As a relative newbie to this arena, I am interested in learning about whether or not it would make sense for me to purchase a standalone DAC.
First, here is my setup:
Receiver: Denon 2808CI
Speakers: Mains: Tannoy Saturn S8's, Centre: S8C, Surrounds: S8LR's, Sub: REL T1
The majority of my audio listening is via streaming FLAC files (backed up from my CD catalogue) from my DNS-323 NAS unit to a media streamer (either Patriot Box Office or PIVOS AIOS). The signal is sent via HDMI (raw) to an hdmi hub and from there via hdmi to my receiver for decoding and playback.
I have been largely satisfied with my system, however, I do note quite a harshness, for example when listening to Florence and the Machine at mid to higher volumes.
When I was at my local high-end audio shop, it was suggested that using a DAC would help make the "leap" in quality of playback. The DacMagic 100 and DacMagic Plus from Cambridge audio were suggested as entry points. I've also been doing a bit of looking online at units by Schiit and DAC HD from Halide. All this learning about reclocking, jitter, sampling rates is proving to be a little overwhelming.
I'm sure dozens of people have posted queries such as this on this board, but I would appreciate some feedback, even if it is to link me with prior discussions.
My end goal at this point is to find a solution costing less than $500.
Cheers and thanks for your feedback.
First, here is my setup:
Receiver: Denon 2808CI
Speakers: Mains: Tannoy Saturn S8's, Centre: S8C, Surrounds: S8LR's, Sub: REL T1
The majority of my audio listening is via streaming FLAC files (backed up from my CD catalogue) from my DNS-323 NAS unit to a media streamer (either Patriot Box Office or PIVOS AIOS). The signal is sent via HDMI (raw) to an hdmi hub and from there via hdmi to my receiver for decoding and playback.
I have been largely satisfied with my system, however, I do note quite a harshness, for example when listening to Florence and the Machine at mid to higher volumes.
When I was at my local high-end audio shop, it was suggested that using a DAC would help make the "leap" in quality of playback. The DacMagic 100 and DacMagic Plus from Cambridge audio were suggested as entry points. I've also been doing a bit of looking online at units by Schiit and DAC HD from Halide. All this learning about reclocking, jitter, sampling rates is proving to be a little overwhelming.
I'm sure dozens of people have posted queries such as this on this board, but I would appreciate some feedback, even if it is to link me with prior discussions.
My end goal at this point is to find a solution costing less than $500.
Cheers and thanks for your feedback.