emovac
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Post by emovac on Feb 1, 2011 23:23:35 GMT -5
Does anyone have experience with these two devices. I have a PS Audio D-Link III DAC, and wonder if the XDA-1 would be an upgrade, or similar in sound quality. Sound quality is more important to me than features.
Any info provided is appreciated.
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Post by legacyman on Feb 3, 2011 19:02:33 GMT -5
yes I have a ps audio dacIII and I also bought an xda-1 I did not like the xda-1. I had both units hooked up together with the same dig feed and sent them to two seperate inputs on my nad t175hd . I had to bump the input on the preamp by 3db to compensate the level difference between the two units. I kept the xda-1 for 3 weeks listening to it everyday for 2hrs. The end result was it just did not compare to the dac III mainll in the upper end. in other words the highs were a little shrill. also you could hear distortion when vocalist would pronounce their sssssss's at the last tag of their phrase. The equipment I used on this test was a umc-1, nad t175hd, and arcam av8. the speakers I used were legacy whispers and the amps I used were parrasound A-21 (2 amps) I think the xda-1 is a steal for the money but for me I still prefer my ps audio. I hope this will give you a little insight on this subject
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emovac
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Post by emovac on Feb 4, 2011 2:58:09 GMT -5
Thank you very much. I am running my PS Audio D-Link iii with Parasound A23s and a P3 preamp. Sounds like a proper comparison. Appreciate you taking the time to respond.
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Post by legacyman on Feb 4, 2011 9:56:33 GMT -5
one thing I will say about parasound their amps and preamps are some of the most detailed I have ever auditioned. thanks for the reply
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Post by sharkman on Feb 4, 2011 22:11:24 GMT -5
That's odd that you would get extended ssss's like that. I have the XDA connected directly to my amp with paradigm signatures that have their best tweeter. I do notice on some cds that the highs can be brighter but I don't get distortion or anything. I had an Anthem pre-amp that was very laid back and seemed to roll off the highs and was generally lifeless. My present set up is better but i keep looking for the gold at the end of the rainbow!
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Post by GMan on Feb 4, 2011 23:54:10 GMT -5
I don't have my XDA-1 yet but I would expect the two DACs to sound different just by reading the marketing ads. The PS Audio claims the DLink III delivers a warm sound whereas Emotiva makes no claims as to how the XDA-1 sounds. Since Emotiva lets you try it out for 30 days, your best bet is to try it to see which one you prefer.
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Post by legacyman on Feb 5, 2011 14:03:17 GMT -5
I'm just giving my personal opinion on the two dac's. Istill think for the money the xda cannot be beat.
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Post by roadrunner on Feb 5, 2011 18:39:16 GMT -5
I don't have my XDA-1 yet but I would expect the two DACs to sound different just by reading the marketing ads. The PS Audio claims the DLink III delivers a warm sound whereas Emotiva makes no claims as to how the XDA-1 sounds. Since Emotiva lets you try it out for 30 days, your best bet is to try it to see which one you prefer. That is good advice. Everybody has preferences to what they like and what they think sounds better in their systems. What sounds good in one person's HT setup may sound terrible in another person's HT. Roxane prefers the sound of her PS Audio Dac III over the XDA-1. Yet, in another thread, another Lounge member stated that they thought the XDA-1 was better than the PS Audio Dac III. Both are excellent and the only way to know which one you would prefer is to try them both, side-by-side. |
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Post by legacyman on Feb 5, 2011 20:39:27 GMT -5
just to let everyone know I am a man. I used my golden for my forum name. My mistake.
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Post by gman1234 on Feb 7, 2011 8:51:16 GMT -5
I used the PS Audio for about a year. It has a bright treble, especially in upsampling mode.
I would not recommend it for the price. This product was a poor investment, Soon after I purchased it the street prices dropped. This is a reflection of the poor price performance ratio. I lost bigtime when I flipped it. I have the XDA now and I'm not totally sold on it. It performs well beyond it price point. Howerver, I don't like a volume in a D/A converter. It's NOT a preamp, so it shouldn't try to be a preamp. With the vast majority of us listening in 2.1, where's the ".1". I find myself wondering what volume to set it at to achieve a normal output. The idea of this "extra" gain control in my system is not acceptable. I may sell mine soon. I like to feed my multi channel direct inputs with a 2.1 signal, too bad there is no low pass output. I have other equipment for a workaround, but who needs more in the rack than necessary. Additionally, setting the XDA at full volume to bypass all attenuation circuits provides a very high output level. What level represents what would be considered and average output for a source component, presumably around 2 volts? All this said, it's WAY better than the PS audio. By the way, why would anybody purchase a product manufactered for "easy upgrade" authorized by the manufacturer. How much more would it have cost PS Audio just to include those parts in the first place. What a joke. I fell for the promise of an analog sounding DA converter, nice try... The XDA isn't perfect, but at least it's musical.
My humble opinions!
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Post by Vishal on Feb 7, 2011 14:36:18 GMT -5
gman1234's comment finally made me ask something I've been meaning to...
I will have my XDA-1 shortly. Once I get it I will try it in both of these modes:
XDA-1 -> XPA-1 (x2)
and
XDA-1 -> Integra pre/pro -> XPA-1 (x2)
Question - In the second mode the Integra will be used for vol control. Shouldn't there be a "fixed" output mode that the XDA-1 can be set to? I have used a friend's Benachmark DAC-1 which had the fixed vs variable output toggle for just this scenario.
If XDA-1 does not have that then what level should the volume dial be set at to get the best sound quality?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2011 14:38:40 GMT -5
gman1234's comment finally made me ask something I've been meaning to... I will have my XDA-1 shortly. Once I get it I will try it in both of these modes: XDA-1 -> XPA-1 (x2) and XDA-1 -> Integra pre/pro -> XPA-1 (x2) Question - In the second mode the Integra will be used for vol control. Shouldn't there be a "fixed" output mode that the XDA-1 can be set to? I have used a friend's Benachmark DAC-1 which had the fixed vs variable output toggle for just this scenario. If XDA-1 does not have that then what level should the volume dial be set at to get the best sound quality? Set the volume on the XDA-1 to max  |
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Post by Vishal on Feb 7, 2011 15:36:52 GMT -5
Kraemerkid,
Maybe you missed what gman1234 said above. Let me quote him...
"Additionally, setting the XDA at full volume to bypass all attenuation circuits provides a very high output level. What level represents what would be considered and average output for a source component, presumably around 2 volts?"
Anyone?
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Post by paintedklown on Feb 7, 2011 16:05:48 GMT -5
Kraemerkid is exactly right about the volume setting. If you are using this as a line level component (as opposed to a pre-amp) then you should set the volume at maximum. This was actually measured by a forum member here when these units first hit the streets. If my memory serves me correctly, the output was 2 volts at maximum volume. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.  |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Feb 7, 2011 16:38:37 GMT -5
I have mine set to "80" maximum going into a Pioneer Elite VSX-01 with no issues. The volume is controlled by the receiver and works great.
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Post by Vishal on Feb 7, 2011 17:08:57 GMT -5
Thanks Folks.
Would have been good to get a dedicated setting for fixed vol.
I am glad the vol control is not a rotary dial that someone (kids) can change easily/accidentally.
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Post by gman1234 on Feb 7, 2011 17:25:39 GMT -5
Peak output voltage is listed on page 16 of the manual as > 12 V rms in balanced mode. I don't know what this translates to in unbalanced. I will say it should pose no problem for most systems. I'm running mine at about 70 "just in case". I will add, the remote with this converter is slick, as well as it's trigger functions. Nice cosmetics also. There are a lot of positives!
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Post by ravingndrooling on Feb 9, 2011 15:26:07 GMT -5
Would the same rule apply if I'm running my XDA directly to my XPA? Then control my volume with Itunes...
The majority of my time is spent with Itunes, so that's not a big deal. I just thought I should always have the gain/volume turned UP on your source first...as in CDP or Itunes, then control it with your pre-amp. Yes, I am using my XDA as a pre-amp as well right now, until I can figure out if I want a tube pre or not.
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Post by roadrunner on Feb 9, 2011 16:01:39 GMT -5
gman1234's comment finally made me ask something I've been meaning to... I will have my XDA-1 shortly. Once I get it I will try it in both of these modes: XDA-1 -> XPA-1 (x2) and XDA-1 -> Integra pre/pro -> XPA-1 (x2) Question - In the second mode the Integra will be used for vol control. Shouldn't there be a "fixed" output mode that the XDA-1 can be set to? I have used a friend's Benachmark DAC-1 which had the fixed vs variable output toggle for just this scenario. If XDA-1 does not have that then what level should the volume dial be set at to get the best sound quality? The optimal route to obtain the best sound quality is to feed the XDA-1 directly to the XPA-1s. This way you will have a true fully balanced signal path all the way to your speakers. Both the XDA-1 and the XPA-1 ultilize fully balanced circuitry. I would not worry about using the XDA-1's volume control introducing any noise as it is a pure resistor step-ladder configuration with THD of -130 dB -- far quieter than using the Integra for volume control. |
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Post by bobbyt on Feb 14, 2011 0:53:36 GMT -5
Would the same rule apply if I'm running my XDA directly to my XPA? Then control my volume with Itunes... No, this is the opposite of what they were describing. The XDA is a DAC and preamp combined. If you'd rather just use the DAC and a separate preamp, you set the volume to max and it passes straight through. But if you're using it as both DAC and pre ("directly" to your power amps, just like any other preamp), you want to use the volume control. If you're running iTunes to the XDA, it's passing a digital signal, and you don't want the software screwing with it. I don't know if Apple offers a way to send an unmolested digital signal out without mixing in system sounds (I'm guessing not), but that's your ideal setup. If you can't do that, leave your iTunes & system volume set to max and use the XDA's gain control. |
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