Don't short-change the DQ-10s. They hold their own very well
against all but the very highest end modern offerings, especially
if you pair them with a sub, as you've done.
Almost any external DAC is going to be better than what you'll
find in your phone, tablet, or laptop. I've been very happy with
Schiit products, including their DACs. Depending on how far away
your laptop is from your stereo, a long USB cable from the laptop
to the DAC should work. The problem then becomes convenience,
since you have to be in front of the laptop, or remote into it, in
order to select music, etc.
If you want a streaming solution that's free, and you don't mind
tinkering, Plex is a good choice. I didn't want to mess with the
internals, so I went with Roon, and am very happy. I got a Wiim
Pro as an endpoint device, and I use my iPhone as a Roon remote.
The Roon core is running on a 'nice, but nothing special' Windows
PC, which is also where my music files live. The Wiim Pro also
includes a DAC.
Happy listening,
-Greg
On 12/18/2023 1:42 PM, SpongeSound
wrote:
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Want to play my digital music library through my reasonably costly
system (Dq-10's, Dq1W sub and LP1 Xover) Hafler 500 amp and
pondering the need for an outboard DAC to extract the best sound.
Unsure of which one. Anyone out here using one and did you notice
a real difference in sound quality vs just plugging into your
computer or streaming via something like Plex?
Given the age and cost of the DQ-10's, I'm also wondering if
spending more than a few hundred bucks on the DAC is even worth it
given the limitations of the speakers themselves. The $249
Cambridge Audio DACMagic 100 seems like a nice little unit without
breaking the bank....Not interested in a big dollar unit that
won't produce any better sound through the 10's than a $250 unit
My music resides on a laptop so I suppose I'd need a pretty long
cable to go from the living room or office to the DAC - is that
how most use them?
