Upgrading on a budget

If you replace the DAC you will still want a decent transport to play into it. A 272 would be a neat solution, or you could keep your preamp and look out for a good used NDX, which would be my preference, and easier to find second hand. Either way, you would need a NAS to store your music files on.

An alternative would be to buy a better standalone DAC and add a transport, which can also give you good results if you don't mind a bit more fiddling around to get it set up. 

You say you don't stream, but do you want to? That is key to the way forward. If you won't stream, you don't want a 272 or NDX. If you will, either would be good. 

What do you need a DAC for?

Just get a CDX2 if you don't want to stream. And at some stage and an XPS to it.

If your 200 is a DR version, you don't even need a HiCap for your 202. Just a NAPSC.

For some reason, probably lack of sleep, I thought that the title to this thread was 'Upgrading on a bucket' which sounded really interesting, so I am a little disappointed.  Anyway, upgrading the dac to any of the chords, or a similar quality alternative, would seem to be sensible as it upgrades all of your digital sources and gives you room to grow as you upgrade your digital transports. Or, as HH says, there are well regarded streaming options that would also give an improvement. 

Some nice ideas, but expensive in some cases.  A new DAC might be a good bet.  

The Dac will be the wise upgrade but not the upgrade being the most obvious on short term.

Later on, when a more sophisticated CD transport or streaming device are added, it will pay its return on investment.

It the nDac is chosen, Power Supply upgrade can be done as well.

What a future.

A S/H nDAC is still here a very sensible option with superior VFM IMO. Then consider ND5 or NDX for an all Naim network playing solution.

You already have cited the recognized alternative.  

Chag -

dayjay posted:

For some reason, probably lack of sleep, I thought that the title to this thread was 'Upgrading on a bucket' which sounded really interesting, so I am a little disappointed.  

For an upgrade on a bucket I would definitely suggest a wheelbarrow. The upside is mechanical efficiency, but there's no doubt liquids will slop about more, so it's really your call.

For the hi fi, there's a lot of love on the forum for the Chord range of DACs, and if budget is an issue then something like a Mojo may be suitable for you. You will have to close your eyes when you're near it, as the Chord range can burn your corneas if you look at one suddenly. I've heard that approaching them backwards using a polished shield as a mirror has been tried, but that may be apocryphal.

Ah, solid air. But if I put a bucket over the chord, would that help. 

All Chord DACs get great reviews. Is there a sweet spot in the range? How do they compare to, say, Arcam irdac II?

272 is a good value dac/streamer/pre..... and it is upgradable with XPS...  

Since budget is an issue, I wouldn't touch the amps. The 202/200 are rather nice and an upgrade would cost quite a bit of money. Like others, I would concentrate on the source as my recent experience (with a Chord DAC) will get you a nice tangible improvement. Of course, this is a Naim forum and there is the Naim DAC. You can go this route too and get a used Naim DAC but there is another potential of upgrade and an additional box in the XPS if you choose the Naim DAC route.

I'm not sure how good are your transports (Bluesound Node 2 and Arcam CD73T) and I am not familiar with your Beresford Caiman II DAC. In my system, the Chord QBD 76 is a major upgrade from the Musical Fidelity M1 DAC. I rarely use the term "major" or "huge" to describe on things these days but the Chord DAC is truly an improvement over the Musical Fidelity DAC. The presentation between the two DACs is so different it's not even funny. The gap between the Chord DAC and my Krell KPS-30i CD player is closer but the Chord still manages to bring more realism and refinement to the music where the Krell fails.

In a nutshell, have a look at a quality DAC. A used one if on a tight budget.

I have had a quick trawl on used sites.  There are a lot of chordate DACs, which makes me suspicious.  I suspect that they are the last generation and everybody is trading up.  I am not in a hurry and like the idea of keeping the 202/200 combination together.  Thanks for the ideas.

If upgrading on a budget and you want to stream then I would suggest an Auealic Aries Mini with an upgraded power supply and use its internal DAC. You can get both for under $1k and get a year of Tidal to boot. Tough to beat that upgrade when budget is a concern. 

Interesting thread for me since I'm thinking of upgrading my Unitiqute2 source to a separate streamer and DAC, and the Bluesound Node2 looks like a possible streamer option for this (along with the Sonore Microrendu).

NJB, how much difference do you hear between running the Node 2's own DAC and through the Caiman?

@Spurrier, the Aries Mini is a solid option but definitely requires a demo as I've heard it sound a bit lean and bright depending on the system/room.

A straight upgrade to the DAC seems a sensible option as the Bluesound has high usability. Along with the Chord DACs, nDac or DAC V1 I'm sure would offer significant upgrade over the Caiman regardless of whether that unit punches above its weight. Teddy Dac or Schiit GungnirMB would also be worth looking at along with m-dac plus if budget stretches up to any of these.

Interesting thread for me as I'm currently planning to upgrade my source UQ2 to a streamer+DAC, and the Bluesound Node2 (along with Sonore microRendu) is on my list of source candidates.

NJB have you compared the sound of the Node2 using its own DAC vs the Caiman, and if so what differences did you find?

Spurrier, the Aries Mini is a good option but must be demo'd first as I have heard it sounding a bit bright and lean in some systems/rooms.

Having heard quite a few DACs at different price levels, I think the DAC upgrade is a good path. second-hand nDAC or DAC V1 along with the Chord DACs should sound quite a lot better than the Caiman, even if that unit punches above its weight. Teddy DAC, Schiit GungnirMB and maybe the m-dac plus are also worth listening to, and with a 202/200 I think these levels of DAC are warranted.

Re the Node2, even if it's not a reference source at its price, the addition of an ifi iPurifier may bring it close to the higher end/mRendu streamers while remaining a good value source.

Hi DC71,

i like the Bluesound and, as you rightly say, it is very flexible. Sound wise, the built in DAC is very good but the Caiman has a bit more separation and bass definition. However, if you took away the Caiman then the Bluesound is no slouch. 

I chose that over the Aries Mini because of availability and suspect, from reviews, that they are close in terms of performance. My only negative on the Bluesound is that the iOS app is not great at handling album art. A minor issue but I do prefer it when these things happen as instructed. 

Adam Zielinski posted:

If your 200 is a DR version, you don't even need a HiCap for your 202. Just a NAPSC.

not enough to warrant the redundancy of any Hicap you could think of.

Antonio1 posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:

If your 200 is a DR version, you don't even need a HiCap for your 202. Just a NAPSC.

not enough to warrant the redundancy of any Hicap you could think of.

 

One can look at it the other way round:

In a 202/HiCap DR / 200DR one of the DR systems is essentially rendered redundant. The most obvious one is in the NAP200DR.

I already have a Third Party PSU that brought a lot more composure to the amplification