2. digital
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How to get into high end digital? (Feeding a DAC)

I am looking primarily at the Schitt Yggdrasil or the Topping D90.
  • How does one feed those?
  • I am assuming any sort of CD transport would output the bit stream?
  • or… they get saved to file and played from some media player into the DACs.

Some example of what is commonly done would be great.

The system currently consists of:
  • TT —> Audio Research PH2
  • An old Nakamichi 5 disk CD player
  • TV
  • Audible Illusions line stage (New tunes on the way, but it still sound OK to me with the old tube in it)
  • Prima Luna (with GoldenLion and TS KT-120 one the way… and I might I’ll get the VTL mono blocks 100w/ch serviced)
  • Vandy 2C and Vandy sub

I also have a Home Theatre pre, which is Roon capable, on the way… So that maybe does some of this for me as well? 

But to be totally honest, the digital side is a bit of mystery to me.
I have always thought we plug in a CD player and the signal comes out. (Maybe with some nuance in DACs, clock jitter, and filtering to separate the higher end from the lower end products.)
holmz

Showing 2 responses by fittebd

fittebd
101 posts
 
Go for Roon.  Use one of Sonore Optical solutions and all your noise worries are gone. Get a USB capable DAC. Most are now. Feed that from just about any digital library. No discs needed. Rip them all to even just a usb hard frisbee attached to the Roon server. This solution can run from 6500 for Nucleus + Signature SE down to 2000 or so for Sonore cheapest solution with had built server.  You will not be disappointed. 
I have had a few DACs and moved up to the signature se and ps audio Directstream.   Wow. Enjoying some Ken Mo right now. It’s so clean 
fittebd
101 posts
 
OP glad to see you are setting in on something amongst all these what I will call various responses.  Sign up for Roon after you rip and get the AVR setup.  If you are going to be using the coax or optical out will really limit your range on an external DAC. No high res I believe. Need usb.  
My suggestion would Play with before you do anything and see if you like Roon. If you do new DAC unless your Avr is serious hi end then a new DAC would be great. Feed it back to avr to amp via analog pass through if it has it.  This works great and you can find the right DAC.  For your budget it’s wide open.  
Good luck. 
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