Connecting a DAC directly to an amp?

Don’t look like they can be controlled via remote.

Give the fingers some exercise, just Google RCA switch box with remote, there are many.
This ones on special for just $8!!!!!! in Australia.
https://www.jaycar.com.au/remote-control-audio-video-selector-switch/p/AC1654

Cheers George

Or! if you need more input switching feed the dac into a switch box and what ever else you have like these.
https://www.goldpt.com/sw4.html
https://www.goldpt.com/sw2x.html
https://www.goldpt.com/sw2x.html

Cheers George
 

tube preamp allows ease of functionality between avr and preamp.

WHAT!!!
If you can use a tube preamp between the dac and amp, then you can use the dac direct and use it’s volume control without the tube preamp.
Which is your thread title  "Connecting a DAC directly to an amp?"  

Cheers George

emergingsoul OP
This is getting sooo damn complex for my tiny mind. Very very and maybe toooo techie

To put it simply, your Chord Dac using the remote variable volume output from it’s line outputs, gives over 5volts!!!! at full volume. This is more than enough for any amps on the market.

Use it direct into your amp and forget about buying a preamp, save the money and get sound that more transparent/dynamic/uncoloured in the process.

Cheers George

George, I thought Chord used FPGAs.

His is the NOS R2R Metrum Adagio
And if the vc is "not in the signal path", then it’s either in the digital domain, or horror if it’s changing the output stages feed back, to control the volume up or down, as then the vc sonics will have different characteristic as to where it’s set with the amount of feedback applied.

.

The minus 10dB is optioned by a switch on the back and I do not have that engaged.

Maybe you should and try direct again.



Or we go back to my first explanation of
10k is a very low input impedance, there’s no need for it these days, as things have problems diving it.
47k or higher is the industry standard, some tube amps like Rogue M120 mono were up to 1000k!!! (1mohm)
But if your source output stage is weak and maybe cap coupled (which could be too small with 10k) it’s the problem, not because your going direct.


Cheers George

It’s not a 32bit ESS dac it’s a NOS R2R dac so yes even "bit stripping" could have been the biggest factor as well now you’ve bought it up, with 4v!!! output because of volume being set too low. His amps only need 1.2v for full output!!

From the manual total gain setting switches of the output V at full volume which he probably didn’t open it up to do .

Attenuation switches: Depending the input sensitivity of the used power amplifier the output of the Adagio can be reduced with -10dB.

Cheers George

It seems this happens every time I try to go without my preamp/buffer. Maybe it is my SMc monos, which have input impedance of only 10K ohms

Can't tar everything with the same brush, with this 10k input.

10k is a very low input impedance, there's no need for it these days, as things have problems diving it.
47k or higher is the industry standard, some tube amps like Rogue M120 mono were up to 1000k!!! (1mohm)

But if your source output stage is weak and maybe cap coupled (which could be too small with 10k) it's the problem, not because your going direct.

Cheers George 

Connecting a DAC directly to an amp?

The very best:
Using my MSB Discrete R2R dac's digital domain volume control direct into most of the power amps I have, sounds so much more transparent, detailed and dynamic, than any active preamp (tube or SS), even passive

Second best:
If the gain of the power amp is too high, and the dac digital volume has to be turned down too low (and starts to bit strip), it's then left full up volume and a passive pre used. 

Third Best:
Active preamps.


Cheers George