Help! First Hi-Fi Stereo System

[ARStewart]

Hello everyone!

Having secured a job, I am finally financially able to complete my first hi-fi stereo system. I am currently choosing my final components, the amp and DAC. The majority of my music is in FLAC format on a laptop, so a USB DAC is a requirement. I have narrowed my choice down to two distinct setups:

Peachtree Audio Nova
or
NAD 326BEE and Music Hall DAC25.2

This will be used in conjunction with my Paradigm Reference towers, a Project Debut III table, and a Bellari VP130 phono pre.

My question is: am I better off buying the Nova or purchasing the amp/DAC separately? I have not been able to audition any of these components, and all seem to have glowing reviews. So, which would I be better off with?

Notes:
- Music is mostly FLAC or high res mp3, but vinyl collection is growing
- Genres: Lots of acoustic music (jazz, classical, folk) with a good share of modern music.
- I am looking for clarity and accurate presentation of soundstage and instrument timbre, although I enjoy warmth so long as it does not overly cloud clarity.

 

[yepimonfire]

your computer should already have a DAC in it. why waste money on an expensive stand alone one? or you could always buy a receiver with a DAC in it, like a surround receiver, you could also have things like a sub x-over and Pro Logic II for surround reproduction of music. what all are you looking for. just two channel strictly? also buying a stand-alone amplifier will be much more expensive an you will have to purchase a pre-amp with it. also, is the music you listen to standard 44.1khz / 16-bit or higher in resolution?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

your computer should already have a DAC in it. why waste money on an expensive stand alone one? or you could always buy a receiver with a DAC in it, like a surround receiver, you could also have things like a sub x-over and Pro Logic II for surround reproduction of music. what all are you looking for. just two channel strictly? also buying a stand-alone amplifier will be much more expensive an you will have to purchase a pre-amp with it. also, is the music you listen to standard 44.1khz / 16-bit or higher in resolution?

Although yepi has some truth - you laptop does have dac in it, you shouldn't be using it, but not due to dac itself, but to poor headphones pre-amps they used in 99.9% of laptops. Laptops don't have line-one or spd-if - so external dac is a necessity.

However since 95% of Sound Quality will be determinate by your speakers (hopefully powered by enough juice) and not by your dac - I'd rec to use professional quality M-Audio Transit USB Dac - yes, it's only $100 - but it has pretty good spec.
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Transit.html

edit: Option b: - if you are a love to tinker - may this is the product for you - http://www.minidsp.com/products/minidspkits

Don't go crazy hunting for higher snr dac - you'd NEVER EVER be tell the difference anyhow. Better use rest of the money to get better speaker (and leave some for good amp - I'd get one from 2nd market or go internet direct if you insist on new item - like http://emotiva.com/upa2.shtm

 

[yepimonfire]

oh right, unless it has a line out it's no good, headphone amps add distortion and can clip the input signal. some laptops though to have line out's or spdif.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

oh right, unless it has a line out it's no good, headphone amps add distortion and can clip the input signal. some laptops though to have line out's or spdif.

As one can guess from my nick - I do IT for the living and I never seen laptop with Line-Out or SDP/IF out in last 20 years.

HDMI out or Firewire - yes, but never seen spd/if or real line out.

 

[ARStewart]

Thanks for the relies guys!

Yepi, the files are mostly lossless FLAC (96 kHz/24 bit) or 320 kbps mp3 (which I believe is standard resolution).

I noticed a notable improvement in clarity and texture when using an outboard DAC at my local hifi store. This was using my Grado SR225i headphones, not through speakers. Perhaps I am just naive, but it seemed to me that it was an integral part of a digital music-based system.

Both the Nova and the NAD 326BEE are integrated amps, so they have the preamp built in.

I was thinking that it might be a better idea to invest in some really nice floorstanding speakers and cut back the budget on the other components. Would that be a smarter solution? Since this will be situated in an apartment, the volume does not need to be substantial. A lower wattage (and less expensive) amp that could still drive the speakers may be a more economic solution.

Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[yepimonfire]

you can have the best components in the world, and have crappy speakers, then you have a crappy system, speakers are the weakest link in the chain since they are the devices that are carrying out our original plan, converting electricity into sound.