DAC/Preamp recommendations needed for a bedroom setup

I've recently decided to put a small footprint system in my bedroom armoire. Right now I have the following.

Technics SL-10 Turntable with 310MC>Cambridge Audio Azur 651 Phono Preamp>Audioengine A5+

I also have a newly purchase Roku and Samsung 37" TV.

Here's what I'd like:

Roku(HDMI)>TV(optical out)>DAC/preamp
Squeezebox Duet (I wish I could find another Touch cheaply)(coax)>DAC/preamp

So obviously I'm going to need something with at least one optical, one coax, and one analog input (for the phono preamp). I'll then plug this into the Audioengine monitors. While we're at it, it might be good to have USB so if I want I can hook up my laptop and/or future Mac Mini.

I'd like this to be able to handle at least 24/96khz and I'd like the footprint to be as small as possible but not compromised. I really like the DAC1 HDR, but the $1600 price is a little steep. I'd like to keep it below $1k. If the DAC1 can't be beat, then I'll spring but I'd like to shop around first.

Any ideas?

 

The Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 meets the criteria, although I guess it could be aiming a little low for someone with a budget of $1k.

 

HDR because you also want remote?

 

First off: thumbs up on the turntable!

As for options, a few come to mind right away. Peachtree's NovaPre seems to meet your needs and your price range. Most folks seem to love Peachtree's stuff, but I'd suggest listening to one before dropping a grand on it. Wyred4Sound offers a similar MPRE that's a bit uglier, a bit smaller, a bit more expensive, and a bit harder to audition. I've also had good luck with the Audio-GD dac/pre combinations over the years. They're not the last word in anything, but I've found them pretty easy to listen to.

 

Grant Fidelity DAC-11. $600 left over.

 

Thanks for the recommendations so far. That Maverick Audio looks interesting, the price is amazingly low...almost too low, but so far the reviews have been pretty positive. A remote is nice but not necessary since I will usually be not more than a few feet away from this anyway. I own an older Nova that I use in my main living room system and while I'm not in love with it (I prefer my old McIntosh separates but space/children necessitated an integrated solution), I would buy something else from them. My only problem is the NovaPre seems to be a bit on the large side compared to some of the other things I've looked at. I really don't want to load the armoire with too much gear, or rather my wife doesn't. I'll look at some of those others mentioned.

 

Since remote isn't important, the Dac1 Pre is the same. There are 4 used on Audigon now, 2 below $1k. You can probably talk them down further.. the model's been discontinued (I think Dac 1's are transitioning to Dac 2's.. they started at the top of the line).

 

I'm hesitant to buy used, only because if it craps out I have no warranty. Is the Benchmark gear fairly reliable?

 

I've never heard of quality issues, and they build for studio use. But someone else with more industry knowledge might chime in. My used DAC1 USB has been great.

 

Time and time again, I learn my lesson about trying to go too cheap. I ended up getting the Maverick Audio D1 Plus because it looked like it would do everything I needed it to and it was very affordable. Well, I got it and it seems nice enough, build quality isn't too bad, actually seems very sound for money. The input connectors on the back do look a little cheap but not badly.

My one major problem with it so far has been using the RCA coax connector to link my squeezebox duet to it. When the music is playing, all is good and even sounds very good, but when the tracks change it emits a series of nasty digital pops that don't sound very good for my speakers. I've tried two different cables, and even hooked up my Squeezebox Touch, all to no avail. The pops are there regardless of the source material; flac (both 16/44.1 and 24/96), mog, spotify, etc. All have pops between tracks. This is very annoying as I'll be using the squeezebox 90% or more of the time in this system. I've put in a tech support question on their facebook page, since they don't seem to answer the ones submitted on the website. I'm hoping there is a quick fix for this, maybe something I can check but I'm thinking this unit has to go back in which case, I'll ask for a refund. I could try an optical cable but I was planning on using that for my TV output, I'll still test it tomorrow when the cable arrives in the mail.

My other complaints are it doesn't seem to do 88.2 khz files, it handles 96 khz just fine but I get an error message from foobar when I try and play anything 88.2. The other pain is the volume knob is apparently only for the headphones, not a huge deal since my Audioengine 5+ speakers have a volume and remote but still...this is something that should be standard on a unit that is essentially a preamp.

Unless they can get this issue solved quick, I'll probably be seeking something else, and I'll shy away from buying anything from these low-budget Chinese outfits again. I'll probably bite the bullet and go with the Benchmark, it seems to be the only one that has an analog input as well.

 

That's a real annoyance.

Don't be so sure about learning your lesson, though. For one thing, some of the Chinese outfits are pretty good (I'll point to Audio GD again). For another... Well... I can't speak for your intelligence, but temptation always tries to interfere with my ability to reason when making these decisions.

That said, the Benchmark is solid unless you definitely need the price to stay under a kilobuck.

 

Anyone heard this unit: CEntrance DACmini CX, looks perfect for what I'm needing and it's cheaper than the Benchmark, which I still may end up getting.

http://centrance.com/products/dacmini/cx/

 

Jason can you not boot up the DAC into a different mode? I have a new DAC that operates as a headphone amp with volume control if I power it up normally but if I hold the menu button down while powering it up it the volume knob is removed out of the equation and full signal is passed so I can use the volume on another component.

 

Volume knob only works for headphones, if I want to enable it I have to open the unit up and make some jumper connection. Anyway, that's the least of my problems, the random digital pops in between tracks is driving my crazy and can't be good for my speakers.

 

I haven't lived with it, but I've listened to it. I did live with a Dac1 for a year or so, though, and I didn't think the CEntrance was playing in quite the same game. It struck me as inoffensive, but not exactly loveable.

Mind you, I never really loved the Dac1. Respected, yes. I probably even would have kept it if it had survived the 100 pounds of speaker dropping on it during a cross country move. That said, I was glad to change it out for some of the much maligned Chinese stuff (Audio-GD, MHDT).

 

On my Mac Mini I had the same issue with the digital popping between songs or when switching tracks, etc. This only started when I began using the optical out. I downloaded an app called Soundstage or something...can't remember...that has completely eliminated it. If I remember right it has something to do with the digital audio output "going to sleep" if not used. The problem is that the tiny bits of time that are just between songs, etc. are recognized as times when the computer thinks it should put the audio output to sleep. This app simply keeps that from happening.

 

Well, the Maverick tech is convinced there is some way to change the digital output on a Squeezebox. If there is, it's not well documented. He thinks if you can force it to do 24/48 (the max res of the Duet) that should fix it. Here's a few new tricks I discovered tonight:

The problem does not exist when I use the headphones only
The problem comes back in both the headphones and monitors when I have the monitors plugged in
The problem happens in both my Audioengine monitors (with volume control) and my Dynaudios (without)
The problem does not exist when I run the analog out through another preamp (my ADL GT40) first then to my monitors

These are real head scratchers, if this was a strictly digital output problem from the Squeezebox to the D1, then I should expect the problem to be there in the headphones, which use a separate amp. I should also expect that just by simply adding another device to the chain (which I did just to have audio adjustment for my dynaudios) it would not correct the problem if it's a digital output issue. To me it now seems like a problem with the preamp circuit, either by design or defect. But the USB input works just great...so if it was just the preamp circuit it should also have the problem. I've let the engineer know all this, but since he only corresponds once a day (usually while I'm asleep...or suppose to be asleep) I'll have to wait until tomorrow's reply. Hopefully he can have an a-ha moment and tell me a magical solution to fix it, but I have a feeling we'll drag this out for a while and then he'll offer to send a replacement, it will have the same issue then I'll have to fight like hell to get a refund. I may have just lost $250 on this lesson about buying cheap Chinese gear.

 

Was this resolved? I am considering getting the Tubemagic D1 and using it in a similar way.

 

No, the manufacturer of the Maverick just basically said "it works with the first generation squeezebox "classic" but all others seem to have the pop between tracks". I have yet to hook up any other DAC to my Squeezebox Duet or Touch that has this issue so I returned the Maverick and went with the Centrance and have been extremely happy with it. If you have a Squeezebox Touch I'd avoid the Tubemagic D1.

 

Thanks for your follow-up. I don't plan on using it with a Squeezebox, I'm just looking for a solid tube preamp / DAC to connect my turntable and CD player too. I've been doing a lot of reading on the D1 and there hasn't been a lot of bad reviews, if any at all. Still debating it...

 

It sounded nice when I hooked it up to my CD player (coax) and computer (USB) but I planned on using it for the Squeezebox 100% of the time so it wasn't going to work. Maybe it is the fault of the Squeezebox but I've tried several other DACs and never had that issue.

 

I'm intrigued by this:



Haven't heard it but I've read rave reviews and think the concept would appeal to you. A high quality DAC as part of an ultra-compact, high quality integrated amp. This would cover about $500 of your budget, then compact speakers. I suppose you will need an outboard phono pre. Those can be very compact and relatively inexpensive.

http://nadelectronics.com/products/digital-music/D-3020-Hybrid-Digital-Amplifier