The problem with the all in one market is the over all lack of choice in the configuration, there still is plenty of choice in the AIO market but often you get what you get. If you're an enthusiast in the market and you spend quite a lot of money on a DAC for example, chances are if you have multiple audio setups say like a couple amps, speakers, few pairs of headphones, you're gonna wanna share your sources between them rather than spend extra money on systems that all include the same redundant devices. But, on the other side, AIO's actually make choices easier for consumers and can sometimes lead to better sound than they would otherwise get since they can completely remove external variables such as the need for audio interconnects for example.
If someone wants to tinker with different gear, that is fine. But I don't hear differences between DACS really, so after owning a few I gave up. I suspect I would fail a blind test with most gear, even amps, so why bother. I got the ADI-2 RME dac/amp on sale but frankly it was still overkill, though I have the option of getting a powerful amp to pair it with. I firmly believe the next gen flagship headphones are going to be more efficient and crazy powerful amps will be a thing of the past, some would argue they already are to get that 90% of hifi fidelity you mentioned. That or getting a true all in one (like the Bravura at $6000) will be far more cost effective for getting to the bleeding edge of HIFI. Tech is moving fast, it will be interesting what comes next.
I'm quite fond of my Burson Conductor 3X Performance AIO. The sound quality is fantastic and the power output is more than adequate for most any headphone. All this at a very appealing price point.
I didn’t finish the video yet. But after a decade on IT… I feel like 2in1 or things that are intend to perform more than a single function, are usually worst than a dedicated tool. Buy X in 1 only works if you are intend to spend more than all the “parts” separately.
An all in one solution or not for my 800s Sennheisers??…DAC/streamer/amp/eq. I need a perfect solution under 5g’s. Not into buying or selling gear. Suggestions?
nailed it at the end guys... the shopping and tinkering are equal parts fun in this hobby as with any other hobbies 😊
I’m a separates guy. Have each piece of equipment specialize in one thing only. Makes for more transparent sound.
the Sony DMP-Z1 is my favorite all-in-one. It's tiny and the sound is high-end.
Almost 5 years for Sony Dmp-z1 since its release, I'm waiting for version 2, hope it will have enough power to drive the Abyss 1266TC 🤞
@@davidpilon9433 no v2
I personally prefer having separate components. If gives you the option to tailor sound specifically to your taste.
Burson Conductor 3GT and Chord Hugo TT2 are the 2 AIO units that come to mind that offer TOTL performance.
The problem with the all in one market is the over all lack of choice in the configuration, there still is plenty of choice in the AIO market but often you get what you get. If you're an enthusiast in the market and you spend quite a lot of money on a DAC for example, chances are if you have multiple audio setups say like a couple amps, speakers, few pairs of headphones, you're gonna wanna share your sources between them rather than spend extra money on systems that all include the same redundant devices. But, on the other side, AIO's actually make choices easier for consumers and can sometimes lead to better sound than they would otherwise get since they can completely remove external variables such as the need for audio interconnects for example.
Burson Conductor 3GT allows you to roll ops amps to taste. Sparkos, SIL, Staccato all make great op amps along with Burson.
If someone wants to tinker with different gear, that is fine. But I don't hear differences between DACS really, so after owning a few I gave up. I suspect I would fail a blind test with most gear, even amps, so why bother. I got the ADI-2 RME dac/amp on sale but frankly it was still overkill, though I have the option of getting a powerful amp to pair it with. I firmly believe the next gen flagship headphones are going to be more efficient and crazy powerful amps will be a thing of the past, some would argue they already are to get that 90% of hifi fidelity you mentioned. That or getting a true all in one (like the Bravura at $6000) will be far more cost effective for getting to the bleeding edge of HIFI. Tech is moving fast, it will be interesting what comes next.
I'm quite fond of my Burson Conductor 3X Performance AIO. The sound quality is fantastic and the power output is more than adequate for most any headphone. All this at a very appealing price point.
Questyle is a upper mid range AIO about $2k I still use my older Questyle 400i in my chain as a DAC and Pre Amp it Runs a AKM 449X chip
I didn’t finish the video yet.
But after a decade on IT…
I feel like 2in1 or things that are intend to perform more than a single function, are usually worst than a dedicated tool.
Buy X in 1 only works if you are intend to spend more than all the “parts” separately.
It is even worst when DACs are receiving constant updates while amps had way more time to achieve the performance that we have nowadays
I think the fun is also in playing around a bit, so I don't think it's easy to get done.
Honestly the Bartok sounded better to me than the Lina stack idk.
Bartok is a very nice DAC!
An all in one solution or not for my 800s Sennheisers??…DAC/streamer/amp/eq. I need a perfect solution under 5g’s. Not into buying or selling gear. Suggestions?
Burson Conductor GT and be done with it
Just get an OPPO HA-1 it's an amazing all in one unit. Nobody needs anything more than that unless you're a snob and have money to burn...
stack, i need a preamp to add soundstage and depth
Also Burson Conductor vs Burson Soloist 3X GT... GT and my R2R Soekris DAC1421 all day... well next month at least :)
Just buy:
MSB Select - best DAC on planet 100K$