Currently I have a Schiit Mani phono stage in my system that I would like to upgrade because of its (to me) terrible noise floor. I also have a Topping D10 DAC that perhaps could be replaced as well. I have actually never heard a more expensive DAC and so don't know what I'm missing, I suppose. I was browsing pre-amps and not much was really catching my eye, that had both a good phono stage and DAC. Maybe the Emotiva Basx PT1 would play well with my Basx A-100 amp, but I couldn't find many people talking about its phono capabilities.
Well, eventually I stumbled upon the PS Audio Sprout 100, which has many glowing reviews. I know it's a full integrated amp, but for the moment it would simply doing pre-amp duty and this might be a waste. So, I am curious if you all think I would be better served by a discrete phono stage and a discrete DAC at a total of $700 budget, and which ones you would recommend? Thanks!
And just further context here, it's probably frowned upon by many, but the reason I'm not looking for an integrated amp, except perhaps to use as simply a pre-amp, is that I use a mixer to take in multiple sources so that I can have music while gaming. So realistically, my PC or console would be on one channel and music on another.
Well, eventually I stumbled upon the PS Audio Sprout 100, which has many glowing reviews. I know it's a full integrated amp, but for the moment it would simply doing pre-amp duty and this might be a waste. So, I am curious if you all think I would be better served by a discrete phono stage and a discrete DAC at a total of $700 budget, and which ones you would recommend? Thanks!
And just further context here, it's probably frowned upon by many, but the reason I'm not looking for an integrated amp, except perhaps to use as simply a pre-amp, is that I use a mixer to take in multiple sources so that I can have music while gaming. So realistically, my PC or console would be on one channel and music on another.
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