New or second hand DAC recommendations please £250ish

[Malamus]

Hi all

I auditioned at home (thanks hifix) a rega brio 2017 and a quad vena to power a recent purchase of a pair of kef r100s

The vena really was good but just didn't connect with me, the rega however had something I just enjoyed.

As you know the vena has an onboard dac where as the rega was getting its source from a CCA (the flaw!)

Once I streamed, tidal hifi, through the CCA to an ir-dac-ii then to rega I loved it.

however, the dac is on loan, and too expensive so I'm asking you fine folk for opinions

rega dac is one possibility how about any others

thanks

 

[insider9]

Circa £300 would be hard to beat. It is a little bit of a pain in stationary system but sound makes up for it.

Although if you like Irdac 2 maybe just get one second hand which should be available for circa £250.

As an alternative suggest Minidsp 2x4 HD which not only is a DAC but digital crossover plus room correction and can be had new under budget.

 

[lpv]

I don’t think op wants or needs something as complex as mini dsp..

he believes cca dac is inferior and looking for typical hifi dac..

just get s/h arcam or save some money for rega dac and satisfy your audiophile needs

 

[insider9]

Minidsp 2X4HD isn't complex at all. It could be used as a DAC. At the price of its good sounding DAC OP would be getting a crossover which is ideal should he want to integrate a subwoofer.

If he decided down the line that he fancies using its DSP functions even the better especially as it accepts one analogue source also.

 

[lpv]

yeah, I know what your on about and I’m very familiar with mini dsp ( played few days ago with it on my system).. it just in this case I’m not sure this is what’s needed

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Don’t know if you have bought but if I were you I wouldn’t be worrying about Dacs too much. Spend the extra cash on all out sound quality in amplification and buy a used streamer with decent dacs when you can. For an extra £250 you are into something like a cyrus one which I really like, and that’s a better amp than the quad vena or Rega brio. Also with its very powerful class d amplification it will drive the kefs with gusto. You could then use the cca until you can upgrade it and buy a streamer with a built in dac. I think spending a lot of money on a chord dac in relative terms won’t be as value for money to get big discernible benefits. The cyrus one will go very well with the kefs I reckon, or a similar priced amplifier at around £750 would be a better bet.

 

[lpv]

it is unclear if the op bought rega amp or only auditioned

edit: if he just got the new amp I wouldn’t suggest to change it

 

[grimharry]

I’m very happy with the Rega Dac and have been told that it works well with the Brio R

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Malamus

If connections are compatible then the Pink Triangle Ordinal DAC is also worth bearing in mind.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Malamus]

Funny the Cyrus one I gets a mention as that was also one I demoed at the shop, it was the same price as the brio and was taken out of the equation very early on, even had a free CCA and tidal thrown in.

I'm very interested in the comments about not worrying about a dac and spending more on an amp. To my ears (listening to parachutes, cold play) the CCA DAC is almost painful as the fingers slide up and down the guitar strings, with the irdac it was quite plesent.

I have no commitment to either the vena or brio, but as I said, I'm happy to keep the brio. audiolab have a few dacs I hope to try out soon

reguarding a streamer with dac, excuse my ignorance but isn't a streamer just a bunch of 0s and 1s being sent to a dac which does the conversion i.e. Streamer quality is not as important as a dac?

In the same way people can suggest a nice pairing of speakers with amp, are there any similar pairing of amps and dacs?

Thanks for all comments and options so far

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Interesting about the Cyrus ONE v Rega brio as hearing both of these myself in various configs, albeit not with your speakers, I would have thought the Cyrus ONE would have won hands down with your speakers on the grounds of its amplification. If heard it cope with very big speakers too. What didn’t you like about it?

My point about the dac is that I think you can get more out of the system in terms of amp and speakers if the dac is decent, at this price, as much of the quality of the sound comes down to speakers and their drive in amps imho.

Streamers sound quality varies on lots of things. If I use a cheap cca in my system it sounds terrible so that’s why I use a more system compatible streamer.

What sort of sound are you looking for ? I’m sure you’d get lots of recommendations if you say.

 

[DIB]

The latest Beresford Caiman SEG is top quality and can be had new for well under budget. Even better, a good condition 2nd hand one would come in well under £200.

.

 

[Malamus]

Questforthe13thnote,

if I may quote you

"My point about the dac is that I think you can get more out of the system in terms of amp and speakers if the dac is decent, at this price, as much of the quality of the sound comes down to speakers and their drive in amps imho. "

that is exactly how I feel. However the rega needs a dac as I stream loads. I spent more than intended, as is often the way! so am looking for that "decent dac" You speak of.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

My point is I think you need a good dac in a source in your system, but you don’t need to spend £500 on a seperates dac when the system with speakers is £1000.

Id much rather spend say a grand on amps and speakers and keep your cca until such time as you can upgrade the streamer, or do that now if you like/can. Then buy something like a bluesound node 2 with great upsampling dacs that would rival the best dacs you can get. I’d kill two birds with streamer and dac as well.

most of the sound you get comes from amplification and speakers at a grand even of you use a 1980 CD player with its own Dac. The source is good enough. It would probably beat a £30 Cca.

if you compared say buying a chord Hugo and using it with a cca versus buying a better streamer like a node2, I’d doubt you’d get much of a difference between the two. If anything splitting hairs. So just upgrade the streamer now or when ready would be my recommendation.

 

[Malamus]

Thank you all for your comments. I thought I'd update my post for any future readers

Questforthe13thnote, I decided to take your advice and I have purchased a bluesound node (mk1 for £130)

i think this will be a great solution

thank you for all your advice

 

[drummerman]

Thank you all for your comments. I thought I'd update my post for any future readers

Questforthe13thnote, I decided to take your advice and I have purchased a bluesound node (mk1 for £130)

i think this will be a great solution 

thank you for all your advice

Reads great. Report back.

I use a humble CCA with a humble Hifimediy ESS Sabre 9018 dac in my equally humble system to good effect.

About £60 all in.