I am going to give it another three or so years before I move towards the D’Agostino’s. I think 300’s are next in our living room. After the 300’s are in place I am going to focus on moving from separates in my office to an integrated.
There’s a madness behind my method. 
Very nice integrated. Did you get the phono or DAC options ?
Thank you. No I did not. Damn thing cost a fortune as it is (lol).
But really my reason is I don’t do vinyl and I love to switch out DACs. I’m sure they put a decent DAC in there but the digital module is 5K and then you are stuck. My last integrated had a DAC and while I used it for background tunes, I had a separate for main listening. DACs evolve and to me they are like adding a spice to a good dish. In fact I traded in my DS for one yesterday with a bit more detail and am fine tuning that now as well. IMHO, Dacs, streamers, phono amps? etc should be separate so you can choose different spices to suit your mood and as tech develops.
What new DAC spice did you get ?
Bricasti M3. Have always been thinking of the Bartok but the price has jumped, and its expensive to begin with. The detail is this piece is extraordinary. It is now my poor mans Bartok! But also I wanted a DAC. Not a DAC/streamer/Headphone combo all adding up to 20K half of which I would not use. Like Jack Webb said on Dragnet- “Just the DAC maam”…
Gonna pass on the Pass amps for now. I know I would love the amps (I adore my Pass Pre) but they just don’t fit into my setup. I picked up some pretty expensive Mullard tubes on Brent Jessee’s recommendation.
Interesting on the video. He had the pass XS series amps as his reference at some point.
Have u heard these amps? The Dags? I have heard them hooked to some Wilson XLFs. Now I’m not a Wilson fan per say as I like planars … but here is what I will say on this combo. High end good. Low end good. I couldn’t find the mid bass. Maybe it was me. But I would definitely say they seem to be pretty darn neutral. My friend thought the same. Can’t say if that is a reflection on the speaker or amp or me. 
Wise decision, though a one box thing is quite tempting especially from a well respected brand name.
Very different from the DS? Worth the additional expense?
Edit I just looked and it seems cheaper ?
The M3 “classic” starts at 5500.00. That is DAC only. You can add streamer, hedphone etc anytime and the expense is reasonable. I only need a DAC at this point. I’m laptop based and don’t use headphones.
The level of detail is definitely different. You hear that right away. I like that however and it was what I was after. However I learned that is all good to a point. Then you get “bit” on piano notes, guitar etc and it is no longer fun. In my system, the amp and speakers are very musical. Good detail but they don’t seem to struggle with anything really and I’m all over the board- piano, solo guitar, jazz primarily, rock etc. So I am still doing the solo piano test, Spanish guitar test (Govi), female voice, hip hop test etc.
I have a few variables to work through still. USB direct in vs USB to Matrix to Coax like I am running now. (I use both as two separate PCs connect to the DAC). Also linear filter vs minimum phase (I’m using basic linear for the moment and like it). Is it different-yes. Will probably greatly excel at hi res and DSD stuff. However this morning I just ran Spotify 320 USB straight in and all sounded very good. That detail and imaging comes thru even at early morning low level testing. I often have Spotify rolling some playlist and just watch the sun come up…
Also if it helps explain things, for rock and music I like loud, I don’t play as loud as I did with the DS.
So, different but not better, more of a sideways move, if I understand correctly ?
Sorry. I suck as a reviewer. I wanted more detail in what I was hearing and this provides it in spades. So for me, first blush, it is a big improvement in that area alone. I just got off the phone with Bricasti (excellent customer service btw) and am going to try a few things out.
At this level the gains are small percentages as I’m sure you are aware. Could I of just kept the DS- sure. Great DAC. But for my system and what I am after, the M3 does a better job.
I have had 3 DS dacs. Each time I got a bit bored and traded for a Metrum, Lampizator and now the M3. DS is a great go to DAC but as I mentioned, I am after another level of detail. My hope is the MkII may provide this one day as well or even a better blend? However till then…
With your wonderful Wilsons and Dag, don’t you want to try a top dac from dCS, MSB, Berkeley, or Soulution ? And maybe replace your computer by a top streamer and server ?
Good question and I see your logic based on posts etc. My dealer certainly agrees with you!
I have heard DCS or at least Bartok. The M3 does exactly what I need in a similar fashion without dropping 18k. I of course have heard of those other DACs and actually Mola has my attention. But none are local and those are expensive experiments.
I guess my main answer to the DAC question is two-fold. This is the best system I have ever had. Worked and traded up etc for ten years to get here. It sounds amazing to me. I’ll never really beat it. It’s only down hill from here as I get older etc. So, spending 20K on a Dac to improve god knows what does not sound logical or appealing. I wanted more detail and the M3 so far is doing as good a job as a Bartok and maybe anything else as far as I know (a guy can’t try everything). But if MSB etc. is “better” or sounds “better” I honestly don’t know how or in what area it would improve the sound. And I’m not trying to be an ass like I got some super system, I’m just saying that in my world, it don’t get much better. Audio wise (and other ways such as my son, daughter, grandkids etc) I’m very blessed.
I have tried streamers. So far they suck and nothing beats a GUI like a 65in TV and a mouse. I don’t want to screw around on a tablet or my phone. I know everyone says Laptops are noisy, not made for audio etc. Ok, so come show me where all that noise and stuff is cause like I mentioned above, this stereo sounds wonderful. However in all honesty I’m not done in this area. By the end of year I’ll have a dedicated 20a line and much better wifi and ethernet access. At that point, I’ll try Lumin, Aurender etc and get a better idea. I’m all for surprises. Right now I am jRiver, Spotify and Amazon HD and Amazon does not play well with anybody.
I’m pretty happy for now and next may even look at a sub. But the DAG/DAW combo is really taking what is upstream and doing a great job with it.
Yes, I have heard them. They were hooked up to a pair of Magico M3. It was one of the best in-showroom auditions I’ve ever heard. At the start of the demo there was a pair of Audio Research mono’s hooked up. They sounded very good. Good enough that I personally didn’t think it could get any better. Then the M400’s were installed. It was remarkable. Everything was better. To this day, the only word I can think of to describe what I heard is “grip”.
That combo should be a killer setup (XP22 + XA60.8)! It will likely keep your room warm (I have First Watt J2 and my room is always warmer after each listening session). The J2 sits in lower shelf of the rack with about 2 inch space to the upper layer; each bamboo layer has slots for air circulation. I never had any issues with Pass products. I got all Pass products from Reno Pass Labs and they offer excellent price (new or demo units) and service, feel free to consult with Mark (Reno Pass Labs) and they can offer some suggestions and share some experience. My DeVore 3XL seems to be very happy with J2; if I have room and money with larger DeVore speakers, XA60.8 and XP32 would be the end game for me:-)
The X250.8 is also really excellent. it’s Class A to around 20 watts. It has a noticeable sense of speed and very well defined, powerful bass. I love them.
The X250.8 would be the end game for me.
Just saw this vkennedy61. If you’re thinking of hooking them up to Sopra 2s your going to fall in love! And if you have the BHK preamp, well… start hunting down some goo NOS tubes. See how easily I can spend your money 
.