2. digital
  3. 1085552272

Getting more from my DAC

I need some advice. I've put together a mid-fi office system over the last few months:

Sony XE500 CDP acting as a transport
MSB Link DAC III with 24/96 upsampling
McCormack Micro Integrated Drive amp with upgraded PS
Tannoy System 600 nearfield monitors

Toslink cable between transport and DAC. Ratshack gold series interconnect between DAC and amp. Audioquest Type 6+ wire between amp and speakers.

I was fairly happy with this system until I tried connecting the Sony CDP directly to aux posts on the amp and switching back and forth between the CDP/DAC combination and the stand-alone CDP. On a straight A/B comparison, using the selector switch on the front of the amp, I hear almost no difference, even with well recorded piano music/female vocal/jazz.

This is disappointing. The amp is low powered but pretty transparent, I believe - as are the speakers, which were designed as pro monitors and have a reputation for being revealing. So why aren't I hearing a more perceptible improvement - change, even - in the sound when the DAC is introduced into the system?

Are my crappy cables strangling the DAC? Is the transport too cheapo to let the DAC do its work? Do I need to follow the MSB/Modwright upgrade path before the DAC will really shine in my system? Or is the whole system a bit too bargain-basement to benefit from a decent DAC?

Words of wisdom gratefully received.
spartane5c

Showing 3 responses by audioengr

audioengr
3,282 posts
 
The transport is the primary problem. It can definitely benefit from mods, but you will probably need to put a Superclock2 in it at considerable expense. A digital cable is also recommended, and a good one. You can come really close to the digital cable performance with a glass toslink such as this one:
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=220&item=SP-TOC-99HQ&type=store

You can also get the MSB modded. I recently modded a Gold version and it turned-out really spectacular.

Select your modifier carefully. A digital engineer will have more knowledge about transports and S/PDIF interface.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
Tarsando - this is the impression one gets when listening to stock components, particularly mid-priced such as those you have, although some do sound a bit better than others. Modifications however make a HUGE difference. This makes these sound like real music. Mkae sure you pick the RIGHT modder.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
I agree with Dne - the cabling between the PS and DAC must be upgraded.

As far as modding the XE500, the issue is: no one knows whether it will turn out good as a transport or not. Perhaps with a $450 Superclock2 upgrade. You might be better off to buy a cheap Sony DVP-S7700 and get it modded. This player has extremely low jitter, even without a Superclock2. It makes a superb transport (modded) and there are lots of used ones for sale.
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