DAC Help

[School]

I’m looking for information on purchasing a DAC for my home theater system. I’m going to be purchasing a preamp and a Magtech amp from Roger sanders in the near future. My main listening source will be a record player and streaming via tidal. What is a good DAC to purchase to get the stored music from my MacBook Pro and stream tidal via my laptop to my system? Is the Audioquest cobalt sufficient or should I look into a more advanced DAC? I would like something that can stream MQA via tidal effortlessly.. thanks in advance

 

[JonFo]

Hi, nice choice to go for the Sanders gear, you will love the amp.

On the preamp front, I have an alternative for you that I believe will deliver much, much better results, especially if streaming MQA content.

I strongly encourage you to consider the NAD C658 preamp / DAC, it ticks all the boxes that matter:
- Top-notch preamp, with balanced analog outs (that link up nicely with the Balanced ins on the Sanders amp)
- Very High-quality DAC with MQA support
- Dirac room correction (this is a very, very big deal)
- Subwoofer crossover and output allows a clean 2.1 (or 2.2) setup with Dirac integrating the full system to the room
- Full BluOS support, very easy to use app and gear ecosystem. Play Tidal MQA directly, no PC required.
- Phono input (since you have a record player)
- 2 Analog line-level inputs
- 2 MDC slots to expand options in the future, like HDMI inputs, so you can play the HighRez audio content on BluRay Audio discs

Besides the super-easy high-rez MQA-compatible streaming, the biggest win is the 2.1 / 2.2 configuration support and the Dirac Room Correction.

It even has an above-average headphone amp. Oh, and full remote control, plus 12v triggers (so you can automate the power up/down of the Sanders), and more.

All of the above in one box makes this unit a no-brainer for any modern stereo setup. It's actually cheap for all that it can do. It's $1,650 at Crutchfield.

 

[School]

Hi, nice choice to go for the Sanders gear, you will love the amp.

On the preamp front, I have an alternative for you that I believe will deliver much, much better results, especially if streaming MQA content.

I strongly encourage you to consider the NAD C658 preamp / DAC, it ticks all the boxes that matter:
- Top-notch preamp, with balanced analog outs (that link up nicely with the Balanced ins on the Sanders amp)
- Very High-quality DAC with MQA support
- Dirac room correction (this is a very, very big deal)
- Subwoofer crossover and output allows a clean 2.1 (or 2.2) setup with Dirac integrating the full system to the room
- Full BluOS support, very easy to use app and gear ecosystem. Play Tidal MQA directly, no PC required.
- Phono input (since you have a record player)
- 2 Analog line-level inputs
- 2 MDC slots to expand options in the future, like HDMI inputs, so you can play the HighRez audio content on BluRay Audio discs

Besides the super-easy high-rez MQA-compatible streaming, the biggest win is the 2.1 / 2.2 configuration support and the Dirac Room Correction.

It even has an above-average headphone amp. Oh, and full remote control, plus 12v triggers (so you can automate the power up/down of the Sanders), and more.

All of the above in one box makes this unit a no-brainer for any modern stereo setup. It's actually cheap for all that it can do. It's $1,650 at Crutchfield.

View attachment 20267

sorry i didn't even see this reply. ok so i purchased the magtech and rogers preamp yesterday.i get a 30 day in home trial. i totally understand now what you mean about bang for your buck. If mqa isn't really necessary what preamp will give me the best bang? is it best to get a separate DAC or one in the preamp if possible? i would also like to have the preamp do both MM and MC.. thanks

 

[School]

http://sanderssoundsystems.com/products/preamplifier

https://nadelectronics.com/product/m12-digital-preamp-dac/

opinions please?

 

[TDIMike]

http://sanderssoundsystems.com/products/preamplifier

https://nadelectronics.com/product/m12-digital-preamp-dac/

opinions please?

My boss's son has that NAD and seems to really love it. IMO i'd throw the Sanders out just because of price alone. Add in the Parasound Halo P6 into the equation, which I absolutely love. Pretty big step up from my previous P5.

 

[GW1800]

My boss's son has that NAD and seems to really love it. IMO i'd throw the Sanders out just because of price alone. Add in the Parasound Halo P6 into the equation, which I absolutely love. Pretty big step up from my previous P5.

Totally agree the P6 is awesome gives you all you need in one great package at a very reasonable price point.