Yes, adding a very good preamp will most likely improve matters as @ghdprentice indicated.
Help please! Something amiss with my digital chain
Hello all,
I'm new here and new to the audophile community. At 49 years old, finally have had a moment to set up some nice audio so I can sit and enjoy music - with the family and by myself! - as its meant to be heard. No more soundbars and bluetooth pod speakers. Was a vocal performance major for 1 1/2 years in college and music has a hugely positive impact on my life.
After much initial research and some listening to a few friend's systems, I spent a little money. The analog chain sounds fantastic - rich, nuanced, lively, none of that fatiguing glare - I can't believe I waited this long. Pound for pound super thrilled with the result. When I switch to my digital source, however, the music sounds much thinner, flat, lifeless - awful. Can someone more experienced than I help me diagnose the problem?
The system: MoFi Ultradeck with MoFi Ultragold MC cartridge --> Modwright PH9XT phono stage --> recently refurbished Decware ZMA tube amplifier --> Omega SuperAlnico monitors. The digital side includes an Auralic G1.1 streamer --> Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC --> Decware ZMA. I use Audioquest red river level interconnects and mid-level Decware copper speaker cables.
Some hypotheses:
1. Could it be I need a pre-amplifier after the DAC? Holding the amp volume steady, sound level coming from the DAC is noticeably less than from the phono stage. If this is the issue, any suggestions on what will have good synergy with the tube amp?
2. Power supply issue? right now I'm plugging everything into a very basic surge protector. Was gonna wait and see before pouring cash into this aspect of things.
3. Weird setting issue with the complicated streamer? I'm playing Tidal and it seems it automatically shifts to whatever resolution the track is, but maybe I'm doing something boneheaded here without realizing it.
4. Burn in issue? The DAC got a week of burn-in before I received it. I've also run music for several days when away from home to see if things improve but its not changing much.
Any and all ideas appreciated. Thank you! Alejandro
Showing 2 responses by devinplombier
DACs have digital volume controls that use bit stripping to attenuate the sound level. As a result, sound quality deteriorates at low volumes, losing dynamics and clarity. Some digital VCs use 32-bit processing, somewhat mitigating the issue. If digital volume controls are present in the chain, whether hardware or software, they should be turned all the way up (so they pass the signal through without performing any attenuation), and volume should be controlled via the pre’s (hopefully) high-quality analog attenuator. @12many this might explain why you found your DAC sounding best at the highest volume setting, which probably bypasses the attenuation circuit altogether. Volume attenuation is an art and a science. There are VC nerds out there, many of whom hold strong opinions :) @ale1601 At the risk of belaboring the point I can’t recommend enough adding a pre to your system. Pre / amp matching should be carefully considered, but once you get the right pre in your system I think you’ll be pleased with the results. |