LC1 wrote:
Would be great to hear from Yatsushiro on this topic too, if he happens to read this...
Cheers,
Luke
Of course he reads this!
The simple headline is that I prefer the Mamboberry LS DAC+ with Kali over the 2 Ti PCM152* DACs (IQAudio DAC+ & Piano 2.1) that I have tried, running Rune in a two channel setup. There is a warmth to the sound, it's less clinical, less 'digital' and more expansive. My setup at the moment is:
Rpi1 running OMV as a NAS server
Rpi3 running Rune
Kali
Mamboberry LS DAC+
TDA7498 amp running at 32v
Q Acoustics 2050i speakers
That said, I am running a Piano 2.1 DAC (running Volumio until Rune supports the 2.* functionality of the Piano):
Rpi1 running OMV as a NAS server (as above)
Rpi2 running Volumio
Piano 2.1
TPA3116 amp
Q Acoustics 3020 speakers
Tannoy sub with self built TDA7498MV amp
This is almost as good as the Mamboberry based system, particularly for 'Rock' type music,but not for live performances, orchestral music or female vocals.
If not to confuse things, I also have a Rune Rpi2 system with an IQAudio Dac+, TPA3116 amp with an old pair of Mission 760 speakers. This works very well for general listening (my wife prefers this system) The speakers are very warm, almost showing no difference when driven by the Mamboberry or the Piano.
I thoroughly enjoy my tinkering, can't leave things alone, but if I had to buy one DAC tomorrow, it'd be the Mamboberry LS DAC+, with a Kali.