Hi everyone,
I'm considering replacing my current Chord TT2 DAC.
To be honest, I like it. I really like the small footprint, DAC quality, powerful clean amp, all-in-one small well-made unit, great volume control, and fantastic crossfeed filters.
I got bored after at least 3 years with it, but it wouldn't be the reason strong enough to force me into the trouble of DAC replacement. However, since I've started to actively use two amps, there is one thing that gets me angry each time: it doesn't support two outputs (RCA & XLR) at once, there are warnings in the manual and by Rob Watts himself to not to use it because it can damage the circuit. But it also doesn't have the output selector. Therefore, I need to manually reattach the cables each time.
After hundreds of times standing up, moving my desk, unplugging, and replugging, I thought maybe it's high time to move on.
However, I haven't been following the DAC releases recently, so I need some suggestions. To sum up, I'm looking for a DAC that ideally has all or almost all the features below:
* Important: is at least "mid-range" whatever this means (let's say roughly 1000-4000€)
* Important: has a small footprint (I don't have space for enormous devices like Holo Audio May and I don't want to compromise my comfort for a device of lesser magnitude of importance than headphones and amplifier)
* Important: allows for output selection or simultaneous output to two amplifiers
* nice to have: streaming capability (Roon or Tidal)
* nice to have: eq and/or upsampling
* nice to have: integrated amplifier or preamp
* nice to have: remote control
For the context, I mainly listen to ZMFs and sometimes other headphones to try something new via Violectric V550 and Feliks Euforia Evo
I'm considering replacing my current Chord TT2 DAC.
To be honest, I like it. I really like the small footprint, DAC quality, powerful clean amp, all-in-one small well-made unit, great volume control, and fantastic crossfeed filters.
I got bored after at least 3 years with it, but it wouldn't be the reason strong enough to force me into the trouble of DAC replacement. However, since I've started to actively use two amps, there is one thing that gets me angry each time: it doesn't support two outputs (RCA & XLR) at once, there are warnings in the manual and by Rob Watts himself to not to use it because it can damage the circuit. But it also doesn't have the output selector. Therefore, I need to manually reattach the cables each time.
After hundreds of times standing up, moving my desk, unplugging, and replugging, I thought maybe it's high time to move on.
However, I haven't been following the DAC releases recently, so I need some suggestions. To sum up, I'm looking for a DAC that ideally has all or almost all the features below:
* Important: is at least "mid-range" whatever this means (let's say roughly 1000-4000€)
* Important: has a small footprint (I don't have space for enormous devices like Holo Audio May and I don't want to compromise my comfort for a device of lesser magnitude of importance than headphones and amplifier)
* Important: allows for output selection or simultaneous output to two amplifiers
* nice to have: streaming capability (Roon or Tidal)
* nice to have: eq and/or upsampling
* nice to have: integrated amplifier or preamp
* nice to have: remote control
For the context, I mainly listen to ZMFs and sometimes other headphones to try something new via Violectric V550 and Feliks Euforia Evo
