DAC Choice for XS2 & Sonos?

I think you have two separate solutions

1  Fitting a DAC into your existing system.

2  A different streaming solution

3  Replacing the Nait XS2.

Option 3 I don't think is a flyer on the budget you have (the XS-2 is a better amp than any of the Uniti series are as an amp, with the possible exception of the SU)

For Option 1, could you stretch to a Chord Hugo?

For Option 2, a UnitiQute2 could be connected via its (RCA) analogue output to one of the unused inputs of the Nait XS-2.  AV bypass mode only affects the AV input, so the SX-2's volume control will control the sound from the Uniti.  I've not tried this, but it's supposed to work well.  I also don't know how well this compares to the Sonus with an external DAC.

The UnitiLite may be a better option than the UnityQute2 as you could use a DIN - DIN interconnect.

At least you're using a lossless format, that's the first step to decent sound reproduction!

Hi Huge and Wat,

Thank you for your comments! I hear what you both are saying about the critical importance of a top DAC, as this is what started my upgraditis to begin with!

I was in Hawthorne Stereo in Seattle 2 weeks ago to examine my audio options, and the trusted (really!) salesman, Dominick, who has always been incredibly helpful, knowledgable, and non-pressuring, had me listen to some Naim Credos that had just come in used. He played some streamed Miles on an all-Naim system of 202 pre, 250 power, nDAC, ND5SX, and HiCap, and to me, the sound was jaw-droppingly natural, rich, and full-bodied - especially the piano. Soundstage, imaging, PRAT, tone - it was all there. When I asked him to patch in a Sonos, he replaced the ND5SX and nDAC, and the magical, seductive sound completely vanished. He later told me that he felt that the nDAC was the major contributor to the lyrical sound - in addition to, but perhaps more so than the streamer. He said that a Rega DAC would also bring the Sonos up to a notch, and that to him, it was a viable option at the lower price point.

I do like my XS2 very much, and would be loathe to rely on the little amp section of the UQ2 alone, but as only a streamer/DAC, is the UQ2 really cost effective?

For now, the Chord Hugo and nDAC are outside of my budget, but with selling off some collectible photo equipment and various audio pieces that I have on a certain well-known internet auction site (which I have done quite a bit in the past), maybe I could perhaps work towards that better level of DAC. 

For the time being, I was looking for a temporary, cost-effective bridge to these future upgrades, and was hoping that the Rega or Arcam might fit that bill, and then be sold off later to partially fund a Chord, nDAC, or the like. I hadn't heard anything about the Teac DAC, but after your kind recomendation, I will certainly look into it. I am in NY full time, but go to visit my family in Seattle every 3 months, so I get the option of audio shops on both coasts, and hopefully someone has this line of Teac DACs for demo.

As a general question, would a top DAC be possibly massive overkill for even a modded Sonos, as the jitter from the streamed source, despite the lowering by the mod's reclocking, still is a weak link? How important would you say the streamers are to this chain in relation to the DAC?

Oh, and Wat - thank you for the cable suggestion! Coincidentally just last night, I added a S/H Black Cat Silverstar 75 that I got at a nice price, and that indeed did clean up the sound a bit with the irDAC I have on demo now, and as you said, hearing equipment firsthand (first ear?) is the only way to go.

Thanks, James. I've heard of that DAC, but don't know much about it. I will look up the reviews, and check it out further. I appreciate the recommendation!

To throw another option at you, you could check out Peachtree Dac IT I think would match the arcam and the rega, but is even cheaper. 

+1 on keeping you Nait XS, I now have an NDAC running into it, and the amp can take whatever you throw at it.

Thx, mutterback. I would definitely like to keep the XS2, and it is good to know that you also have this combo with a great DAC that seems to work. When you bought it, did you ever get to compare DACs at home (or in the store) against your nDAC, and was there a significant audible difference to be heard?

The one comparison that I did hear about repeatedly from several shops was that the Peachtree is a pretty good DAC in and of itself, but that the Rega performs on a consistently higher level, and was recommended to me much more highly even if I was going to buy used privately, outside of these stores.

I actually just won a demo irDAC on eBay yesterday, so I can give it a whirl, broken in, at home, and if it is lacking or I would like to move up on the DAC ladder, and I can sell it off again to fund that move.

Thank you, Wat. Redbook is all I intend to do for the immediate future, but fortunately, the irDAC from ebay that I received today was in perfect shape, and can cover HiRes in the future, if I ever decide to go in that direction. A friend has indicated that he might sell me his W4S modded Connect, so that might be an upcoming option.