DAC recommendation for Mcintosh tube setup

[FlyingDutchman]

Hi there,

Stumbled on this site of the weekend and a huge fan of the data driven approach on oil the hifi snake oil.

I have a McIntosh 275 VI amp and c2300 preamp I am looking to pair with a DAC. I have been running off an airport express but was finally convinced there might be some reasonable improvement to be gained with a modern DAC.

What would folks recommend? I don’t care about form factor, looks, just transparent sound.

Thanks!

 

[gvl]

What would folks recommend? I don’t care about form factor, looks, just transparent sound.

Do you care about price?

 

[DKT88]

There are a many that measure good, you could think about other criteria such as inputs (USB, optical, SPDIF), any preference for where it is made (in the west or China).

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Do you care about price?

— yes but willing to spend enough to get to a point where DAC is not limiting rest of my setup

There are a many that measure good, you could think about other criteria such as inputs (USB, optical, SPDIF), any preference for where it is made (in the west or China).

—don’t have a country of origin preference. Feeding it via USB from a Mac. Wireless streaming support a nice to have

 

[gvl]

— yes but willing to spend enough to get to a point where DAC is not limiting rest of my setup

You will be well served by a $100 DAC to satisfy that requirement. But as it was suggested the features you need may command a higher price. You mentioned you use Airport Express, do you need a DAC/Network Streamer in one that supports AirPlay? Do you need balanced connections? Do you plan to use it with a CD player or other SPDIF source or a PC/Mac? Do you need a built-in headphone amp?

Edit: I missed you answered some of these, so I guess the remaining questions are about balanced connections/headphone amp/SPDIF.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Primary use case is Tidal and FLAC from Mac via usb. Spotify high quality via wireless streaming a nice to have.

No CD. No headphones. No media server

I have traditionally not run balanced interconnects. I am open to exploring but have been under the impression that for short cable runs (<3 feet), there is no advantage

 

[Veri]

Primary use case is Tidal and FLAC from Mac via usb. Spotify high quality via wireless streaming a nice to have.

No CD. No headphones. No media server

I have traditionally not run balanced interconnects. I am open to exploring but have been under the impression that for short cable runs (<3 feet), there is no advantage

I would honestly recommend the topping DX3 RCA out to your set-up. Then you can use USB/spdif as well as bluetooth connection when you feel like it. Looking at your username you're probably in EU right? The DX3 is available here https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/search?search_query=DX3 (or, with free shipping, on amazon.de). Even comes with a headamp should you ever need it. Lots of versatility.

 

[gvl]

If you don't care about the looks the Khadas Tone Board is the best performing low cost option. Any improvements over it come at a higher price but they not necessarily audible, especially when used with tube gear. It has a SPDIF input in addition to USB, so an addition of a separate streamer is possible.

 

[Veri]

Any improvements over it come at a higher price but they not necessarily audible, especially when used with tube gear.

Ah, that is a good point.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Thanks. The Kadas board is probably a bit too minimalist for me.

The DX3 looks like a decent option, though I am US based.

Am I right in interpreting the comments that any DAC with decent reviews here and a few hundred dollars in cost is going to do the trick?

Really appreciate all the input.

 

[Crane]

if all you need is the DAC, up next from the khadas is the SMSL-SU8 on massdrop last day for 200$.

https://drop.com/buy/smsl-su-8-dac

benefits of both RCA and XLR, also comes with a remote.

 

[gvl]

Thanks. The Kadas board is probably a bit too minimalist for me.

The DX3 looks like a decent option, though I am US based.

Am I right in interpreting the comments that any DAC with decent reviews here and a few hundred dollars in cost is going to do the trick?

Really appreciate all the input.

Pretty much. Topping sells their gear on drop.com at a good discount if you don't mind to wait. Warranty service can be inconvenient as you need to ship your unit to China.

 

[Veri]

Am I right in interpreting the comments that any DAC with decent reviews here and a few hundred dollars in cost is going to do the trick?

Really appreciate all the input.

Basically: yes. Once passing the 'great performance' point, you are paying for features. Balanced output, more inputs/outputs/passthroughs, bluetooth, ...

 

[RayDunzl]

McIntosh D100 ?

https://www.ebay.com/p/McIntosh-D10...plifier-DAC-D-100/1537439102?iid=254214129717

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Thanks for all the great input. I am realizing I probably want both a USB and optical in. The airport express can do optical to an external dac.

So that unfortunately rules out the SU8. As for the Mac100 it just doesn’t feel like it’s worth paying their premium here.

Any other thoughts?

 

[gvl]

The SU8 has both optical and coax in addition to the USB.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Missed that. Just ordered.