|
|
Post by albireo13 on Jun 6, 2010 5:13:07 GMT -5
I am enjoying an ERC1 right now, using analog output.
I was curious if I would see any improvement with using an external DAC with it?
Rob
|
|
Erwin.BE
Emo VIPs 
It's the room, stupid!
Posts: 2,268
|
Post by Erwin.BE on Jun 6, 2010 7:08:09 GMT -5
If it's a good DAC, if it's well implemented, if you have a good amp, if you have very good speakers then yes, it should sound better, but we have to see for ourselves how much better.
Here's Lonnie in the Dac Poll thread:
"The XDA is our most advanced design to date. Although it uses the same DAC as in the ERC practically everthing else is all new. From the DAC the signal goes to set of Burr Browns which are used as buffers. From there is goes to the discrete output stages but these are completely different from the ERC. These are like a miniature version of an X series amplifier. They use dual differential inputs stages with cross-linked current sources which then goes to a Darlington VAS stage and then to a Darlinton output stage. So in terms of performace and sound quality, this is a whole order magnitude greater than the ERC.
Hope this helps.
P.S. it is just my opinion, but if you really want to get the most out of the XDA. Connect it straight to the amp and forget about using a pre-amp. Just playing with it here, we originally had it run into the USP. We could hear a difference and it sounded better than the ERC itself, but it really wasn't a night and day difference. So we decided to connect it directly to the amps and see what that sounded like. Well that was when we realized just how good it really is and it was the night and day difference we were expecting."
I need a DAC anyway to stream music from my iMac, so @ 300$ the XDA-1 is a no brainer. I hope to see it very soon.
|
|
