2. digital
  3. 1326429460

To DAC or not to DAC

I have somewhat of a dilemma. I got an Amazon gift card for Christmas and had forgotten about it. I just ran across it and have to spend some money. I kind of got all up into doing the digital thing, starting off with a Sonos unit, but I think that I want to run down the road of some quality CD music.

I'm currently running an XDA-1 DAC. Right or wrong, I kind of view it as being a budget solution, but it's doing fine as the converter for my Sonos and Apple TV. My dilemma is whether I should get something along the lines of a decent CD player in the form of a Cambridge Audio 550C and either run that through my XDA-1 or get a better DAC. The second choice would be to get something like the 650C which has dual DACs and just run that straight through the analog outs.

I guess what I'm asking is, will I get better results with the 550C and an external dac or with getting the 650C using its internal DACs.

My next question is whether something like a DacMagic would be an upgrade from the XDA-1, if I go the route of the 550C and external dac. For that matter, would the internal dac of the 550C be better than either the XDA-1 or the DacMagic?

I'm just lost.

Thanks.
tonyangel
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
Vicdamone,

A lot of people focus on the chip being used - especially if it's an ESS Sabre chip - and asynch. The power supply and output stages are critical in a DAC. I own an old Theta Cobalt DAC that's about 15 years old. Using coax or optical and redbook files, it sounds quite a bit better than these entry level DACs. People keep saying digital gets far better everyday, and I think it's a load of crap. The Theta DAC was a sub $1k DAC back then. The power supply is pretty big for a DAC, and their are no op-amps.

I think the only areas where newer DACs have seperates themselves from the older ones are jitter reduction, high-res capability, and USB input. High-res is gaining more and more titles, but hardly anywhere near contending with redbook. I highly doubt high-res will be mainstream and/or the standard any time soon. People get way too hung up on it.

The budget DACs all have wall wart power supplies and op-amps. IMO it doesn't matter what features/gimmics they have. In the DAC, the digital bits get turned into analog. Just as in amps or CD players, better power supplies and output stages flat out sound better.

No such thing as a free lunch, indeed.
tonyangel OP
309 posts
 
Well, I took the DacMagic that I borrowed back to the shop last night, and the guy was like, "so soon." I told him my experience and he didn't question it. He simply asked about what I was trying to do, and, of course, I told him that I wanted to make my system sound better.

He told me that, when upgrading, you should always do it from the perspective of attacking the weakest point in your system.

I told him what I had and what my listening habits were and he flat out told me that I'd get the biggest bang for the buck by getting a better preamp. He suggested an Audio Research LS-3. Once I do that, then I'll turn my attention to first my digital source and then the DAC.

He suggested that, with my budget in mind, the Aragon/Audio Research combo will take me a long way before either is the limiting factor in my system.

I hope he's right because all of the equipment swapping that I've done in the last few months is starting to be a PITA and I'd really like to get to a point where I'm listening to the music rather than the equipment.
jt_to's avatar
jt_to
6 posts
 
Up-selling at its finest
tonyangel OP
309 posts
 
"up-selling" What does that mean?
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
Tonyangel, when Jt_to says, "Up-selling at its finest," he's implying that the guy at the shop's suggestion that you get a better preamp is an attempt to make money from you by upgrading to to one of his preamps. But, the Audio Research LS-3 the guy at the shop is suggesting, is an older preamp that can only be purchased used. Unless the shop has one, I would say the guy at the shop is simply trying to be helpful and not "up-sell" you.
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