New or Old DAC

Mine is very simple, when Vacuum Tubes are used in the Rectifying Stage of a DAC, they become part of the power supply to both the Analog and Digital Stages!

Agreed 100%.

Why is this so hard for everyone to understand?

It isn't hard to understand -- in fact no one disagrees with your point. The problem is that you refuse to accept a reasonable interpretation of our posts, and continue to insist that our posts were saying something unreasonable and obviously wrong.

That is my last word on the subject.

Regards,
-- Al

"Remember, no one puts tubes, fancy caps or resistors in the digital to analog convertor, these premium parts go in the analog output stage."

Perhaps you should have said.
Remember, no one puts tubes, fancy caps or resistors in the digital to analog convertor, these premium parts go in the analog output stage and the "Power Supply"!!

Improvement in the power supply can make a Huge differnce!

Should also mention that 99% of Digital gear will use switching power supplies which are known to induce noise and are very dirty as far as power suppies go.

A Space Tech Dac "DOES NOT" use switching power suppies, it uses a Linear Power Supply!

Bernie, in hindsight, you are correct, I should have been more specific. I did not realize that someone could misinterpret the digital to analog covertor chip to mean the power supply. Live and learn. I also agree with you on the importance of the power supply.

This is my last word on the subject too.

Cheers,
John

I am an older DAC chip guy. I just finished a DAC design by Pedja that uses a TDA1541A Philips chip. The chip went out of production in or about 1995. I found and use the TDA1541AS2 chip (premium grade), a very hard chip to find. Another great older DAC chip is the Burr Brown PCM63. The PCM63K is Burr Brown's premium chip. Cd's are recorded in 44.1 khz and at 16 bits. This is all the info that in on a CD. A better circuit design and good DAC chip make a good DAC unit. Some older units are very good as well as newer designs, but there is still only 16 bits of info so an 18 bit-24 bit DAC chip will not get more info off a standard CD.

Anyway my choice is a newer design using and older DAC chip. Zanden is a company that does this at a very high cost.