USD$2k budget is great!
When I get time I’ll check out options in the US
Our American friends here can also help !
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. Thank you.
From my quick and dirty search see below.
People will chime in and say you should replace this and that and your price will just keep going up 
This would be a super capable system - way more than any Mac for equivalent price
And way cheaper than a pre-built gaming PC that comes with flashing lights and flashing case that you don’t need 
and a fancy water cool system that may leak later
And if you run Windows or Linux Ubuntu Desktop (free!), you can use your existing HQP v5 Mac license on this machine too
I’ve put the GPU as optional - at least the power supply and case are ready to take big GPU if you add later. Or you can just add it now and be done with it.
I suggest you send this to local reputable PC shops and ask for a quote - and get them to confirm everything is compatible.
Ask them to include assembly in their quote and build warranty - that way you don’t have to do anything ! You collect a ready made PC.
And this way for any warranty issues, you just take the entire box to a nearby place and they should sort it for you.
As previously mentioned, best to put such a beast in a different room where you won’t hear it at all. Connect it to network via ethernet cable, not WiFi
$569 - Intel 13900K
$109 - Noctua NH-D15
$149 MSI PRO Z790-P WiFi ProSeries
$94 - CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 5600MHz C36-36-36-76 1.25V - CMK32GX5M2B5600
$44 - SAMSUNG MZ-V7S250BW 250GB SSD NVMe M.2
$150 -Seaonic Focus Plus Gold 850watts PSU
$230 - Fractal Design Define 7 XL Black Solid Brushed Aluminum/Steel E-ATX Silent Modular Full Tower Computer Case
Total above = USD 1345
Optional:
$1100 - EVGA RTX3080Ti FTW GPU
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DAC 200 measurably benefits from Intona isolator though… 
That’s why I use Intona for both my HA 200 and DAC 200.
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@jussi_laako - what do you plug in the Intona isolator? The DAC 200 → Intona → UpGateway → MBP?
Lastly, do you use the high speed or super speed isolator?
Yes, between the DAC 200 and what ever is the USB source it is connected to.
Thx - In my case, I would connect Mac (w/HQP) → UP gateway (via ethernet) → Intona (via USB) → T+A DAC? Does UP Gateway support USB 3.0 superspeed?
Only through the micro-USB OTG connector. And DAC 200 doesn’t have USB3 either. So 7054 is fine which is what I use with DAC 200 from my i5-7600T machine. This one has actually two 7054’s stacked, the other one is connected to Accuphase DAC-60 card.
With my HA 200, connected to my 5800X machine through USB3, I use 7055-C.
Both work fine.
Ha. The DAC isolators benefit from upstream isolation
I’m stumped with even guessing the mechanisms
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This is why I say bits are not just bits. Other stuff (electrical and phase noise) comes along with the bits…and causes noise on the output of the DAC…even a great DAC with special isolators!
We’re not talking about pure digital domain here. This discussion is way beyond that.
When talking about measurements of the analogue output like Jussi mentioned, we’re talking about analogue noise + distortion
As mentioned, this DAC is likely different to any you’ve ever had because the entire digital board is isolated from analogue board
It’s a different beast
I suspect USB isolation (like Intona) is much more mature than what the isolation T+A attempted here (tricky).
To show how things have matured with USB isolation, even my Topping HS02 does what my Intona does for a fraction of the price (when I measure DAC outputs)
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Just out of curiosity how much of a difference (if any) would one of these 7054 Standard model make between say a Raspberry Pi running NAA to a MA Mini-i Pro 3 compared to a Audioquest Jitterbug (which is what I have now).
Quite curious as the price is quite reasonable (it’s 5 or 6 new vinyl 
), even though I am very happy with the current solution. Or does the improvement only come when spending much more 
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The Jitterbug literally does nothing.
It doesn’t even advertise to be a USB isolator so can’t be compared to Intona.
But checkout the Archimago review above - Topping HS02 is a real isolator that does what it says - at a fraction of the Intona price
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I did read that review earlier and I will have a closer look at both thanks
I was not comparing them, I got a couple of Jitterbugs for free a few years ago so they have been fine sitting in the chain not doing a lot.
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What do you think I have been talking about when I say “bits are not just bits”? As I have been saying, electrical noise comes along with the bits. The bits can get there perfectly but the electrical noise can be very low, medium, or very high. All of which can affect what comes out the analog side of the DAC. Just as @jussi_laako has noted above.
…if it happens to work as advertised… My mileage with Topping devices has been 50/50 working properly vs not working properly. Also within multiple units of same model. I guess the price is fraction because there is no QA/QC at all.
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Yes QA/QC is a problem with Topping - I’ve returned a couple DACs. Luckily easy process with Amazon.
My HS02 works great, Archi’s and also Matthias (Head of Engineering at RME) who also endorsed Intona years ago. Of course can’t use 3 samples to conclude about overally QA/QC.
Then again there are people with compatibility issues with Intona - can see issues on the Intona forum:
https://forum.intona.net/viewforum.php?f=10&sid=9689381fcb4921037f210e7f0a6cfcbe
I have an Intona and a HS02 in different setup - both isolate as well as each other in my system at least.
The Intona 3.0 series are much more sensitive and often don’t work with various devices/cables. Frustratingly so. The 7055-C measures the best but is not as ‘compatible’ as the older 7054 2.0 devices. For example, the 7055-C doesn’t work directly with the Holo Red but it works with the UP Gateway. Adding a USB hub between the Intona and Red ‘fixes’ it.
Matthias (Head of Engineering at RME) who was one of the earliest to recommend Intona, just recommended an even cheaper isolator, that isolates a bit better.
So don’t need to fork out for an Intona these days - cheaper options that do just as well.
USB isolation has matured a lot.
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Hi everyone - I’ve just received my DAC200 and am trying to stream via HQPlayer. So far I am only on the trial as I cannot even get it to find my Zen Stream as NAA; I have already installed networkaudiod on my Mac Mini M1, but all it finds are my local speakers after I select the NetworkAudioAdapter. I’ve copied settings from everyone else just can not actually see the Zen Stream as NAA.
Is there a way to configure this easily? My Zen Stream is hardwired, as is the Roon Core (Mac Mini M1).
Hope this makes sense and thanks for any help.
I should mention that this is HQPlayer in Roon, of course. I will still use the transport controls with Roon in other words, and have HQPlayer just running on the Mac mini while I stream downstairs.