Hi - I am currently in upgrade mode once again, and would appreciate your thoughts on possible ways to go. I have moved house, and have recently been trialing the Chord Hugo Dac. These two events have coincided to make me appreciate that my current set-up is very good, and nearly there. I am hoping a final adjustment might make all the difference. (The familiar plea from all hi-fi owners I guess ?) My objectives from any change would be to move to a more “analogue” sounding set-up with if possible a bit more detail, a broader soundstage and maybe adding a tiny bit of warmth.
My current set-up is :Source : Audiolab 8200CD/AVA Rip-N-Play/Squeezebox Touch. Amps : Bryston BP6/2B SSt Pre & Power. Speakers : KEF Reference 203/2’s. I stream from the AVA using the Squeezebox 99% of the time, currently through the Chord Hugo Dac. I feel the Squeezebox may be the weak link, and am worried it may pack up any day with little chance of replacing it. My options are
1) Buy the Hugo – it sounds great and much better than the iRDac I had before(2) As I do little headphone listening now, buy the Chord 2QUTE which should sound the same as the Hugo, looks better and is cheaper.(3) Sell the Bryston Pre, and go for the mighty Chord Hugo TT. It is expensive, but should sound even better than the Hugo and has balanced outputs I could use.(4) Go for a combined Streamer/Dac like the Naim ND5XS or the Linn Majik DS(5) Sell the Pre, and go for something like the Naim NAC-N 272. Any thoughts on the above, or any other ideas to address the issues outlined above ? Thanks.
My current set-up is :Source : Audiolab 8200CD/AVA Rip-N-Play/Squeezebox Touch. Amps : Bryston BP6/2B SSt Pre & Power. Speakers : KEF Reference 203/2’s. I stream from the AVA using the Squeezebox 99% of the time, currently through the Chord Hugo Dac. I feel the Squeezebox may be the weak link, and am worried it may pack up any day with little chance of replacing it. My options are
1) Buy the Hugo – it sounds great and much better than the iRDac I had before(2) As I do little headphone listening now, buy the Chord 2QUTE which should sound the same as the Hugo, looks better and is cheaper.(3) Sell the Bryston Pre, and go for the mighty Chord Hugo TT. It is expensive, but should sound even better than the Hugo and has balanced outputs I could use.(4) Go for a combined Streamer/Dac like the Naim ND5XS or the Linn Majik DS(5) Sell the Pre, and go for something like the Naim NAC-N 272. Any thoughts on the above, or any other ideas to address the issues outlined above ? Thanks.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram