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Post by danny01 on Jul 2, 2012 9:42:22 GMT -5
I've been trying my best to not pull the trigger on an xda-1 and hold out for the xda-2, but $400 seems kind of steep for an Emo dac. I hope it has really really good specs for that price ie 120dB sn ratio.
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Post by garbulky on Jul 2, 2012 10:06:28 GMT -5
120 db snr is very high! I don't think it will manage that. Though DAC chips may manage those values it's considerably harder to make the entire unit manage them. Some manufacterers just state the DAC chip value as the SNR which is a little misleading. I believe emotiva stated the true values for its DAC. I believe the xda-1 was around 400 but they dropped the price, which I think was the right thing to do when the issues came up (USB limited, lossy volume control). I think what we gain in the xda-2 other than the analog volume control and asynchronous USB2 (reduced jitter) is the headphone amp.
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Post by GreenKiwi on Jul 2, 2012 11:09:20 GMT -5
I've been trying my best to not pull the trigger on an xda-1 and hold out for the xda-2, but $400 seems kind of steep for an Emo dac. I hope it has really really good specs for that price ie 120dB sn ratio. $400 seems steep for an emo DAC? Really??? I think people would be hard pressed to find a DAC out there for less that will match the XDA-2, at least on features (since we haven't heard it yet). But if it's any improvement over the 1, and I would imagine its at least as good, it will be a stellar deal for $400. Lossless volume, asynchronous USB, lots of inputs, a good headphone amp, serious build quality and balanced outputs? Seems like quite it's well worth $400, at least to me. provided it delivers on promises. Audio is all about compromises, but I don't think people would like the compromises needed to produce a $200 DAC. Only hearing it will tell the truth, but I don't think it's fair to say "$400 is steep for an Emo DAC".
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JayZ
Minor Hero
Posts: 36
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Post by JayZ on Jul 4, 2012 6:42:52 GMT -5
Guys,
Anyone aware of the ETA for XDA-2 ?
The Amplifiers section is quite busy these days with the announcement of XPR-5 but I could not find any details on when XDA-2 will be available to order?
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Post by garbulky on Jul 4, 2012 7:13:53 GMT -5
No idea. Sorry. My guess is at least a month but likely two months.
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Post by Poodleluvr on Jul 4, 2012 12:21:24 GMT -5
120 db snr is very high! I don't think it will manage that. Though DAC chips may manage those values it's considerably harder to make the entire unit manage them. Some manufacterers just state the DAC chip value as the SNR which is a little misleading. I believe emotiva stated the true values for its DAC. I believe the xda-1 was around 400 but they dropped the price, which I think was the right thing to do when the issues came up (USB limited, lossy volume control). I think what we gain in the xda-2 other than the analog volume control and asynchronous USB2 (reduced jitter) is the headphone amp. Bryston BDA-1 DAC: signal to noise Audio Precision AP27 analyzer FFT digital measurement 140 db unweighted. Oppo BDP-95: Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >125dB (A-weighted, with auto-mute), >115dB (A-weighted, without auto-mute) WFS DAC-2: S/N > 115 db
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klinemj
Emo VIPs
Honorary Emofest Scribe
Posts: 14,749
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Post by klinemj on Jul 4, 2012 12:35:57 GMT -5
Per the latest podcast, it (and the XSP-1 and the Pro-DAC) should be ready and likely shipping by Emofest (labor day weekend).
Mark
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Post by aazeez1975 on Jul 6, 2012 11:38:53 GMT -5
I've been trying my best to not pull the trigger on an xda-1 and hold out for the xda-2, but $400 seems kind of steep for an Emo dac. I hope it has really really good specs for that price ie 120dB sn ratio. "$400 seems kind of steep for an Emo dac", what are you trying to say? 1) Emo name doesn't deserve the $400 price tag i.e. you would pay more for other brand with same specs. 2) $400 better be worth it spec wise since it is an Emo dac. For SNR > 120dB you would be hard press to find anything under $1000, not to mention a host of other features that XDA-2 is bringing to the table.
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Post by danny01 on Jul 7, 2012 1:29:51 GMT -5
I've been trying my best to not pull the trigger on an xda-1 and hold out for the xda-2, but $400 seems kind of steep for an Emo dac. I hope it has really really good specs for that price ie 120dB sn ratio. $400 seems steep for an emo DAC? Really??? I think people would be hard pressed to find a DAC out there for less that will match the XDA-2, at least on features (since we haven't heard it yet). But if it's any improvement over the 1, and I would imagine its at least as good, it will be a stellar deal for $400. Lossless volume, asynchronous USB, lots of inputs, a good headphone amp, serious build quality and balanced outputs? Seems like quite it's well worth $400, at least to me. provided it delivers on promises. Audio is all about compromises, but I don't think people would like the compromises needed to produce a $200 DAC. Only hearing it will tell the truth, but I don't think it's fair to say "$400 is steep for an Emo DAC". "Hard pressed to find a dac with those features for $400." Really? There are many. Head over to Head-fi. Many of the ebay dacs from China do not deliver claimed specs, but there are a handful that do ~115dB snr, feature balanced connections, a good headphone amp, and many connection options.
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Post by danny01 on Jul 7, 2012 1:45:17 GMT -5
I've been trying my best to not pull the trigger on an xda-1 and hold out for the xda-2, but $400 seems kind of steep for an Emo dac. I hope it has really really good specs for that price ie 120dB sn ratio. "$400 seems kind of steep for an Emo dac", what are you trying to say? 1) Emo name doesn't deserve the $400 price tag i.e. you would pay more for other brand with same specs. 2) $400 better be worth it spec wise since it is an Emo dac. For SNR > 120dB you would be hard press to find anything under $1000, not to mention a host of other features that XDA-2 is bringing to the table. What's up with people getting so offended? I meant that Emotiva is known for delivering quality products for audiophiles on a budget. Emotiva amplifiers(their bread and butter) are very under priced for their performance. It is what makes the brand. If they offer a dac for $400 (yes, there are dacs out there with features comparable to the XDA-2 for under $400), with features that have been in other products with comparable prices for years it is nothing to wow about, and strays from what made Emotiva successful in the past. Rather than being blinded by product proliferation, I prefer to be in the know about competitive products. I think Emotiva makes awesome products, otherwise I would not spend my hard earned money buying their stuff. That being said, I just bought an XDA-1.
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Post by garbulky on Jul 7, 2012 4:21:58 GMT -5
Here are the upcoming features of the emotiva dac: A remote controlled dac, pre-amp + headphone amp + remote controlled, fully balanced differential (+ unbalanced) losseless analog volume control with 5 inputs which includes an XLR AES input) 192 khz, asynchronous DAC. The DAC which should sound if the xda-1 is anything to go by: phenomenal! It has the ability to push 12 v peaks and can use 15 watts of power doing it with an analog stage that is supposed to be superior than the USP-1? Also using dual DACS and hacing those THD levels. It runs warm when it is running in my system despite its large surface area. And has caps that dwarfe my xonar and a toirrioidal power transformer. All that points to some potent pre-amplification which offers excellent headroom.
It's not just the 5 inputs but that despite it's ratings as not being incredibly high, sound sphenomenal! For instance my asus xonar essence st has 120 db SNR rating A weighted. It is EMI sheilded with a built in jitter clock. But there are plenty of times the xda-1 simply brings out more detail and sounds phenomenal. The asus xonar essence may be slightly better at certain things, but I would lean towards the xda-1 for quality. I doubt there's anything that can offer all of these features with a 5 year warranty and 30 days moneyback.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2012 5:08:23 GMT -5
Bryston BDA-1 DAC: signal to noise Audio Precision AP27 analyzer FFT digital measurement 140 db unweighted. $2350 w/remote Oppo BDP-95: Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >125dB (A-weighted, with auto-mute), >115dB (A-weighted, without auto-mute) WFS DAC-2: S/N > 115 db[/quote] $1500
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Post by Poodleluvr on Jul 7, 2012 9:07:07 GMT -5
Bryston BDA-1 DAC: signal to noise Audio Precision AP27 analyzer FFT digital measurement 140 db unweighted. $2350 w/remote Oppo BDP-95: Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >125dB (A-weighted, with auto-mute), >115dB (A-weighted, without auto-mute) WFS DAC-2: S/N > 115 db $1500[/quote] Oppo BDP 95: Not a DAC but-- ES9018 SABRE 32-bit Reference DAC, Balanced XLR & Toroidal Transformer,SACD, DVD-Audio, HDCD, WAV & FLAC, nd Generation Qdeo Video Processing,3D, Streaming, Wireless, eSATA & USB, Dual HDMI, IR In & RS232 Control. COST: $999.00 !
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Post by danny01 on Jul 7, 2012 9:14:01 GMT -5
Analog stage superior to that of a usp-1? I did not know that.
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Post by danny01 on Jul 7, 2012 9:22:16 GMT -5
Bryston BDA-1 DAC: signal to noise Audio Precision AP27 analyzer FFT digital measurement 140 db unweighted. $2350 w/remote Oppo BDP-95: Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >125dB (A-weighted, with auto-mute), >115dB (A-weighted, without auto-mute) WFS DAC-2: S/N > 115 db $1500Oppo BDP 95: Not a DAC but-- ES9018 SABRE 32-bit Reference DAC, Balanced XLR & Toroidal Transformer,SACD, DVD-Audio, HDCD, WAV & FLAC, nd Generation Qdeo Video Processing,3D, Streaming, Wireless, eSATA & USB, Dual HDMI, IR In & RS232 Control. COST: $999.00 ! [/quote] You think $999 is high? It is different product than a usual dac but can be pretty close to being one in real world uasge through the e sata port. This is really a player that has usable features and IMO a much better value than a $400 dac.
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Post by garbulky on Jul 7, 2012 9:59:48 GMT -5
Analog stage superior to that of a usp-1? I did not know that. Well initially, they felt it was better direct from the xda-1. But then after the lossy volume control, they reccomended use of the XDA-1 + USP-1. Unless I'm mixin up USP-1 with ERC-1, which is possible ;D
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Post by garbulky on Jul 7, 2012 10:08:30 GMT -5
[qoute] Oppo BDP 95: Not a DAC but-- ES9018 SABRE 32-bit Reference DAC, Balanced XLR & Toroidal Transformer,SACD, DVD-Audio, HDCD, WAV & FLAC, nd Generation Qdeo Video Processing,3D, Streaming, Wireless, eSATA & USB, Dual HDMI, IR In & RS232 Control. COST: $999.00 ! You think $999 is high? It is different product than a usual dac but can be pretty close to being one in real world uasge through the e sata port. This is really a player that has usable features and IMO a much better value than a $400 dac. The price is still not $400. The oppo is more than twice that of an XDA-2. And the xda-2 is a DAC not a surround sound pre-pr o. I still don't see one at $400 that has all the features of the xda-1 as a DAC and the sound quality. Usually there is always a compromise on one or the other.
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Post by danny01 on Jul 7, 2012 13:00:00 GMT -5
Garbulky, the Oppo is not a Pre/Pro either. It's a bluray player with special attention paid to two channel listening(what we are talking about here). Many people use it in pure stereos without any sort of display. It has a pure mode where it shuts off all circuitry that is not needed to produce 2 channel music. The sabre dac in the Oppo is superior to the one in an XDA-1. As far as features, the only thing that the XDA has over the Oppo is a USB dac function, but being that it has eSata and USB input on the Oppo, it is a small trade-off. Talking about price, yes it is $1000 but how much was your DH-A2 and XDA combo? If you would take your Toshiba HD-A2 and an XDA over just the Oppo 95, well then I have nothing further to say.
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Post by danny01 on Jul 7, 2012 13:34:27 GMT -5
Garbulky, here are a few dacs in the $200 to $400 range with good headphone amps and decent amount of inputs: Musiland MD10 HLLY DMK-IV Little Dot Dac II Audio-gd NFB-5.2, NFB 12.1, NFB-15, NFB-16
There are so many with similar features to the XDA.
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Post by GreenKiwi on Jul 7, 2012 13:44:21 GMT -5
The proof will be in the pudding.
Not much to say until we get them in our hands and systems and listen.
$400 definitely gets you into the land of some good DACs, I don't think that anyone is saying hat isn't true. I think that people are just reacting to a dismissal of the XDA-2 as being over priced at $400, as being an unfair assessment.
I'm just excited to hear both of these, particularly the dac pro.
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