The PS audio PWD MK2 sounds very nice. It's a great dac and I have been using it as a pre amp with various tube amps with success. Underwood Audio has great prices. Very pleased with mine.
DACs With Killer Built-In Preamps
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I see a lot of DACs with volume controls with the ability to act as a preamp. The Audio Research Reference Dac/Digital Media Bridge ($15k) has a volume control and a lot of innards of its Reference 5SE preamp...which makes for a very serious preamp section on that DAC.
Are there any DACs with voulume controls under $7k that can compete with top-tier preamps?
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I see a lot of DACs with volume controls with the ability to act as a preamp. The Audio Research Reference Dac/Digital Media Bridge ($15k) has a volume control and a lot of innards of its Reference 5SE preamp...which makes for a very serious preamp section on that DAC.
Are there any DACs with voulume controls under $7k that can compete with top-tier preamps?
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- 55 posts total
Not just a DAC, but the Resolution Audio Cantata Music Center mught be of interest: http://resolutionaudio.com/cantata.html |
There is no volume control technology that beats adjusting the D/A reference voltage to adjust the DAC output. This adds no parts to the signal path, adjusts no gain stage and puts no resistor or gain stage in the signal path. It actually increases S/N ratio and lowers THD as the volume is lowered unlike all other volume technologies. It is in another class from other volume control technologies, but can only be accomplished with digital in a DAC. This is like using no preamp at all. This is EXACTLY like connecting the line-out on a typical DAC directly to the amps. No difference, except that the volume does not blow-up the speakers. See: http://www.empiricalaudio.com/products/overdrive-dac Also, a version of the BIDAT evidently used this technology although I have never heard it. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
- 55 posts total