Processor DACs

I have a similar question. Currently have a Mac Mini as a source and an Anthem AVM 50v processor. All of my sources (Mac Mini, Oppo BDP 93, and DirecTV) are hooked up to the Anthem via HDMI only, and I am using the DACs in the Anthem for all sources. I have wondered whether it would be worth it to use an outboard DAC for my 2-channel music. I use the Mac running PureMusic almost exclusively for 2-channel music. How expensive of a DAC would I need to noticeably improve upon the Anthem? Opinions welcome.

Edorr - This is an outstanding point that I already knew but somehow keep forgetting. In my acoustically-terrible living room, the Anthem Room Correction (ARC) makes a huge difference, so it is unlikely that an outboard DAC would make sense for me.

Steve N - so in a room with terrible acoustics, do you think it would be worth sacrificing the room correction for better DACs for 2 channel music? I know I could just try it, but every time I buy new equipment or make changes to the living room rig, my wife starts asking a lot of questions ; )

OK - well I just ordered a Cambridge DacMagic+ for my office computer-audio system. Maybe I'll bring it home and hook it up to HT rig in a few different configurations to see how it compares to the Anthem DACs. I know the Cambridge is not the top of the line, but it gets sufficiently good reviews that it should give me a pretty good idea about the quality of the DACs in the Anthem and the importance of the ARC room correction and bass management for 2-channel music. I'll report back in 2-3 weeks.

Cdj123 - you're going to have to keep waiting. I just sent the Dacmagic back and ordered a Wadia 121. I'll report back eventually.

Well, I got the Wadia a couple of days ago. So far, I've only listened to it in my office system (described in detail in another thread). I want to bring it home to try out as mentioned above to compare it to the DACs in the Anthem processor. However, I'm not sure what to do about my subwoofer. My understanding is that if I put the processor in "Analog Direct" mode in order to prevent the Anthem from converting analog to digital and processing the signal internally, I won't get any subwoofer output. I would have to re-wire the sub directly to the external DAC or one of the line-level outs of my power amp. This would result in a poor comparison test. It also makes the possibility of using an upgraded external DAC just for 2-channel impractical for everyday use.

Thoughts?

I finally got around to bringing my Wadia 121 home from the office and hooking it up to my home system. The goal was to compare the internal DACs on my Anthem AVM-50v with a quality stand-alone DAC like the Wadia. As mentioned above, the main difficulty with this experiment is that there is no simple way to utilize my subwoofer when running the Wadia in analog direct mode through the Anthem. This means that an external DAC would not be a practical long-term solution for me, but I still was anxious to compare it to my processor.

For the comparison, I used my Mac Mini running Pure Music as the source. The HDMI out was run directly into the Anthem (using Audioquest Carbon), which did the analog conversion - with ARC room correction processing turned off. The Wadia was hooked up to the Mac via USB (Pangaea pure silver), and then to the Anthem (via Kimber Hero balanced cables). I disconnected the subwoofer to even the score.

I switched back and forth many times, while listening to a number of different tracks, including some hi-res tracks (Dark Side of the Moon and a Glenn Gould piano concerto) and rebook tracks (e.g. Jerry Garcia Band Live, Lyle Lovett, etc.).

With deep concentration, I could hear some very subtle differences in presentation, and a slightly more solid low-end with the Wadia. However, it was not obvious, and I would have a hard time identifying which DAC was being utilized under normal circumstances. This pleased me, since I was not anxious to figure out a way to upgrade the DAC around the Anthem.

The bottom line for me is that, in my system and in my living room, the ARC software and bass management make a much bigger difference than the external DAC. In addition, I added a PS Audio Power Plant Premier last week, which made an immediate and clear improvement in the sound -- much more than the Wadia.

Steve - are you commenting on the Mac Mini as a source or the Wadia as a USB converter?