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Scott Nixon outboard DAC's, any good?

I've got a question for all you digital guys about a scott nixon outboard DAC. I've been fighting this what to buy upgraded cdp situation for close to a year now. I have recently been thinking of a modded Jolida by underwood wally or a consonance 2.2. However, I stumbled across a boutique builder named scott nixon who makes a tubed outboard dac. I was wondering if anyone has experience with them and can give some advice. I am thinking this may be a option and use my denon dvd 2800 as a transport.This may propve to be a good alternative to spending $2000 for a new cdp. Thanks for any advice.
89lotus
suits_me
121 posts
 
Does the sn tube dac still invert phase? Do people consider that significant?
nealhood
199 posts
 
Yes Slawney, I was referring to the AN 1.1. And thanks for this info, you have been very helpful in detailing the differences. There are a few more differences than I had thought.

slawney
242 posts
 
Suits me: yes, the sn dacs invert phase. Since inverted phase can degrade analog performance in subsequent stages, you might want to correct for this. If you are using an spdif consumer interface, there is a simple and elegant way to correct for inverted phase: connect the signal lead of your digital input to RXN on the cs8412, and the return to RXP. Since the differential line receivers on the cs8412 have input voltage ratings of -12V to 12V, the receiver can accept signals in inverted phase. Although the topic of phase is not explicitly discussed there, look at Appendix A of the Crystal data sheet for extra tips about interface.
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