My next move (apart from buying a headphone amp, which is discussed in the relevant forum), is going to be to invest in a standalone DAC. The intention will be for this to be connected to my existing CD player, my Squeezebox 3, and my PC in the short term. In the longer term I will be thinking of a replacement for the Squeezebox and/or the CD player.
Given that I like a natural sound with the ability to reproduce instrumental timbres convincingly, but also with a good dynamic range, what should I be looking at to work with my Creek amp?
I'm interested in the Musical Fidelity M1 DAC, which seems to be excellent value for money, but I've also read mention of a new DAC from Audiolab, although I can't find any details about it. I'm presuming that this would simply be the DAC part of the 8200CD. Finally, there is the Rega DAC which seems to be building a strong reputation for its performance. If I go for the MF M1 DAC I will more than likely mate it with an M1 CDT or M1 CLiC in the future.
The primary reason for going down the DAC route is the added flexibility but I'd also like to think I'll get an improvement in performance at the same time.
Any thoughts or pointers appreciated.
Given that I like a natural sound with the ability to reproduce instrumental timbres convincingly, but also with a good dynamic range, what should I be looking at to work with my Creek amp?
I'm interested in the Musical Fidelity M1 DAC, which seems to be excellent value for money, but I've also read mention of a new DAC from Audiolab, although I can't find any details about it. I'm presuming that this would simply be the DAC part of the 8200CD. Finally, there is the Rega DAC which seems to be building a strong reputation for its performance. If I go for the MF M1 DAC I will more than likely mate it with an M1 CDT or M1 CLiC in the future.
The primary reason for going down the DAC route is the added flexibility but I'd also like to think I'll get an improvement in performance at the same time.
Any thoughts or pointers appreciated.