Starting over with vinyl

mb1audio -

No, I didn't get the whole system as I had the same Adcom gear and 3.6s back then.

Kythryn, After reading this and your other threads:

1) I think that trying the SYS to solve your gain issue is a good purchase. I own one in a second system and believe it to be a good replacement for the Adcom pre. If you find that to be true the pre could be sold to fund a stand alone FM tuner if you wish to keep one as a source (quality ones can be found inexpensively).

2) I believe your focus on digital is a good idea for now. Put together a system that satisfies prior to considering vinyl as an additional source.

3) My thinking on a DAC would be that it can serve to upgrade your CD player which can remain in use as a transport and also serve for computer audio. Your CD player must have digital output and the DAC must have both a USB  and SPDIF input (one that matches the CD player). Your CD player and computer would be connected to the DAC which is in turn connected to the SYS. Thus leaving the other SYS input for an additional source ( FM tuner or phonostage).

4) I believe if I had the money to upgrade from the MMGs to the .7s I would. Though since the MMGs are so new you might sort out your other issues 1st and get to know them better. Handle them with care and they will hold value. 

Good luck in this endeavor.

I forgot to ask, what is your budget for a DAC?

DAC, wireless connection, music server (as I begin to understand the pieces it takes) $500 - 700, which seems slim for the DAC alone

kythyn,

I suggest you not be in too much of a hurry. You have many decisions to make, and lots of suggestions in various directions, plus the urge to try to save money by getting used equipment. For example:

There is a Debut Carbon on sale here for $299 and it is in Florida north of where I am. Seems like a no-brainer? There are two Pro-ject RM 1.3s with Sumiko Pearls available at $425 from the same store. Are these worth the additional cost in your opinion?

Notice you say Debut Carbon? If it’s not a Debut Carbon DC, then it’s the older model. The newer DC model has a voltage regulator that provides more accurate speed control, which I think is well worth the money. The regular Debut Carbon was discontinued around 2-1/2 years ago.

Ditto for the RM 1.3. The successor is the RPM 1 Carbon that goes for $499. The Carbon indicates that it has their newer carbon fiber tonearm; I consider that tonearm easily worth the extra $25. Both the older model and the Carbon version come with the Sumiko Pearl, which is the other highly regarded $99 cartridge. I haven’t heard it, but I heard the Ortofon 2M Red on a Debut Carbon and was very impressed.

Another consideration: a pair of Mye Stands is close to $600, which gets you within sniffing distance of the Magnepan DWM bass panel ($800). IMO you would get more benefit from DWM’s bass extension, and you can get a noticeable improvement in clarity and detail by putting weights on the MMG’s feet instead of the expense of Mye Stands.

Disclaimer: I haven’t heard a Magnepan with Mye Stands, but I *have* heard the DWM panel with the mini-Maggie panels. I also put some encyclopedia volumes on the feet of my Magneplanar 1.7s and noticed a significant improvement in imaging, clarity, more organic presentation, etc. For cosmetic purposes I swapped out the encyclopedia volumes for a set of these tripod sandbags. These made the Maggies sound even better. So for about $33 in decorator sandbags and $5-10 in sand, you can obtai much of the benefit of the Mye Stands and have a $550 head start on the DWM bass panel.

There are many possibilities in electronics, but the NAD BEE series of integrated amps work well, particularly with Magnepans. The high end store where I bought my Maggie 1.7s used the NAD C 375BEE to demonstrate the 1.7s and they sounded wonderful with great dynamics, clarity, musicality, and detail. The little brother C 356BEE should be a good match as well if 80 wpc will be enough for your listening area.