all of them at their respective price point.

But they all offer different options, hence the question what cd player do you have and what is your long-term plan (based on your comment for the AEX short-term)?

My knee-jerk response was also to suggest the Node 2, but as excellent as it is, it may not suit his needs with a single digital input for his CDP etc.

I would then stump up for the CXN - DAC + streamer all in one. Bit pricey though but at least does DSD.

A standalone DAC is becoming increasingly a niche product to me.

 

[jonathanRD]

Cd player: yamaha cdx-497

long term: probably no cd quality streaming, rather spotify + buying cd or hd track digitally. I do not have an extreme cd collection.

i do like a warm sound btw.

Sounds like you need to be concentrating on a streamer rather than just a dac. I would be looking at the various features and connection options available for some of the streamers that have been mentioned. But my main concern is whether you can home demo your options, just to make sure that it fits well with your Elex-r / 3050 setup. For example, WHF suggest pairing the Cambridge CXN with an Arcam A19. I've heard the Arcam and the Elex-r - the Elex-r being more lively, so I would want to ensure that they pair well. There is also a chance that the Rega dac-r and/or Bluesound Node 2 will sound more to your liking but you really need to demo them if you can. I would if it was my money. Another option would be to go for a dac thats sounds best in your setup, and add a streamer - say a Chromecast Audio. Lots of options, but can you hear them? If not, then read as many reviews as you can.

 

[KSP]

I do have a chromecast audio indeed. I am just not sure about plugging this to a rather expensive dac.

I already compared the rega dac-r against de node2. Rega was a little more refined, depending on the music.

 

[jonathanRD]

I do have a chromecast audio indeed. I am just not sure about plugging this to a rather expensive dac.

I already compared the rega dac-r against de node2. Rega was a little more refined, depending on the music.

The CCA can send a digital signal into the Rega Dac-r - just search for the correct cable. There's no reason why this should not work perfectly, and you can get an ethernet adapter too, avoiding using wirelessly. If you really like the Rega Dac-r (there are lots of very good reviews) then the CCA represents a really cost effective starting point for streaming.

I would be very hesitant to buy a streamer/dac for £800 (CXN) without listening to it in my system first. The other option if the Rega sounds right to you is to use the CCA in the short term and then look at alternative solutions for a suitable cost effective streamer to use with the Rega.

I have a dac module fitted to my Exposure pre-amp. I struggled to find the right cable to connect the CCA digitally to the dac module (BNC and USB type B connections). So I purhcased a Sonos Connect (I have other Sonos speakers) and use the digital coxial out to BNC connection on my dac module. There is no discernable difference between palying the same track from my Rega CDP or streamed from the computer on my home netwok via the Sonos and Exposure dac (the dacs are almost the same model). I suspect the CCA would have given me the same result - so it is worth considering.

 

[SemiChronic]

I would also advocate a CXN demo, or just go balls out and grab a stream magic 6 from ebay/keep/sell on/upgrade

 

[KSP]

Thanks for all the replies so far!

the n50a seemed nice, but do you need the wireless adaptor to be able to use the control app? i can hardwire it, but I would like to use my ios devices as a remote.

I indeed like the rega's sound, smooth yet detailed. I love the "design" 😉 and i could hook up more sources to it. => if the CCA is decent enough, i would do for it. I do not want to buy a node afterwards to connect to the rega.

The bluesound only has 1 entry and this bugs me. Would have wanted at least a way to hook up cd and tv. But i think the app is really comfortable.

For the moment i see these prices

bs node 2: 450 eur

rega: 640 eur

cxn: 900 eur

n50a: 460 eur

cheers

 

[newlash09]

the control app and associated software being good is a must. Convenience takes priority. If you are not happy with the SQ of the internal dac, you can take digital out to an external dac. Thus, the pioneer and rega are the first to be eliminated. You can decide between what is now left. I have personally plumped for a Yamaha wxc 50.

 

[jonathanRD]

the control app and associated software being good is a must. Convenience takes priority. If you are not happy with the SQ of the internal dac, you can take digital out to an external dac. Thus, the pioneer and rega are the first to be eliminated. You can decide between what is now left. I have personally plumped for a Yamaha wxc 50.

The OP is happy with the sound quality of the Rega dac-r over any they have heard so far, so not sure why we are eliminating it at this stage? Yes the Rega is not a streamer. and the Pioneer's software is not the best. Unless the OP gets to hear other streamers and likes the SQ of the dac, then they need options for a simple streamer feeding the Rega Dac-r.

Ideally the OP needs to hear other options such as the CXN and Yamaha WXC50.

 

[KSP]

Fyi: I think I will buy the Rega, it is just so pleasant to listen to and I believe the CCA will be able to feed it with spotify correctly and that I'll use my cd player for the albums I really like. Cd's are just so easy.