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Post by dazza on Oct 20, 2013 13:46:21 GMT -5
First off, apologizes if there is a similar thread to this one!
I'm tempted to purchase the DC-1 as the main DAC for my 2 channel system. My question is, is there a significant improvement over the XDA-2 (which I already have, and like)? If I do purchase it, I was thinking of then connecting the XDA to my MAC and then get some powered speakers, akin to the A5's. Anyone run this kind of setup?
This emotiva sale does result in dilemmas!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 14:30:50 GMT -5
Got my dc1 yeaterday and direct compared it to the xda2
I have it going to the usp1 to psb imagine B 'mains
At first (3 hours or so) i didnt hear a smidgen of difference
But now that its been on since yeaterday at 12 i am statting to notice an improvement in clarity and separation
Each individual instrument in ALL recordings are easier to hear. This with the xda2 really inly was with certain recordings. I plan to continue this audition for a few weeks before i decide to keep it or not (basically is it worth the extra money)
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Post by Poodleluvr on Oct 20, 2013 15:21:32 GMT -5
Got my dc1 yeaterday and direct compared it to the xda2 I have it going to the usp1 to psb imagine B 'mains At first (3 hours or so) i didnt hear a smidgen of difference But now that its been on since yeaterday at 12 i am statting to notice an improvement in clarity and separation Each individual instrument in ALL recordings are easier to hear. This with the xda2 really inly was with certain recordings. I plan to continue this audition for a few weeks before i decide to keep it or not (basically is it worth the extra money) I suggest you give another set-up at least a shot. I suggest that you take your USP-1 completely out of your stereo 2-channel set-up and hook the DC-1 directly to your amp like that of a preamp. Then set your DC-1 to variable out.-- You may be surprised. |
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hemster
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Post by hemster on Oct 20, 2013 16:03:25 GMT -5
dazza, yes there is substantial (and not subtle) difference between the DC-1 and the XDA-2. I have both and the DC-1 is in a different league all together.
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Post by novisnick on Oct 20, 2013 16:08:28 GMT -5
Thanks dazza,
I payed for my DC-1 Thursday, but haven't heard a thing from Emo about my order.
I have a few more goodies ordered as well.
I can't wait, but I will, to hear the DC-1
Peace,
Nick
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 16:25:18 GMT -5
dazza, yes there is substantial (and not subtle) difference between the DC-1 and the XDA-2. I have both and the DC-1 is in a different league all together. Maybe my ears are no good lol. Its only subtle to me. And according to emo tech the usp1 has no effect on the dc1 sound have hooked it to the xpa5 directly ( only to see because i cant keep it this way as i need. Ht bypass) and it still is inly a small difference for the better. Nothing i would call substantial |
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hemster
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Post by hemster on Oct 20, 2013 16:42:17 GMT -5
dazza, yes there is substantial (and not subtle) difference between the DC-1 and the XDA-2. I have both and the DC-1 is in a different league all together. Maybe my ears are no good lol. Its only subtle to me. And according to emo tech the usp1 has no effect on the dc1 sound have hooked it to the xpa5 directly ( only to see because i cant keep it this way as i need. Ht bypass) and it still is inly a small difference for the better. Nothing i would call substantial The DC-1 puts music where it belongs. The soundstage is better defined and the instruments are placed wider where they belong. There is sharper resolution and the the whole experience should leave you in no doubt that the DC-1 is a better DAC... much better, especially with ASRC enabled. I am not saying that the XDA-2 is a slouch.. it's not. I kept mine for the family room. but the DC-1 is in a different league, IMHO. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 16:51:15 GMT -5
I definitely am noticing the clearer resolution. As well as better separation of the instruments. Maybe that is what you mean Like i said. I will make the final decision in about 2-3 weeks  Also would need to sell off the xda2 |
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hemster
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Post by hemster on Oct 20, 2013 16:53:34 GMT -5
I definitely am noticing the clearer resolution. As well as better separation of the instruments. Maybe that is what you mean Like i said. I will make the final decision in about 2-3 weeks Also would need to sell off the xda2 I understand completely.I went through the same process myself. But I decided to keep my XDA-2 as it sounds very good indeed in my family room. |
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Post by Poodleluvr on Oct 20, 2013 16:57:18 GMT -5
I unplugged my usp-1 from my XPA-1s, after hearing the XDA-1 hooked up directly to my XPA-1s. I never looked back.
The USP-1 is not even close in the same league as the DC-1, when the DC-1 is used as a preamp.-- The DC-1 is superior.
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Post by dazza on Oct 20, 2013 17:23:14 GMT -5
Thanks for all the replies, I think I will purchase and give it a whirl.....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 17:26:37 GMT -5
I unplugged my usp-1 from my XPA-1s, after hearing the XDA-1 hooked up directly to my XPA-1s. I never looked back. The USP-1 is not even close in the same league as the DC-1, when the DC-1 is used as a preamp.-- The DC-1 is superior. Only issue is no ht bypass |
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Post by Poodleluvr on Oct 20, 2013 17:48:05 GMT -5
I unplugged my usp-1 from my XPA-1s, after hearing the XDA-1 hooked up directly to my XPA-1s. I never looked back. The USP-1 is not even close in the same league as the DC-1, when the DC-1 is used as a preamp.-- The DC-1 is superior. Only issue is no ht bypass Emotiva has several series of audio products. The "U" Series is Good. The "X" Series is Better. The "Ref" Series is Best. And, then there is the "Pro" Series. So, what are you doing here? You are using a "Pro" Series component as an input into a "U" Series component. The end result is "U" series sound quality-- Good sound quality IMO. |
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Post by creimes on Oct 20, 2013 17:52:05 GMT -5
I'm planning on having the DC-1 connected to the XLR input on my XPA-1L's and have my PT-7030 connected to the RCA of the XPA-1L's and using the toggle switch to choose my input needed, and obviously have whichever pre/pro off when using the other.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 17:52:57 GMT -5
Only issue is no ht bypass Emotiva has several series of audio products. The "U" Series is Good. The "X" Series is Better. The "Ref" Series is Best. And, then there is the "Pro" Series. So, what are you doing here? You are using a "Pro" Series component as an input into a "U" Series component. The end result is "U" series sound quality-- Good sound quality IMO. This can't be true since emo doesn't sell pro amps. So your saying everyone with an xpr/dc1 connection isnt getting full potential of the dc1 his came directly from emotiva. The usp has zero negative effect on the sound quality Like i said earlier. I hooked it directly into the amp. And it made no audible difference Plus it doesn't matter since i will never keep it that way lol. |
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Post by Poodleluvr on Oct 20, 2013 18:09:14 GMT -5
I'm planning on having the DC-1 connected to the XLR input on my XPA-1L's and have my PT-7030 connected to the RCA of the XPA-1L's and using the toggle switch to choose my input needed, and obviously have whichever pre/pro off when using the other. That will work and provide you with the SQ you are seeking but-- I recall from the past that somebody planned on using the toggle switch on the back of the XPA-1 to switch between the single-ended RCA inputs and the balanced XLR inputs. At the time, I remember a post basically saying that the toggle switch on the back of the amp was not made or designed to withstand switching back and forth on a constant basis. I've never seen an XPA-1L amp, but I'm thinking that the front plate toggle switch for Class A bias is of the build quality to withstand switching back and forth over a period of time. I'm not so sure about the toggle switch on the back of the amp is of the build quality or designed to withstand switching back and forth over a period of time.... (The XPA-1L is under a 5 year factory warranty so I can't dispute that point.) |
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Post by Poodleluvr on Oct 20, 2013 18:27:05 GMT -5
Emotiva has several series of audio products. The "U" Series is Good. The "X" Series is Better. The "Ref" Series is Best. And, then there is the "Pro" Series. So, what are you doing here? You are using a "Pro" Series component as an input into a "U" Series component. The end result is "U" series sound quality-- Good sound quality IMO. This can't be true since emo doesn't sell pro amps. So your saying everyone with an xpr/dc1 connection isnt getting full potential of the dc1 his came directly from emotiva. The usp has zero negative effect on the sound quality Like i said earlier. I hooked it directly into the amp. And it made no audible difference Plus it doesn't matter since i will never keep it that way lol. Emotiva will make a "Pro" Series of Amps. As a matter of fact, a prototype of a 2-channel Pro studio amp was on display at Emofest 2013. Your SQ will be defined by your weakest component in your system, and it is certainly not the DC-1 you just purchased. The DC-1 is the best audio component currently in your possession IMO. As someone once said of which I won't take the credit: "Garbage in, garbage out." (You are combing audio components on the low end of the spectrum with components on the high end of the spectrum.) |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 20, 2013 18:30:18 GMT -5
Emotiva has several series of audio products. The "U" Series is Good. The "X" Series is Better. The "Ref" Series is Best. And, then there is the "Pro" Series. So, what are you doing here? You are using a "Pro" Series component as an input into a "U" Series component. The end result is "U" series sound quality-- Good sound quality IMO. This can't be true since emo doesn't sell pro amps. So your saying everyone with an xpr/dc1 connection isnt getting full potential of the dc1 his came directly from emotiva. The usp has zero negative effect on the sound quality Like i said earlier. I hooked it directly into the amp. And it made no audible difference Plus it doesn't matter since i will never keep it that way lol. For me, the USP does have an audible effect on sound quality with the XDA-1. In some ways it's better in some ways, it's slightly worse. It's still a good unit. But Lonnie the designer of the XDA-1 a long time ago said the analog linestage of the XDA-1 is better than the USP-1. I'm not sure if it applies to the DC-1. But the only way to tell for you is for you to try it out. If a $400 pre-amp has zero impact on sound quality then there should be no pre-amps over $400  Yet there is an XSP-1..... It may be different for you. For instance i found the DC-1 pre-amp to be a bit lackluster in low volume listening. It also didn't quite have the powerful quick dynamics of the USP-1. But it sounded better than the XDA-1 to the passive pre-amp. And the XDA-1 to the passive pre-amp sounded better in soundstage than connected to the USP-1 (in some respects) while the USP-1 bettered the passive pre-amp in terms of dynamics. . |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 18:33:40 GMT -5
Hmmm maybe ill try the dc1 connected to the onkyo 809 just for shits and giggles to see if it effects the sound
Im starting to think my speakers, ears, room etc will not allow me to hear all the differences everyone here is referring to
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Post by Poodleluvr on Oct 20, 2013 19:02:00 GMT -5
Hmmm maybe ill try the dc1 connected to the onkyo 809 just for shits and giggles to see if it effects the sound Im starting to think my speakers, ears, room etc will not allow me to hear all the differences everyone here is referring to IMO, if you wanted to improve your 2-channel SQ, while maintaining HT Bypass, your best upgrade at this time would have been to upgrade (sell) your USP-1 and then purchase a XSP-1. Use a new XSP-1 with your currently owned XDA-2. |
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Yet there is an XSP-1.....