I only just got my cascade, what DAP would you recommend in general? Or am I better off with a DAC/AMP? Currently using mostly streaming tidal or Spotify (in the past) from my Samsung s9 plus and potentially looking at upgrading to a balanced cable.
I heard good things about the Ibasso DX200 and QPR2
I probably prefer the Ibasso because it can run either streaming services and local music
Hard to go wrong on the DX200 as it is a great DAP by pretty much all measures. The Cascade doesn't really need a ton of power so no need for the most potent amp module to push them which conserves a bit on battery life too. I know @ngoshawk has the QPR so you might ask him for his take on the pairing as I haven't heard that one to speak to it. The Shanling M3s or M5s would make good options as well. I had the M3s paired with the cascades for awhile and found it to be quite good. I'm using mine mostly with the Opus #1s or desktop setup (Ifi iOne with Burson Fun amp) as I am not a big user of streaming services so that pairing works for me but will likely be less than good with your choices in source.