Humble system. DAC-Pre Ampl+ Lintons

[gsusay]

Hi ASR forum it is a great community this one!!
Been here for a long time trying to get as much information as possible. The issue seems to complex or at least they try to make it so.
The more I read the less I understand. So here I am appealing to the sages looking for an improvement in my humble setup.

Right now the sound comes from a dap Fiio X7. It is my main source of music. I play also YouTube and Netflix for the movies.
I use a DIY cable to split the signal
From there I have a Berhinger nu1000dsp connected to a sub I did with a JBL 12-inch driver.
Lintons are fed from an Aiyima 04 modified following the steps in a thread in the diy forum by ClaudeG .

Yep!! I'm feeding a 1200 € speakers with a 50 € amp. That thing is mind-blowing for the price but It’s time to get the Lintons the care they deserve with a proper amplifier. Though I’m quite skeptical the sound will improve substantially.

The sound quality this monstrosity vomit, some are going to think I'm crazy, is very good to me. I don’t listen any other audio systems so I don’t have anything to compare with.
So the options are in my 800€ -1000€ budget, as I’ve been reading a preamp is not need it in many cases and a Dac will suffice; My room is something like 36 m²
in case of need an dac/preamp:

• Topping L70 NFCA
• Topping DX3 Pro

As a Amplifier my main options are hypex for known reasons:

• AUDIOPHONICS DA-S250NC 2x250W under 4Ω, obviously I won’t need a dac as it already has it. That ist is a very good solution but i don’t know it would be better in your opinion to have separate gadgets and get a “better” DAC.
• NORD VALUE-LINE MP NC252 • 2 x 250Wrms 4 Ohms. I will need a dac/preamp

Any help advice, alternative, suggestion, critic will be much appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

 

[JeremyFife]

Hi Worth checking, but what problem are you trying to fix? You have great speakers, and you like the sound.
You, quite rightly, are not convinced that a new amp will improve your sound.
Have you configured your DSP? (How?)
Start with why you want a change, and it's easier to help.
Upgrade-itis is a recognised problem for us ... it's ok to have that as a reason too

 

[gsusay]

Thanks Jeremy for the answer.
First reason is the feeling that a cheap chip amplifier its not the best for such a nice speakers.
Second, some types of music could sound better. For example Zimmer's Sound tracks sound awesome but have also the feeling that metal-stoner-thrash could be better.
I have not configured my dsp just tried different configurations. Volume on the sub is very low when listening music as speakers are good without .
thanks

 

[JeremyFife]

I've just realised what your Behringer is - a full on, Class D power amp with built in DSP. So your sub is passive, and possibly redundant.

That's a lot of amp, although I really don't know much about it and it's measurements. It would be interesting to use that with your Lintons and see how you felt. It's possibly a little noisy (hiss at low levels) but that is speculation - I've nothing to back that up. The ability to use DSP for room EQ is very compelling.

Cheap chip amps, if they are decent, sound pretty much the same as "better" amps - as long as you are not clipping them and the load is not difficult.

If you feel compelled to upgrade, that Audiophonics seems like a great option. You also get pre-out to your Behringer and Sub. No analogue input, but that doesn't sound like an issue for you.

Give the Behringer a blast with your Lintons though - might be everything you need!