Hello Fellow Forumites,

This March I upgraded my speakers to the Triton One Towers, SuperCenter XXL, & SuperSat 3s for the rears . I am very happy with the purchase so far, I did had to replace the amp plate for the Triton, but it’s without an issue now. Eventually, I would like to upgrade my amplifier & receiver, but before that will happen, a DAC is in order first .

What DACs are you using for your Triton Ones? I have read in a post that Sandy’s use a PS Audio device. Currently, I am using the HiFime 9018 Asynchronous High resolution USB DAC, it’s was under a $100 USD and is better than nothing, but I do prefer to stream highres content to my receiver via the network than use the current DAC due to sound quality. I am hoping that adding an external DAC will improve the sound quality.

I would not want to spend too much more than $1000 on a DAC and would consider purchasing used or refurbished from Audiogon. There are a few which caught my attention are the PS Audio NuWave DSD and the NAD Master Series M51 Direct Digital DAC. There’s also a Cambridge Audio 851D available for $999 USD. I did notice you can find cheaper DACs, but their power supplies are questionable and usually offer improved sound quality with an improved power source. What are your thoughts, recommendations and suggestions on external DACs?

I listen to a variety of music from Female vocalists, reggae, jazz, metal, rock and classical. My collection consists of Flac,192, 96 and standard CD bit rate. I use an Intel NUC with OpenELEC as an operating system to serve as my media center, but am investigating using JRiver, but am not certain it will improve sound quality. Does anyone have any experience with OpenELEC vs JRiver?

Thanks for your time,

DaCypher

DaCypher,

Welcome to the forum! You definitely have the foundation for a great home theater and 2-channel setup with your GET speakers! From here, you have a lot of options that will sound fantastic.

If you're going to need to upgrade so much of your gear, I'd strongly consider an integrated amp. Having a stand alone DAC seems like a bit of a waste to me unless you already had a great analog setup and just needed to incorporate digital music. The Cambridge 851D would probably be very good as it is a DAC and pre-amp. You would likely get better stereo reproduction going this route, but you will still require an amp.

A good integrated amp with home theater bypass may be a good option for you. This would allow for seamless system integration, improved sound, and less physical connections. There are many brands and models available and your local GET dealer should be able to get you started. I would at least consider this option and demo a unit or two to see what you think. Just my .02. Happy hunting and please let us know what you end up with.

Cheers,

T Cobe

DaCypher, yes, welcome to the forum. Sorry to read of your plate amp issue. Glad you've since had it resolved. As for DACs, if budget is of paramount concern and your looking for something external, an option to go with would be an Emotive Stealth. emotiva.com/products/dacs/electronics/dacs/stealth-dc-1 It handles the high res 192 sample rate and a boat load of inputs. Personally I'm waiting on the Oppo UDP-205 and intend to use that as a DAC (besides the 4K video). In the interim I use the USB DAC in my Musical Fidelity M6si. So if you were looking for an amp or amp/dac combo that could be an option, but may be out of your budget. Also, you've done the right thing by checking audiogon as perhaps you could get something real nice second hand and save some bucks. Also read the forum over there as well. Best of luck!