Thinking about DAC

[Deleted]

To tell you the honest truth, i have no idea what a DAC does??

Why is it converting a digital signal to an analog? Isn't digital good?


I wanted to know if my listening experience will improve with a DAC? (2 channel lol )

Currently i use my macbook and wirelessly stream tunes to my appletv. Then via HDMI to my Integra. Finally off to my amp and speakers.

Would i be better off going optical into a DAC (from the appletv) or running a USB cord from my Macbook? (long cord since im going to be using it 12 feet away on the couch) I am assuming i would have to change my macbook settings to output signal over the USB port. Then balanced or rca to my Integra.


Any advice would be awesome

[eusebio]

your Integra is currently your DAC when you send signal via HDMI (or optical/coaxial as well). if you are using a devices rca outputs then you are utilizing that component's DAC. so for you to hear any improvement you would need to buy a DAC that is superior to your Integra. to be honest i doubt the XDA-1 will be much better. I have one and when i compared it to the DAC in my yamaha AVR that i use as a pre/pro i noticed only a modest improvement and your Integra i am sure is better. i dont have experience with any other standalone DACs.

have you considered throwing a tube pre or buffer into the mix to see if you like the sound of tubes?

[Deleted]

My father is a tube freak and have found it not to be for me

With a DAC do you just get 2.0? I see the XDA-1 has a sub out but a lot of other DAC's do not have that


I was thinking about getting a used PS Audio Link III DAC

[DYohn]

Feb 4, 2011 14:02:32 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

To tell you the honest truth, i have no idea what a DAC does??

Why is it converting a digital signal to an analog? Isn't digital good?


I wanted to know if my listening experience will improve with a DAC? (2 channel lol )

Currently i use my macbook and wirelessly stream tunes to my appletv. Then via HDMI to my Integra. Finally off to my amp and speakers.

Would i be better off going optical into a DAC (from the appletv) or running a USB cord from my Macbook? (long cord since im going to be using it 12 feet away on the couch) I am assuming i would have to change my macbook settings to output signal over the USB port. Then balanced or rca to my Integra.

Any advice would be awesome

Humans can only hear analog sounds, and speakers can only make analog sounds. In any sound system, the signal must be analog before the amplifier can send it to the speakers. Every system that uses digital sources MUST have a DAC in it somewhere. In your case, since you are sending digital signals from AppleTV to your Integra, what you are actually hearing is the DAC (and other electronics) inside the Integra.

The advantage to using a better quality DAC is the character of the analog signal it creates can be better than the character of the analog signal the Integra is creating. In most cases, using a separate dedicated component will perform better than using what is built into a multi-function device. This is not always true, but in many cases it is.

So, it might sound better to use a dedicated DAC between your AppleTV stereo digital output (optical?) and the analog inputs in your Integra.

Now as to your question "isn't digital better" I say no, not in all cases, but yes, it is in many ways if only because a much higher quality signal can be maintained much more cheaply and easily than it can in the analog domain. But the bottom line is every signal in the world must be converted to analog before we simple humans can see or hear it.

[Deleted]

Thanks Dyjohn. I quess a digital signal is 1,0,1,1,0,0,0 lol can't really hear that ;D

[Deleted]

I see the my Integra has the Burr Brown chip. Isn't that the same one in the XDA-1?

[eusebio]

Feb 4, 2011 14:13:59 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

My father is a tube freak and have found it not to be for me

With a DAC do you just get 2.0? I see the XDA-1 has a sub out but a lot of other DAC's do not have that


I was thinking about getting a used PS Audio Link III DAC

XDA-1 does not have a sub out but has both RCA and XLR outputs active. so if you are using the DAC as a pre and going straight into an AMP you can hook up one set directly to the amp and the other directly to your subwoofer(s). in my case i connect the XDA-1 outputs into my 7.1 AVR inputs. FL/FR to the respective inputs and using an XLR->RCA cable connected to the Surround BL/BR inputs. and then the FL/FR outputs to my amp and the surround back outputs to my subs.

So to answer your question yes you only get 2.0 sound but by either using both outputs or buying splitters you can also send signal to your subwoofer. unless you send the output to RCA inputs on your processor which will then set the crossover and output to your speakers w/ whatever DSP you use. I prefer pure direct in my system but i don't have a top of the line pre/pro

[jackfish]

Feb 4, 2011 14:33:19 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

I see the my Integra has the Burr Brown chip. Isn't that the same one in the XDA-1?

No. The XDA-1 uses the Analog Devices AD1955 DAC and Burr Brown OPA-2134 OpAmp.

[roadrunner]

kraemerkid

IIRC, the AppleTv max handling is 24/48 whereas the XDA-1 can handle 24/192. Thus you would obtain better performance going directly from your macbook to the XDA-1. Whether you would be happier with the XDA or the Integra depends on the source signal being 2 channel stereo or multichannel sound. What is your intended usage for the DAC?

If it is for handling 2 channel material the XDA-1 is the better solution; however, if you are looking at multichannel sound tracks the XDA-1 would down-mix the multichannel signal to just 2 channels. One other advantage of using the XDA-1 is that it has a dual differential, fully balanced output stage.

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2011 14:53:48 GMT -5 roadrunner said:

kraemerkid

IIRC, the AppleTv max handling is 24/48 whereas the XDA-1 can handle 24/192. Thus you would obtain better performance going directly from your macbook to the XDA-1. Whether you would be happier with the XDA or the Integra depends on the source signal being 2 channel stereo or multichannel sound. What is your intended usage for the DAC?

If it is for handling 2 channel material the XDA-1 is the better solution; however, if you are looking at multichannel sound tracks the XDA-1 would down-mix the multichannel signal to just 2 channels. One other advantage of using the XDA-1 is that it has a dual differential, fully balanced output stage.

I would only be using a outboard DAC for 2 channel audio

[Deleted]

But i don't under stand why the XDA-1 has a volume control? Is it a DAC/preamp all in one?

Do you have to use the XDA-1 as a preamp. I would only run a optical in or a usb in and go analog to my Integra. Can you use it as a stand alone?

[DYohn]

Feb 4, 2011 15:04:55 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

But i don't under stand why the XDA-1 has a volume control? Is it a DAC/preamp all in one?

Do you have to use the XDA-1 as a preamp. I would only run a optical in or a usb in and go analog to my Integra. Can you use it as a stand alone?

It has a volume control because yes, it can be used as a stand-alone digital preamp connected directly between the source and the amplifier. You do not have to use it this way (and most DACs are not used this way.)

[eusebio]

Feb 4, 2011 15:04:55 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

But i don't under stand why the XDA-1 has a volume control? Is it a DAC/preamp all in one?

Do you have to use the XDA-1 as a preamp. I would only run a optical in or a usb in and go analog to my Integra. Can you use it as a stand alone?

i've tried it both ways, as a preamp running directly to my amp and as a DAC only sending signal to my pre/pro. for me i found no improvement. perhaps if i was running full range speakers the story might be different.

[roadrunner]

Feb 4, 2011 15:04:55 GMT -5 @kraemerkid2119 said:

But i don't under stand why the XDA-1 has a volume control? Is it a DAC/preamp all in one?

Do you have to use the XDA-1 as a preamp. I would only run a optical in or a usb in and go analog to my Integra. Can you use it as a stand alone?

The reason the XDA-1 has the volume knob is because the "dual differential output stage" was designed to be optimally used by connecting the XDA-1 directly to your power amp. This eliminates the need to add unnecessary components to the signal path just to control the volume. If you send the signal thru your Integra you are adding noise/distortion to the signal being fed to your speakers.

Many users have reported that the sound quality of connecting the XDA-1 directly to the power amp is significantly better than sending the signal thru a receiver or pre/pro.

[Deleted]

Would i be getting better quality sound if i did it like this?

USB from my macbook to the XDA-1. XDA-1 balanced out to my Integra's stereo balanced in's.

I just don't really want to have it direct to my XPA-5 since i watch alot of movies also. So for me running everything to my pre/pro is a must.

[Mr. Ben]

I suggest that you continue with what you have. The Integra probably does a decent job at conversion, and by keeping it there, you can take advantage of any bass management, tone controls, and room correction that the Integra offers. Plus, you've said in the past that you buy all your music from iTunes, and a better DAC isn't going to help much when your source is compressed audio files.

[Deleted]

Oh heck, I experimented with directly hooking my sources to a stand alone amp in the '70s and the difference was very subtle. Try it and remember that the brain/mind is a very important link in the hearing chain. Audiophiles can adopt the most ridiculous setups because they "think" it sounds better, such a wood blocks in the proportions of the golden mean used as component "feet." Ah well, back to Ry Cooder.

[Deleted]

This is a great thread. Thanks to the OP and to all who contributed.

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2011 14:14:52 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Humans can only hear analog sounds, and speakers can only make analog sounds.

Now as to your question "isn't digital better" I say no, not in all cases

See...this is why 8-track still rules ... Digital is for the birds....


;D

[NorthStar]

Feb 5, 2011 9:57:59 GMT -5 Mr. Ben said:

I suggest that you continue with what you have. The Integra probably does a decent job at conversion, and by keeping it there, you can take advantage of any bass management, tone controls, and room correction that the Integra offers. Plus, you've said in the past that you buy all your music from iTunes, and a better DAC isn't going to help much when your source is compressed audio files.

Yeah Matt, what Mr. Ben just said above!