I'm a fan of less is better, for less distortion, plug a DAC directly to the amp. No need for anything else. Get and integrated and your set. Many people feel.a pre amp is needed, but I feel for its purity, I'll let the amp do the talking. Some people use a amp with a 1st gen ipod.
DAC DIRECT IN TO AMPLIFIER OR TO PREAMPLIFIER
For the longest time, I believed that the best preamplifier is no preamplifier. Eliminating a component from the audio chain would yield less distortion & greater purity.
Recently, I have had reason to re-think my logic on the matter - and I am (I think) changing my mind. Better said, assuming that the preamplifier in the component you are using (in my case, a DAC) can produce 95% or greater quality sound compared to the preamplifier component, then no preamplifier is the best option. The 5% represents the (estimated) loss of fidelity in adding another set of interconnects.
That said, most DACs do not have an outstanding preamplifier built in. I think most have average passive attenuators, and the better DACs have active preamplifiers that are very good - but not as good as a quality preamplifier.
What are your thoughts?
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@webking185 , I understand that it is counterintuitive to think that adding a whole bunch of circuitry into the line between the DAC and amp would sound better, but all I can say is that with my setup, which I don’t think is any slouchy setup, there is a definite and satisfying improvement in all aspects. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but there it is. As @mofojo pointed out, an integrated just has the pre built in with less separation of the components, which I personally think is not as good as isolating the pre and amp. Finally an amp with an iPod? Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should. You can use coat hangers for speaker wire . . . Doesn’t mean that it is a great idea. You might be able to power a small amp with a bicycle. Then you can eliminate any dirty power issues and get exercise at the same time. Doesn’t mean that you should. |
Only a tad over six minutes long, watch it with an open mind:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh27E7YKN9s |
I'm using my DAC direct to amps right now. I like the sound both through my preamp and direct to amps. The direct route seems to be just a bit more lively to me plus it is 140 watts less power and time on tubes not using my tube preamp. This DAC/preamp also uses tubes and even has analog inputs available. It has a very good and quiet output stage. I'm planning to try my phono preamp into the DAC/preamp to see how the sound compares to my regular preamp. But this whole thing is a lot of change and I'm not liking change as much as I used to. Funny how old age affects us. Maybe in a few years I won't remember how the DAC sounds direct or through a preamp. I've gotten used to using Roon instead of spinning CDs or Vinyl. I keep thinking I could eliminate a lot of components but on the other hand that would be change... |
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