DAC recommendations- Mcintosh C28 and MC2505

Budget? I'd look at this:

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/wireless_streaming_amplifiers/wxc-50/

or maybe this:

http://nadelectronics.com/products/digital-music/D-7050-Direct-Digital-Network-Amplifier

NAD has more connectivity options including 2x optical and 2x coax digital inputs if you might need them, but more expensive and has a built-in Class D power amp which will likely remain unused in this setup. I'd double-check if Yamaha actually supports Spotify Connect, which allows it to stream directly and not through your phone/computer (MusicCast), the former is the preferred mechanism. Both support AirPlay for your iPhone and DLNA for NAS. Yamaha doesn't support aptX, but so does iPhone so not too important unless you're considering to switch to Android. Looks like Yamaha also supports DSD. I have no experience with either, but given the feature set they should satisfy listed requirements. I suspect both sound good, given they use respectable DAC chips and come from companies with experience designing audio devices, if the emphasis will be on compressed audio I don't think you need to invest into hi-end dedicated DACs.

Edit: looks like the Yamaha cannot be used as a USB DAC, bummer...
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom