Post by tjhenry on Jan 22, 2013 15:51:31 GMT -5
I’ve previously reported my comparison of the XDA-1 to the Benchmark DAC1. Ultimately, I preferred the DAC1. The largest differences between it and the XDA-1 were the soundstage depth and width, which were noticeably larger through the DAC1 and the space between instruments with the DAC1. Just for reference, I conducted a blind test for an audio friend of mine and he came to the same conclusions. I’m typically a very budget conscious person, but the price of the DAC1 purchased from Audiogon that I used for the comparison was only $ 200 more than the XDA-1. So, I decided to splurge and keep the DAC1.
When I read about the XDA-2 and that it would now contain a sample rate converter (SRC) and a headphone out, I had to try it. I live in an apartment, so headphone out in my system is a must.
So, using the same pieces of music that I used to compare the XDA-1 to the DAC1, I now compared the XDA-2 to the DAC1. Levels were matched as closely as possible. I don’t remember the volume settings for the XDA-1 to DAC1 comparison, but I will say that the DAC1 was 2 dB louder than the XDA-2 which I compensated for using the volume output on the XDA-2. I used my Pioneer BDP-51 as a transport since it allows simultaneous optical and coaxial digital output which means instant A/B comparison. I switched digital connections between DACs to give each an opportunity to decode through optical or coaxial. My observations were the same regardless which connection was used. I used identical pairs of interconnects to hook both DACs up to my Cayin A-50T integrated amp. Since the DAC1 upsamples everything to 110 kHz, I used the SRC in the XDA-2 to keep the comparison as similar as possible.
In summary, I found the XDA-2 and DAC1 extremely similar. I remember the XDA-1 being close to the performance of the DAC1, but it seems that the XDA-2 is even closer to the performance of the DAC1. I want to clarify and say that I don’t still have the XDA-1 for direct comparison. My statement that the XDA-2 is closer to the DAC1 is based on impressions of the original XDA-1/DAC1 comparison from memory.
The biggest difference between the XDA-2 and DAC1 is still the soundstage depth and width which is still better through the DAC1. However, this difference when compared to the XDA-2 is very small. Also, there is still better separation and space around instruments in the soundstage when listening to the DAC1, but that difference is also very small when switching to the XDA-2. I also remember from my comparison of the XDA-1 to DAC1 that low bass through the XDA-1 became very indistinct and somewhat boomy. I have a piece of music I used for evaluation of both the XDA-1 and XDA-2 to the DAC1 that has an acoustic bass solo at the beginning of the track. The XDA-2 reproduced this solo with nearly the same detail and ambience as the DAC1, but without the problems of the XDA-1. Also, the XDA-2 adds more fullness to the lower midrange and bass. The DAC1 is known as being thin in this area, which is how it usually gains an advantage in resolution.
In my previous comparison of the XDA-1 to the DAC1, I summarized by saying you could get 90 % of the DAC1s performance with the XDA-1. I’ve upgraded my amp for the current comparison, and the Cayin is the best amp I’ve had in my system to date. It provides the best detail and ambience from any amp I’ve owned. I think if it had been in my system for the XDA-1 vs DAC1 comparison, I might have rated the XDA-1 slightly lower in comparison to the DAC1. But, there is no doubt in my mind that the XDA-2 offers better performance than the XDA-1. Using my BDP-51 as the source, it was very difficult to tell the XDA-2 and DAC1 apart when using the coaxial or optical inputs for these DACs. My estimates are that the XDA-2 gets you 95 % of the performance of the DAC1. I can live with the slight loss of soundstage width and depth for the exchange of fuller midrange and bass through the XDA-2.
I don’t want to add a bunch of complicated comparisons, but I will add that I’m in the process of evaluating the USB input on the XDA-2. I bought a Musical Fidelity V-Link II to use with my DAC1 so I could stream music from my computer using J River Media Center. I still have a couple comparisons to complete, but feeding coaxial digital data from my BDP-51 to the DAC1 and comparing it to USB data fed through the V-Link II and then connected using optical to the XDA-2 yields sound that is so similar that I cannot reliably tell them apart. I’m extremely excited about this. In limited comparisons, it seems like the built in USB connection on the XDA-2 may not be quite as good as feeding data through the V-link II, but getting the DAC1s performance from the XDA-2 + V-link II for $ 450 (MSRP) as compared to the DAC1 ($ 1000) seems like an amazing deal to me.
On a side note, I wish Emotiva would save the money spent on the XDA-2 remote control and put those dollars into better components for the XDA-2. I would be happier with an improvement in DAC performance than having a fancy remote control.
When I read about the XDA-2 and that it would now contain a sample rate converter (SRC) and a headphone out, I had to try it. I live in an apartment, so headphone out in my system is a must.
So, using the same pieces of music that I used to compare the XDA-1 to the DAC1, I now compared the XDA-2 to the DAC1. Levels were matched as closely as possible. I don’t remember the volume settings for the XDA-1 to DAC1 comparison, but I will say that the DAC1 was 2 dB louder than the XDA-2 which I compensated for using the volume output on the XDA-2. I used my Pioneer BDP-51 as a transport since it allows simultaneous optical and coaxial digital output which means instant A/B comparison. I switched digital connections between DACs to give each an opportunity to decode through optical or coaxial. My observations were the same regardless which connection was used. I used identical pairs of interconnects to hook both DACs up to my Cayin A-50T integrated amp. Since the DAC1 upsamples everything to 110 kHz, I used the SRC in the XDA-2 to keep the comparison as similar as possible.
In summary, I found the XDA-2 and DAC1 extremely similar. I remember the XDA-1 being close to the performance of the DAC1, but it seems that the XDA-2 is even closer to the performance of the DAC1. I want to clarify and say that I don’t still have the XDA-1 for direct comparison. My statement that the XDA-2 is closer to the DAC1 is based on impressions of the original XDA-1/DAC1 comparison from memory.
The biggest difference between the XDA-2 and DAC1 is still the soundstage depth and width which is still better through the DAC1. However, this difference when compared to the XDA-2 is very small. Also, there is still better separation and space around instruments in the soundstage when listening to the DAC1, but that difference is also very small when switching to the XDA-2. I also remember from my comparison of the XDA-1 to DAC1 that low bass through the XDA-1 became very indistinct and somewhat boomy. I have a piece of music I used for evaluation of both the XDA-1 and XDA-2 to the DAC1 that has an acoustic bass solo at the beginning of the track. The XDA-2 reproduced this solo with nearly the same detail and ambience as the DAC1, but without the problems of the XDA-1. Also, the XDA-2 adds more fullness to the lower midrange and bass. The DAC1 is known as being thin in this area, which is how it usually gains an advantage in resolution.
In my previous comparison of the XDA-1 to the DAC1, I summarized by saying you could get 90 % of the DAC1s performance with the XDA-1. I’ve upgraded my amp for the current comparison, and the Cayin is the best amp I’ve had in my system to date. It provides the best detail and ambience from any amp I’ve owned. I think if it had been in my system for the XDA-1 vs DAC1 comparison, I might have rated the XDA-1 slightly lower in comparison to the DAC1. But, there is no doubt in my mind that the XDA-2 offers better performance than the XDA-1. Using my BDP-51 as the source, it was very difficult to tell the XDA-2 and DAC1 apart when using the coaxial or optical inputs for these DACs. My estimates are that the XDA-2 gets you 95 % of the performance of the DAC1. I can live with the slight loss of soundstage width and depth for the exchange of fuller midrange and bass through the XDA-2.
I don’t want to add a bunch of complicated comparisons, but I will add that I’m in the process of evaluating the USB input on the XDA-2. I bought a Musical Fidelity V-Link II to use with my DAC1 so I could stream music from my computer using J River Media Center. I still have a couple comparisons to complete, but feeding coaxial digital data from my BDP-51 to the DAC1 and comparing it to USB data fed through the V-Link II and then connected using optical to the XDA-2 yields sound that is so similar that I cannot reliably tell them apart. I’m extremely excited about this. In limited comparisons, it seems like the built in USB connection on the XDA-2 may not be quite as good as feeding data through the V-link II, but getting the DAC1s performance from the XDA-2 + V-link II for $ 450 (MSRP) as compared to the DAC1 ($ 1000) seems like an amazing deal to me.
On a side note, I wish Emotiva would save the money spent on the XDA-2 remote control and put those dollars into better components for the XDA-2. I would be happier with an improvement in DAC performance than having a fancy remote control.
