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Digital Room Correction: Where in the chain?

I’ve been contemplating the purchase of the McIntosh MEN220. I have a challenging room, and I’ve done my best with equipment placement, furnishings, and room treatments. My listening is 80% digital (streaming and discs), 20% vinyl. My digital chain is Roon/Qobuz, Lumin U2 Mini, Denafrips Pontus II 15th, McIntosh C-53, MC312, B&W702 S3 and REL T/7x. Transport is the MCT500 to the C-53 via din connector.


My hesitation is that the MEN220 requires an analog to digital to analog conversion. It seems like it would be best to apply any and all DSP in the upstream digital before my respectable DAC does the conversion.  Is this midstream ADA negating my digital front end? Is there inherent loss in the extra conversion cycle?  Or am I thinking about this wrong?

mattsca

Showing 1 response by namrider1

namrider1
17 posts
 

The less expensive and easier alternative would be to ditch the Lumin and get a streamer that has EQ and/or room correction.

Don't hate on me, but I tried very expensive streamers and settled on the Eversolo DMP-A8 and A6 Master Edition for two of my systems.  IMO, used as streamers only, bypassing the DACs, they sound every bit as good as the more expensive ones I tried, maybe better in some ways and their app is far better.  I would have gone with a Lumin except for their dogma of not going down the path of EQ.  While I'm not a fan of DSP for room correct because I think it can make the sound 'thin', I do like the ability to adjust manually with a good EQ.

I personally think this is a better route as it requires less hardware, fewer wires and connections.... FWIW!

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