Can Meridian G68 preamp bypass DSP & stay analog?


I have a Meridian G68 preamp. Obviously, if I want to use the Meridian DSPs to create a 5.1 signal from an analog stereo input, the G68 would have to convert the analog input to digital in order for the DSP to converted it to 5.1. But what if I have a high quality external stereo DAC and want to keep the stereo analog input in the analog domain without ever converting it to digital? Is that possible? Or does the G68 convert every input to digital regardless? I am asking this because the only way to amplify the external high quality DAC signal is to keep the signal analog all the way through the preamp and into the amp. Otherwise why bother with a high quality external DAC?
axle

Showing 4 responses by axle

Here is what I am getting at. I am looking to add a new source as I think it is the weak link in my system. My system is all Meridian except for the source (HD621 -> G68 -> G57 & G55). The HD621 cleans up jitter (what jitter BW?) with the assertion that all digital signals become equal. Problem solved forever? Apparently not.

Sony PS3 and Apple TV are both connected to HD621 and PS3 sounds much better especially its bass. I am guessing the offenders are low frequency jitter and power supply noise making it through to the amp. In other words, HD621 does not clean up as well as desired.

If the processor does not clean up the source adequately then the source itself must be cleaned up. Hence, I conclude a newer cleaner source is in order. The question becomes, does it have to be analog or could it be digital? For integration I would prefer the source to be digital like a network music player.

So to answer your question Kal, "Why indeed?", the answer may be because a good DAC output is likely to be cleaner than a good digital output. But I am not positive about this. Perhaps skipping over ATV, MAC mini, and the likes and going to a network music player with a top notch power supply would do the trick. If I had a spectrum analyzer I could quantify the answer rather than just suppose.
An ideal clean-up PLL after the digital source would provide the same signal to the preamp, regardless of the digital source. Of course, there is no such thing as an ideal clean-up PLL. But it seems reasonable that there is one that may suffice. I just haven't found it (yet).

The better the clean-up PLL, the less important the source. A pristine source is a more pure approach. But the clean up-PLL may be a more practical approach.

How about the Synchro-Mesh? http://www.empiricalaudio.com/products/synchro-mesh.
Having said this, I agree that a new source is probably in order. I am just not sure which one and which approach.

I would like to hear someone has auditioned a MAC mini with a Emperical Audio Sychro-Mesh against sources costing >10X more. I wouldn't be surprised if they were in the same league. After all, dedicated functionality with dedicated power supply and chassis could provide performance filed under 'work smarter not harder' or should I say 'spend smarter not more'.
In my personal experience with telecom applications, clean-up PLLs improve perform best for noisy clocks but improve performance very little to not at all for clean clocks. I suppose the same may be true for audio applications.

Hence, money may be better spent on a source vs clean-up PLL. Or it could be the other way. I'm just not in the mood to go spending money on trial and error.

Now that you know were I am coming from, please let me know your comments and experiences. Thank you.