Advice on DACs

Looking for advice from ones with the "knowledge"
I am looking to buy a 2nd hand Dac upto a max of £700, I like the look of (and the reviews of)Belcanto dac 2 and Benchmark dac 1,Which is best or should I be looking elsewhere , Oh 1 other thing it needs to small in size (like the Bel canto)
I thank you
RG

 

hi

whats the rest of the system BTW?

 

All Cyrus running in mono thru apa 7.5 pre at the moment

 

Why not wait for a bit and spend 1K on the Cyrus DACX or are you looking at replacing your Cyrus gear ?

I have a DAC XP BTW

 

Bit over my budget atm , never been very good at waiting - how is the XP ?
RG

 

Sounds great, but I was using an AV8 as a pre before I brought the DAC XP.

 

Hi,
It would also be useful to know what you're looking for from your DAC.

At 700 squids you've got a lot of options

Jeff

 

the cyrus dacX is the obvious choice as it's maintains the sonic integrity of a cyrus system and doesn't require you to re-learn the sound of your system. it is, however , the best dac ever made by cyrus and even marginally out-performs the dacXP , either because it's not sharing a psu or IMO because the preXis better than the pre in a dacXP.

 

Hi running man ,
I reckon if your really interested in the Belcanto , then that,s the one to try .
Out of interest , why do you feel you need a dac ?
If it,s because the system get,s fatiguing then you might want to try an Mf dac .
I use an a3.24 with a 7 cdp and whilst it,s difficult(for me) to spot much difference AB,ing them , the sound is definately far less fatiguing in the long term.
I,m thinking that for £700 s/h you could go higher up the ladder than me .
And no, you don,t change the sound signature of your cyrus kit . You keep the pace and lean bass , it just becomes more accessible .
And less fatiguing .

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice so far,I have never been very good at explaning how my system sounds or what I am looking for so if this sounds like a load of old fish guts please(as im sure someone will) tell me - the cyrus has always given me a sense of exitement when listen to it, never to much bass, never to much of that "trilly"top , but having had the system for a few months now I just feel there is more information to come out of it,maybe more punch or speed to the bass as well. the speakers are Spendor s6 sound (IMO)beutiful with vocals.
RG