Is the DAC the digital equivalent of a cartridge.

@jjss49 So it is like a car? 😎

The cartridge is literally a generator (motor).

The DAC is more like a graph paper to electrical plotting. And the ADC like the signal to the graph paper.

@czar2000 

DAC is digital phono preamp and cartridge is the transport.

The DAC is probably more like the cartridge.
The phone stage is like the buffer at teh end of the DAC which outputs the signal.
And the RIAA is not in the ADC at all.

The transport would be like the TT itself, and if one has a streamer or a file based system,, then there is no transport.

I mostly agree with this. the importance of a DAC is underestimated by some.

@carlsbad yeah it is mostly ignored by the people in the 80s who were told ads naseum about how great digital was.

And some of that is from posts like this:

My analog and digital ends have outstanding and very very similar sound quality. The cost breakdown (and I did not just arbitrarily throw money at it )

Streamer $22K - DAC $17K

Turntable $20K - phonostage $17K

I assure you that if the streamer value was halved the sound quality to ~$10K, the digital end sound quality falls precipitously. I have tried it. Also I increased the DAC cost from $17K to $22K and got virtually identical results. Of course you cannot abstract this to all systems… but I have done a lot of work to minimize the cost of each of my components and get the most sound quality.

I have a $1500 DAC, which measures as good as it gets.
And an Intel NUC.
Why do I need all that other crap to get sound?

DACs and ADCs are pretty easy things to do.
They have been telling us for 35 to 40 years that it is better and cheaper.

It is cheaper to distribute files on the internet, but the rest is not really a benefit to me.

@holmz I agree with you on the streamer. I too run roon on a NUC and am having trouble finding any real evidence that a streamer improves digital performance. There are people I respect who say it does so I’m keeping an open mind. I would go out and plop down $10k on a streamer tomorrow if I thought it was an improvement but so far, can’t see it.

As for the DAC, there are lots of great DACs out there that sound great. Glad you found one you like. There is a lot of difference in the various analog renditions that are presented by various manufacturers. While measurements tell you a lot, I’m in the clear, transparent, vivid soundstage camp of enthusiasts so I find some DACs muddy that. My DAC is the most expensive component in my system.

Jerry

@carlsbad thanks Jerry.

I got the Octo Research DAC8 (ordered) mostly because it measured best, and because it has 8 channels… and I believe that need at least 7 channels for the new project. So I do not have any evidence that I like it so far ;) just evidence that I should, and that it is fit for purpose.

I am pretty much of the mindset that most of what many hear is what we want to hear, and is therefore psychological.

Most of what I tend to like is also gear that measures good, so I am sort of lucky as that it gives me a way to avoid listening tests to weed out a lot of gear. Most of the time I am in Australia and a long way from shops. I am in the US for another week, and have went to one shop so far, and will be headed to another one this weekend. 
(I’ll call them today and set up an appointment,)

Been considering a new phono stage, which will become the most expensive part of the system if I decide to get it. The used AVR is currently the most expensive part of the system, and I have not even had time to put it in yet with the Covid lock downs and travel restrictions. (And it being at the second house.) The second most expensive part is the LP cleaner ;)