Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD


Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp
Goose. I had one of the engineers give me a very detailed node diagram. The problem is that becauseof my rooms measurements the optimal place for me to sit it 7'10" from my rear wall. Which, with an 18' long room, puts me 10'2" from my front wall. If I then put my speakers 3-4' out into the room I am essentially wearing them as headphones.

Second best is 7' from the rear wall. Essentially the same issue.

Here's my plan:

When the flooring is being changed, all my corner traps must be removed. All I will have left in the room will be wall and ceiling diffusers and a few Vicoustics Wavewoods which are combo diffusion/absorption. After the floor change I have several people coming over with speakers for me to audition. I will take advantage of their abilities and let them help me to pick the best speaker and seat location and put the corner traps and other floor standing treatments slowly to get the best result. If I still can't tame my issues with all of that help and fund of knowledge, then I will have no choice but to pay someone to come in and measure and truly fix my issue however it needs to be fixed.

I am thinking that if I start from essentially scratch with the proper flooring and move everything around that I will fix 80-90% of my issues. I hope.
Matt sounds like a plan. I'm sure that you can get a satisfactory sound from the room. Those darn nodes are hard to fix and no room is perfect. All the best.
Interest information!

Why Multiple Subs?
I want to start my posts with a lengthy discussion on the use of multiple subs, first why they should be
used,  and then how they are setup.
First I think it a good idea to go over some history behind the concepts.  I will start by going all the way
back to my PhD thesis (30 years ago), which was on this precise topic.  At that time I was studying the LF
(low frequency) sampling statistics in small rooms and how these were affected by the rooms shape.  
This is important question in sound measurement because it tells us how many points (samples) we
need in  a reverberant room to find the true source sound power given that each point has variations of
the desired quantity due to the non‐diffuse nature of the sound field at LFs in small rooms.

http://gedlee.azurewebsites.net/Papers/multiple%20subs.pdf
What are your thoughts on speakers who integrate powered subs below 100hz so you can dial in the bass after you set the speakers up to sound their best for the mids on up? Personally, I've never heard separate subs integrate fully with monitors and I have always LOVED monitors. I personally have liked some of the speakers that integrate them and voice the amps to take on the sound of the main amps someone is using in their system.