Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo question: how to setup DAC, CD and amp?

I have a system with below components:

A: NAD 356BEE (all line-in, no optical/coaxial inputs) ~800
B: Marantz CD 6005 (optical out, analog out) ~600
C: Oppo HA-1 DAC (optical, analog ins, analog out, can be set as pure DAC, bypass amp as pre-amp) ~1200

How do I get best performance for PC and CD source music?

Option 1: PC+external hard drive -> USB B of HA1 ->analog to 356Bee line in.
CD 6005 -> analog to 356Bee.

Option 2: PC+external hard drive -> USB B of HA1 ->analog to 356Bee main in.
CD 6005 -> optical to HA1 -> analog to 356Bee main in.

Questions: which one is better theoretically? Is the HA1 DAC better than Marantz DAC so I could bypass CD DAC? Should I use HA1 as pre-amp and pure DAC bypassing its amp?

Any comments/suggestions are appreciated.

Option 1. Why put more stuff in the audio chain that isn't required? The DAC in the Marantz is supposed to be very good. I had a 6004. All DACs/filters these days in enthusiast gear are practically flawless. I wouldn't sweat it.

Either the Marantz or PC to HA1 gives you the option to do headphones only without the NAD. It's nice to have options.

I thought that 6005 DAC should be good enough for CD source.

Is there any benefit to add a pre-amp to NAD 356bee which is the integrated AMP?

Thanks again.

Not unless the new preamp adds features you may want like network streaming, HD audio, or a subwoofer output and bass managment.

Dont get caught up in how products "sound". Well designed products, such as those you own, sound like nothing. They are supposed to be transparent to the source material.

Source material and loudspeaker placement/listener position/room setup/reflections/frequency response/T60 among others determine the listener experience.

The only pieces of gear I know of that account for all of these are products with Dirac. Since you are running a PC, you can try Dirac for free and see how you like it if you want.

Thanks for the reply. I would like to try the Dirac which is new to me.

Let us know. Socketman is a fan. It seems like a fantastic system.