Upgrade from Pi3b+ / HifiBerry DAC+ to which DAC?

[efung]

Just a quick update. I got the Topping E30 and it all works fine! But if I'm really honest I can hardly tell a difference between the HifiBerry DAC+ and the Topping E30. I listened to all kinds of music on Tidal and also tried to test it by having the same songs play from Mac -> Topping E30 -> NAD receiver vs. Raspberry -> Hifiberry DAC+ -> NAD receiver and switching between the channels of the receiver. Sometimes I thought there's a more detailed and clear soundscape with the Topping E30 but then couldn't really say for sure. I think in a real blind-test I'd fail to tell which is which. Maybe my ears are too old by now or my setup is not good enough.

But anyway, that itch in the back of my head that I need this is gone now so all good :-)

I think you need a better audio amplifier and loudspeakers for audition if you are serious about sound quality. By the way HiFiBerry DAC+ is not as good as the BOSS.

I guess so. I've got KEF IQ9s on a NAD C 326 BEE. So there's room for an upgrade there but to be honest I'm happy like it sounds for. The good thing is I can connect my TV also to the Topping E30 now! :-)

But also I'd love to do see a well set up blind test of 100 or so audiophiles trying to distinguish a 10k DAC from an $8 Apple DAC.

Another suggestion is using low capacitance interconnect RCA cable. You can find BJC LC-1 in Amazon.