Rega DAC or Audiolab DAC with Rega Brio-R
I have recently bought a Rega Brio-R to go with my B&W 602 S3 and Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 — so far I love how entertaining it is compared with my old NAD C320.
I have been using a Music Fidelity V-DAC and an AppleTV to stream music which seems fairly decent — but want to explore upgrading to something better as I feel the amp has added something to digital — it has clawed back something of what the vinyl gives me.
The obvious choice is the Rega DAC as it should match the amp — and I cannot get away that visually it'll work well.
The Audiolab DAC seems like a good choice too — slightly more expensive but seems to have better connectivity using USB — which I have started to use now.
I will probably get my old NAD 520 CD player out of the loft and try using that as a source via the DAC too as I have big CD collection that hasn't been used for years and may get a new lease of life via a decent DAC.
Opinions please 
Had the Rega on home dem and it's very good indeed. However, I found that speaker/room size gave it a little bloated sound to the bass on certain tracks.
You'll need to hear both at home before parting with your money.
Thanks for your views.
Auditioning them sounds like the right way.
I have a gut feeling that maybe the MDAC will pair nicely with the musicality of the Brio-R.
Near the start of my hifi journy I bought myself a Brio-R and loved it compared to what else I had heard so far.
I was seeking more detail from my system, so home auditioned the Rega DAC. It was a definate step up from my previous DAC, but the lack of features compared to the MDAC made me want to hear that also.
Initially I found it difficult to decide which DAC I preferred. So asked for a demo of the 2 dacs with different amps in store. I was shocked to find that I hated both the Rega Dac and Brio-R compared to everything else I heard. The Rega gear to my ears changed the nature of the music too much.
I ended up taking home the MDAC and an 8200P. Later I found out the MDAC was brand new for the home demo and that the sound changes significantly are the caps are burned in, and I tend to agree here. The sound opened up a lot more over the course of a week.
I've replaced my speakers since, and I think I'm now at the point of audio nirvana for my budget 
Thanks for the views.
From having heard an Audiolab amp and aligned with reviews I've read it sounds like it suits your ears.
I have to say that I know what you mean about colouring the sound. I've found that has mellowed since I've owned it — and for sure you need to leave the amp on. From cold it takes a couple of hours to bed in — at least that's my feeling.
A worry about demoing it at a shop — perhaps I should ask them to plug it in before I get there.
Thanks for the views.
From having heard an Audiolab amp and aligned with reviews I've read it sounds like it suits your ears.
I have to say that I know what you mean about colouring the sound. I've found that has mellowed since I've owned it — and for sure you need to leave the amp on. From cold it takes a couple of hours to bed in — at least that's my feeling.
A worry about demoing it at a shop — perhaps I should ask them to plug it in before I get there.
Similar quality, slightly different presentation. There isn't much in it but the Rega a tad warmer and perhaps favoured by fans of analogue, the M-dac excels at detail, some may find it more fatiguing. Try them both and see which works better in your system. Personally I think I'd favour the Audiolab based on an excellent feature set.