@nikkon
I think we are on the same boat. I'm looking to upgrade my equipment too, preferably upgrading my DAC. I prefer to ground my selection of audio gears based on the data of properly done objective test like what
@amirm do here in the forum. I've been lurking here for quite sometime now, and just now stumbles on your thread. Here are my system and why I chose them, maybe my frame of thought might help you.
2x ADAM AUDIO S3X-H (
https://www.adam-audio.com/en/sx-series/s3x-h/)
1x ADAM AUDIO SUB 24 (
https://www.adam-audio.com/en/archived-products/sub24/)
1x NAD M51 DAC (
https://nadelectronics.com/product/m51-direct-digital-dac/)
I made my balanced interconnects using Mogami model no 2549 microphone cable (
http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/microphone/quality_balanced/) with Neutrik ConvertCON (
https://www.neutrik.com/en/product/nc3fm-c-b?c=audio) at every end.
As for power cables, I use IBM server power cables that I got laying around, it's a bit too large for the power consumption I'm using them for, but I'm not making power cables
Here's the rationale, in hierarchical order of importance:
1. Speakers.
Recording Studios, when creating music, will use certain class of hardware for audio monitoring. These hardware has their own specification and performance metrics to fulfill. I, as a budget-conscious consumer, I lean toward these class of hardware. Thus after several months of research, and listen to several dozen pairs of studio monitors, I land my choice to ADAM AUDIO. Their A7x blew my audio horizon wide open, that there is such a thing as "holy shit this is too cheap for something sound like this"-kinda thing. After I heard the A7x, I crave something that has MORE, in power, dynamics, sheer SPL, clarity, EVERYTHING. I was out for my "end-game" gear. Then I read around, what studio monitors does world class studio uses in their day today process, ADAM AUDIO S3A pops a bit too many times in my research period (the one that made me chose ADAM was when I saw a pair in Abbey Road Studios, https://www.adam-audio.com/en/news/adam-users/abbey-road-studios/), but it was already an archived product at the time, thus I look for it's successor, the legendary S3X-H. After I had a listen, I was literally dropped my jaw, the sheer precision, SPL, the dynamics, the sound stage, the image that I got from a basically two "center" speakers side by side. I was in awe. I found my "end-game" gear. I don't go with the route of pre-power amp-passive speakers simply because I don't want to pair what amp to what speaker, it was a hassle. Having a properly designed active studio monitor with properly matched amp<->driver from the factory, IMHO, is THE BEST option I can have at the time. My ADAM S3X-H has several amplifiers inside it that drives each individual driver separately, and perfectly. As for the subwoofer, I prefer to have full bandwidth of ~20 to 20KHz on tap. And subwoofers are weird little thing that is easy to make, but hard to perfect. My rationale here is I need 2 mechanically coupled subwoofers that are back-to-back, and ADAM AUDIO had 2 of them, one was SUB20 (2x 10" drivers) and SUB24 (2x 12" drivers). I ordered the SUB24 simply because subwoofers needs to move a lot of air, so larger cone is better - that was my rationale, and I was not disappointed.
This is the first one in my list because it's the closest to me as a listener. I need to have a GOOD SPEAKER SYSTEM, preferably with good amplifier to match. Having a properly designed active studio monitor solves my amplifier and passive speaker system problem.
2. DACs.
Finding DAC was not easy. I was rummaging Stereophile back then for specs, test results, and written reviews. At the time, for DACs that has good test results were $5K+ EXCEPT for one, the NAD M51. I went and have a listen and was love struck by the sound (after 7 years, I found out that the specs and test results aren't as good as what I thought it to be (https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ments-of-nad-m51-dac-and-digital-preamp.6681/). But back then, it was the most astounding sounding system for my budget.
This is the second one in my list because, at the time, most DACs are transparent enough, but most of them are not clean enough from distortion, the cheaper one that I can get was NAD M51, and it sounded REALLY GOOD for me.
3. Interconnects.
Finding interconnects brought me back to Recording Studios again. They use balanced microphone cables, well made, relatively cheap, and quite rugged. After testing several "Hi-fi interconnects" (such as CHORD, AudioQuest, Nordost and several other, I forgot the makers but I tested several dozen interconnects), I chose to make one my self, buying one roll of Mogami 2549 (some 300 feet per roll IIRC) and bought my self Neutrik ConvertCON simply because that's the only connector that is sold here in Indonesia and has gold contacts. I made sure every welds are properly connected and shielded from each other within the connector and proceeds to bring my hand made interconnects to my friends that has expensive interconnects and had a little test. To the ears of 8 people, cable "B" (I label it cable "B" for double blind test, I label the cables, and asked the help of a friend's wife to be the switcher) came out second, the first was Nordost one, I forgot the model name, but it was a Nordost made interconnect and it was VERY EXPENSIVE. Going back home from there, I was grinning ear to ear, that I got a VERY GOOD interconnects for a fraction of the price of a Nordost made interconnect.
This is the last thing in my list simply because, it's a freaking cable, it changes a tiny bit compared if I chose the wrong speaker system, and I'm not spending a lot of money here, I will not.
One more thing, I chose my system to use balanced interconnects even when many "test" shows that balanced interconnects has more noise, my logic says otherwise and I stuck to my logic.
Currently I want to upgrade my system, but are in limbo. I haven't been able to find anything that can touch my current system in price/performance metrics. I'm VERY INTERESTED into
@MatrixAudio Element X (
https://www.matrix-digi.com/en/products/321.html and the review
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...matrix-audio-element-x-dac-streamer-amp.7782/) simply because the have THE BEST VOLUME CONTROL implementation I found in "cheaper" DACs if I ever saw one. But the thing is, it does not have DSP for room correction, or loudness compensation (The
Fletcher–Munson curves,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour). That broke my heart. I'm currently looking at miniDSP SHD Studio (
https://www.minidsp.com/products/streaming-hd-series/shd-studio) and dac8PRO from
@Okto Research (
https://www.oktoresearch.com/dac8pro.htm) as a combo device. As for speakers, I'm currently looking at HEDD Tower Mains system (
https://hedd.audio/towermains/), this system is made by the original designer of my ADAM S3X-H. I like the way he made his speaker systems.
In the end, I fell in love with
@MatrixAudio Element X's volume control and SINAD results (it's simply a transparent equipment), but want miniDSP SHD Studio's DIRAC Live, PEQ, time delay management, and many others of it's features in Element X. I asked
@MatrixAudio if they are going to plan on making something with DSP like miniDSP SHD, sadly they said no... Now I'm torn, and kept searching...
For now, my list are:
1. MiniDSP SHD Studio (next planned upgrade).
2. dac8PRO by Okto Research (next planned upgrade).
3. RME ADI 2 DAC fs (VERY VERY INTERESTED).
4. dac8stereo by Okto Research (just interested).
5. Matrix Audio Element X (just interested).
Still searching for more options...
