Looking for a DAC that has..

Even if the DAC you find does not have HT bypass, this can be added and will be superior anyway:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=108715.0

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

The idea behind parallel DAC chips is usually to multiply the current output to create more drive.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Kz - Adding a reclocker will make a huge difference, assuming its a good one. It may even beat your Oppo. More important than the DAC itself. The high-voltage discrete output on the Electro DAC is quite good. I used to mod this one. Unfortunately, the DAC module in it is only average, using an older 96-capable D/A chip.

Edorr is right. The lowest price for a good quality solution with everything you want is in the $7K range anyway. The Final Drive transformer buffer alone is around $2K.

You might consider the following:

AppleTV -> Synchro-Mesh -> Electro DAC -> Transformer Linestage -> amps

The Transformer linestage (TVC) will beat any active preamp because the drive from the Electro DAC is strong. There are several options for the linestage:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=89744.0

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

"It seems on this forum a lot of people like Metrum Octave or Eastern Electric dac. What would be your recommendation for use with Synchro-mesh+AppleTV? Will I be able to hear improvement over ECD-1 dac?"

Yes, the Metrum or even a W4S DAC2 will be an improvement over the ECD-1. The D/A module in it is dated.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Kz - Good luck finding a DAC with reclocking that actually works. I have modded 15 different DACs in the past. None of them were very good at reducing jitter. Remember, this is the most important part, more important than the DAC itself.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Steve, can you please explain why the internal reclocking won't be as effective as an outboard clocker like Synchro-Mesh?

Several reasons:
1) They dont use the best reclocker chip on the market
2) They dont use the best discrete voltage regulator
3) They dont use the best clock oscillator
4) Their implementation is not as good

I generally dont believe in reclocking in the DAC. It is better to leave the DAC alone and allow the source to have low jitter. If there is reclocking in the DAC, the benefits of a low-jitter source are diminished. This is why I dont reclock S/PDIF input inside my DAC.

Steve N.

Kz - The Synchro-Mesh has 30-day money-back guarantee, less shipping and any fees.

"What is the preferable interface cable, optical or coaxial?"

Coax is generally better, but you have to spend some money on it. A cheap glass Toslink is usually better than a cheap coax.

"With synchro-mesh being able to output (24/96) max, is it safe to assume there aren't any audible difference? My understanding is optical cannot handle sample rate higher than 96."

There will be audible differences in any cables. Toslink supports 192.

"At the moment I use Audioquest Cinnamon optical cable ($65) from AppleTV to Electro-ECD1 dac. I will need another cable when Synchro-Mesh is added to the system. Any recommendation??"

As long as this is a glass cable, it will be fine. A $500 coax cable will outperform it however.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

"My Peachtree Audio IDAC reclocks, do you believe it won't benefit much from the synchro-mesh?"

It probably will be beneficial, but an even better solution is to use Off-Ramp 5 and a computer. I believe iDAC was reviewed with Off-Ramp 4 in TAS in the last year or two.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

For most DACs, delivering a low-jitter signal is beneficial, even if the DAC reclocks or resamples inside. Even Sabre-based DACs.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

"So would a NAD M51 benefit as well?"

Certainly. I have a few customers with these.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio