Where to go from here - mac mini based stereo setup

[sfmorris]

Hi everyone,
I've got a potential upgrade opportunity and was hoping to get some advice from this very knowledgable forum (I am an aspiring audiophile but have only been at this for a year or so).

I'll start by outlining my current system, in which hopefully people will see some obvious areas for improvement~

music: all digital, alac/flac, some hi-rez, stored on NAS
mac mini: using itunes for library management, audirvana for playback, toslink for output
dac: toslink from macmini to CambridgeAudio DacMagic
Amp: dacmagic to CambrudgeAudio Azur 640A
Speakers: Paradigm Studio 10s
(note this is a 2 channel setup - I will watch movies through this as well, but am not going for multi channel sound - music is my primary concern)

now I know that that sounds like a modest/humble setup, but it's done well as an introduction back into the world of proper stereo sound (and away from the sad world of PC speakers). Opinion on the CA components may be divided, but I have always been very happy with the paradigms and think they are great speakers for the price.

So, given all that, if you had 5000-7000 dollars to spend upgrading this setup, what might you do? I have thought about eliminating the mac mini part of the equation, and getting a streaming network player - I have thought about new speakers (Paradigm studio 100s, or maybe add a sub to the studio 10s?) - I have thought about a new amp. The options are seemingly endless~

Any and all advice sincerely appreciated (and thanks in advance for even thinking about this question and being willing to share your audiophile wisdom

 

[bikemig]

That sounds like a really nice 2 channel system. You might want to think about which part of this you don't like and/or you think needs replacing. That said, I'd put most of my money to work in the speakers and get a pair of really great floor standers as the heart of a 2 channel system. I'm a PSB fan so I'd get a pair of the Imagine 2T towers which will blow through a bit over half your proposed budget.

I don't think you can do much better than the mac mini as the heart of your streaming set up probably because that's what I use,

I'd think about an integrated amp with a dac like the NAD 375DAC. I went with separates in my two channel rig (see my sig line) but I like the simplicity of one unit for both; plus the NAD's dac module can be replaced: C 375BEE DAC Stereo Integrated Amplifier - NAD Electronics

 

[sfmorris]

Excellent advice! I'll check out the NAD amps (I had NADs back in college and was very fond of them) - out of curiosity, what music player do you use on your mac mini?

 

[bikemig]

I use iTunes; it's free, it works, and it sounds good. I stream using the Squeezebox Touch which is really excellent but you can't buy it anymore. Sonos is may be your best bet for streaming right now. Airtunes is pretty good as well and costs a heck of a lot less than Sonos. You could get an apple airport express and simply stream the music to your 2 channel rig; you will want to use the digital out from the AE express using a mini-tosklink to toslink cable. It's hard to beat the AE express for $100 for a streaming solution. I stream using the AE express (in addition to the SB Touch) and the SQ using airplay is very, very good once you bypass the cheap dac found on the AE express using its digital out.

 

[sfmorris]

good points - i do feel like Adirvana and Amarra sound appreciably better, but itunes certainly works~

"You might want to think about which part of this you don't like and/or you think needs replacing."

That's part of my problem - I can't decide where I would get the most bang for my buck, given what I have now. I feel like my setup is fairly balanced for what it is (dont feel like any particular part is holding back the others...) - so if i upgrade a single part it will probably take that part to the next level (and leave the rest behind for a while). The network streaming and getting rid of the mac mini as the player is still nagging at me (it gets tiring trying to decide which non-itune player is best, and wondering if I'm missing anything) - what's the popular opinion on whether the mac as music player is better than using a more dedicated-purpose streaming component?

 

[Mopkins]

You have a great two channel set up there! All around you have pretty nice components so many of the upgrades may be more of a lateral move rather than a step up. But, that being said, if you are looking at the NAD 375DAC, you should definitely consider Peachtree as well. Either the Decco or Nova would displace your Cambridge DacMagic and Azur integrated (however both of those are well respected and reviewed) If indeed you have a 7k budget, the peachtree grand integrated is pretty impressive as well but it will set you back 4.5k!. If you are fan of the DacMagic, you could upgrade to the DacMagic Plus which would double as a preamp and then replace your Azur integrated with a separate power amp, maybe some good ol' Class A power? That is something I've considered, but it's a toss up for me on DacMagic Plus and Power amp, or just a Peachtree Integrated.
For replacing the Mac Mini, and Apple TV would stream for you but I think I read somewhere that streaming is limited to 16/44.1 where as your getting better quality directly from your current set up, but it's wired.
Speakers..The studio 10s are great, but you could always go bigger or something with more bass. Adding a sub is a possibility as well, but it sounds like you may be strictly 2 channel. For Movies though I like having a sub.

How do you like the Dacmagic by the way?