XDA-1

[hobbs]

Feb 7, 2011 19:56:04 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

I see in the manual it states that you shouldn't use a USB cord longer then 2 meters. I need to use one that is 30 feet long. Since i use my laptop on the couch.
Will this be a problem?

Anybody out there using long cords?

The simplest solution is to use AirportExpress. AE has a combo optical out. I have the AE attached to my powered Audioengine speakers and I can control it with my iMac or my PowerBook or my iPad. It works great.

So.....go wireless!

[srb]

hobbs said:

The simplest solution is to use AirportExpress. AE has a combo optical out. I have the AE attached to my powered Audioengine speakers and I can control it with my iMac or my PowerBook or my iPad. It works great.

So.....go wireless!

Just be aware that if you're into high resolution files, the Airport Express does have a limitation of 16-bit/48KHz, and anything higher than that will be downsampled.

Steve

[rygher3]

Feb 8, 2011 1:10:09 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

So would getting XDA-1 be pointless? The DAC in the XDA-1 is very nice i hear but is it close to the one in my DHC 9.9?

It certainly wouldn't be pointless. Using optical means that the XDA-1 is getting to do its job (converting the digital signal to analog). How much you notice in difference though, I do not know. I am taking the same risk and trying out the XDA-1 to see how much difference I will hear. I hope that I hear a decent improvement, but who knows.

[Vishal]

kraemerkid,
I am in the same boat as you and rygher3. As are, I am sure, a ton others. Bottomline is, if the DAC in the pre/pro is the weakest link in your system chain (SQ wise) then you should see an improvement. This assumes that the rest of your system is not pulling you down to where you wont hear the difference.

I have the DHC 9.9 as well and I know its the weakest link in my chain. I am counting on the XDA-1 being better that that. I will be using
- Lossless music from my PC via optical (or USB) to XDA-1.
- Balanced analog connections from XDA-1 to Integra
- Balanced analog from Integra to my twin XPA-1s
- Good quality spakers cables to my Magnepan 1.7 fronts.

If keeping the Integra in the mix waters down the SQ too much then I have the option to go balanced straight from XDA-1 to XPA-1s.

Finally, everyone has unique room and acoustic characteristics. So you can only decide after listening to it in your system. Not to mention your ears have the final say. Your signature suggests you have decent gear so I would say you've got nothing to lose.

I know I am looking forward to auditioning the XDA-1 in my system. At worst it will be an extremely fun learning experience. At $299 the XDA-1 won't have to make too big of an improvement in SQ to convince me to keep it. ;D

[pdaddy]

Kraemerkid,
I have done both the optical mini adapter and digital optical cable from my MacBook pro to the XDA and it worked great. Eventually I bought an Apple tv v2 which I now stream to from my MacBook pro. I would skip an airport express since it is the same price as a new apple tv and you get all the other apple tv features. I do not have a lot of hi def content (e.g. 24/192) but the few I have, I was not able to discern enough of a difference as the apple tv down samples these.

[juztaylor]

I am really quite interested in your opinion on the Apple TV. Do you notice much of a difference between using the optical out on your computer to using the Apple TV?

Does anyone else notice a difference between the 16/48 and the 24/192?? I would like to go wireless as i don't want to have to plug my laptop into the XDA-1 everytime to listen to music on my computer.

[paintedklown]

Feb 8, 2011 15:13:07 GMT -5 @Vishal said:

kraemerkid,
I am in the same boat as you and rygher3. As are, I am sure, a ton others. Bottomline is, if the DAC in the pre/pro is the weakest link in your system chain (SQ wise) then you should see an improvement. This assumes that the rest of your system is not pulling you down to where you wont hear the difference.

I have the DHC 9.9 as well and I know its the weakest link in my chain. I am counting on the XDA-1 being better that that. I will be using
- Lossless music from my PC via optical (or USB) to XDA-1.
- Balanced analog connections from XDA-1 to Integra
- Balanced analog from Integra to my twin XPA-1s
- Good quality spakers cables to my Magnepan 1.7 fronts.

If keeping the Integra in the mix waters down the SQ too much then I have the option to go balanced straight from XDA-1 to XPA-1s.

Finally, everyone has unique room and acoustic characteristics. So you can only decide after listening to it in your system. Not to mention your ears have the final say. Your signature suggests you have decent gear so I would say you've got nothing to lose.

I know I am looking forward to auditioning the XDA-1 in my system. At worst it will be an extremely fun learning experience. At $299 the XDA-1 won't have to make too big of an improvement in SQ to convince me to keep it. ;D

Nice gear list. I will be looking forward to your thoughts/feelings on the XDA-1.

[pdaddy]

Juztaylor,
Read my post right above yours. Every system will reveal differences so YMMV, but I was not able to discern enough difference vs the MAJOR convenience to not drag my laptop to my listening room every time, but instead just open iTunes and then stream from there.

[juztaylor]

maybe ill just give it a go. they are pretty cheap considering and I have two macs and use itunes exclusively.

The only concern is that i am setting up a good system and i don't want my weak link to be the apple tv and its audio outputs. I pretty much stream all my movies through my PS3 or use the blue ray player, but getting the PS3 and mac to work for music is more painful. It will work but the user interface is too clunky.

I could go down the Squeezbox route but i am not too excited about having to change everything over from itunes (i am not even sure that i would be able to due to DRM??). It is over $150 more expensive too.

[pdaddy]

Juz,
IMHO $99 is worth the convenience for 90+% of your listening plus everything else that you can do with the ATV. If at some point you find you can hear a difference, allot some of your listening time with your mac plugged into your DAC. I personally could not hear enough difference.