roman
Minor Hero
Posts: 45
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Post by roman on Nov 29, 2013 12:13:15 GMT -5
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Post by Cory Cooper on Nov 29, 2013 12:23:34 GMT -5
I think it would help if we knew a little more about the other components in the chain and what you are trying to accomplish.  C |
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roman
Minor Hero
Posts: 45
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Post by roman on Nov 29, 2013 13:09:49 GMT -5
Sure. Laptop USB to bel canto. Bel canto to sherborne. High res files played from foobar or jriver on the laptop.
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Post by Cory Cooper on Nov 29, 2013 13:31:23 GMT -5
OK...I think it would work, but you would need a BNC to RCA adapter to connect it to the Sherbourn.
If you are looking for a USB DAC, there are numerous others available that wouldn't need the adapter and are in the same approximate price range. Definitely put the Emotiva XDA-2 on your short list. It's an awesome DAC, and it's on sale right now for $249!
C
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roman
Minor Hero
Posts: 45
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Post by roman on Nov 29, 2013 13:39:44 GMT -5
Cool - thanks. The bel canto comes with an RCA adapter and not really looking for a DAC. The bel canto sends 24/192 data to the sherborne and that hopefully has a nice enough DAC internally to provide sweet audio. I'll call sherborne just to make sure.
Thanks and any other input is welcome!
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Post by Cory Cooper on Nov 29, 2013 13:55:23 GMT -5
Yes, I can see that the Bel Canto mLink is just a USB to S/PDIF converter, which in turn would use the Sherbourn DAC. But, for ~$70 more, you would get the same functionality and a better DAC than the PT-7020 has. Plus, you would have a few more digital inputs available for other devices.
Just a friendly thought. Let us know what Sherbourn says and which way you go.
C
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,261
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Post by KeithL on Nov 29, 2013 15:43:02 GMT -5
I have to agree pretty much..... The Bel Canto is basically a good quality USB-to-S/PDIF converter... which will certainly serve to allow you to connect the USB output of your computer to the PT-7020. However, how much you will gain by using the Bel Canto instead of a much cheaper alternative - or a separate DAC - will depend on the circumstances. 1) If you plan to use the PT-7020 in direct mode (with no processing, no bass management, and no manual or automatic room EQ), then it will be acting pretty much as a DAC. In that situation, the Bel Canto may well give you slightly better sound than a cheaper alternative... although the sound will still depend mostly on the PT-7020 itself, so I don't know how much improvement you'll see. 2) If you plan to use any processing on the PT-7020 (auto room EQ, manual EQ, PLIIx decoding), then the digital audio will be going through the processors on the PT-7020, and those processors will then be the major factor in how it sounds (so the Bel Canto will have less opportunity to make a difference). I suspect that you will hear more of a difference, and more consistently, if you move to a full external DAC - like our XDA-2. You would connect the computer to the DAC, then the analog outputs of the DAC to the analog inputs on the PT-7020. You then have the choice of using the PT-7020 in direct mode, which bypasses all internal processing, and lets you hear the better-quality external DACs directly, or of using another mode which includes room correction, EQ, and other processing options - and of switching between them. While the DACs in the PT-7020 are quite nice (especially for a pre/pro), they still aren't up to the level of sound quality you will get with an external DAC like our XDA-2. For about $75 more than just the Bel Canto, the XDA-2 would give you all the benefits of the Bel Canto (a good asynch USB input), PLUS a really good sounding DAC, PLUS several additional digital inputs (in case you eventually need them - possibly to connect the digital audio input from a CD or other disc player), PLUS a switchable ASRC to remove jitter from those other inputs, PLUS a high quality analog output section, PLUS a very nice headphone amp.... in short, it's going to give you a lot more "bang for your buck" that the Bel Canto - which is just a good quality USB-to-S/PDIF converter. Besides which, the XDA-2 IS a better DAC than the DACs in the PT-7020. Yes, I can see that the Bel Canto mLink is just a USB to S/PDIF converter, which in turn would use the Sherbourn DAC. But, for ~$70 more, you would get the same functionality and a better DAC than the PT-7020 has. Plus, you would have a few more digital inputs available for other devices. Just a friendly thought. Let us know what Sherbourn says and which way you go. C |
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KeithL
Administrator
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Post by KeithL on Nov 29, 2013 15:58:38 GMT -5
If you DO decide to go with the Bel Canto, you can purchase a short Coax cable that goes directly from RCA on one end to BNC on the other - which is better than using an adapter. These folks have an assortment of short ones for under $10: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=bnc+rca+cable&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=Cool - thanks. The bel canto comes with an RCA adapter and not really looking for a DAC. The bel canto sends 24/192 data to the sherborne and that hopefully has a nice enough DAC internally to provide sweet audio. I'll call sherborne just to make sure. Thanks and any other input is welcome! |
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roman
Minor Hero
Posts: 45
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Post by roman on Nov 29, 2013 20:42:14 GMT -5
Thanks again for the info - very informative!! Should I contact emotiva tech support to see if the 7020 handles 24/192 without down sampling it or does anyone here know?
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roman
Minor Hero
Posts: 45
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Post by roman on Nov 30, 2013 0:34:41 GMT -5
Never mind - found the data I need already. Thanks again!
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