I'm looking to buy a new hifi system and an audiophile acquaintance recommended dedicated Onkyo A9010 amp, Cambridge DAC-magic, Audio Bronze 2 speakers and then said to build a fanless mini PC which would connect to the DAC and send files digitally.
I get the reasoning behind all this - separates are easier to change one by one and theoretically the sound quality should be better than a device that has it all built in.
But this is my quandary: is the sound quality actually that different though? The reason I was thinking about buying an AV Receiver (Denon AVRX2300W)instead of separate amp/dac/pc is for the convenience of having everything in one box. I probably will connect it to the TV, but I'm mainly wanting to play music through it.
I went in to Richer Sounds at lunchtime and the sales guy there was saying that the amps and DACs they put in AV receivers are very low quality and because everything's all in one box there's going to be loads more interference than a separate system. Again, I ask you: REALLY? He's recommended a network streamer and the Onkyo A9010 amp. I'd be interested to know if there's any real-world difference (other than initial sound volume) between the amp in the network streamer and the one in the Onkyo.
Would appreciate everyone's comments and inputs, as I'm a complete newcomer to all this. My understanding is that modern amps and DACs don't 'colour' the music at all, and the biggest things that make a difference are the speakers and the environment they're in. But if I'm wrong, please say so.
I get the reasoning behind all this - separates are easier to change one by one and theoretically the sound quality should be better than a device that has it all built in.
But this is my quandary: is the sound quality actually that different though? The reason I was thinking about buying an AV Receiver (Denon AVRX2300W)instead of separate amp/dac/pc is for the convenience of having everything in one box. I probably will connect it to the TV, but I'm mainly wanting to play music through it.
I went in to Richer Sounds at lunchtime and the sales guy there was saying that the amps and DACs they put in AV receivers are very low quality and because everything's all in one box there's going to be loads more interference than a separate system. Again, I ask you: REALLY? He's recommended a network streamer and the Onkyo A9010 amp. I'd be interested to know if there's any real-world difference (other than initial sound volume) between the amp in the network streamer and the one in the Onkyo.
Would appreciate everyone's comments and inputs, as I'm a complete newcomer to all this. My understanding is that modern amps and DACs don't 'colour' the music at all, and the biggest things that make a difference are the speakers and the environment they're in. But if I'm wrong, please say so.